Food Slicing Machine Electric Motors

On a food slicing machine, the electric motor turns the blade or cutting disc that cuts the product. On a deli’s circular blade slicer the motor is small and often single-phase; on an automatic slicing line in a meat or cheese plant the blade motor rises to several kW and the feed that pushes the product to the blade has its own drive; on vegetable slicers and dicers the motor turns a cutting disc or a centrifugal impeller. Maker catalogues list 0.18–0.5 kW for counter-top slicers and 0.75–7.5 kW for vegetable dicers and centrifugal slicers.

DRG Motor is a manufacturer, supplier and seller of electric motors. We do not sell slicing machines, blade and cutting disc sets, gearboxes, servo feeds or speed drives; our offer stops at the three-phase asynchronous motor driving that blade or disc. These motors are on the Buy Electric Motors Online page.

Slicer types and where the motor sits

Slicing machines fall into three families: manual or semi-automatic circular blade slicers, automatic slicers used in the meat and cheese industry, and fruit and vegetable cutting machines. In each family the motor sits in a closed housing behind or below the blade; the product area and the drive area are kept apart.

Circular blade (deli) slicer

These machines cut salami, sausage, ham and cheese with blades of 250–350 mm. The blade does not sit on the motor shaft; it turns slower through a belt or gears: one sheet gives 280 rpm for a 350 mm blade, another 200 rpm. On gravity models the carriage leans on the blade by its own weight; on automatic models a second motor drives the carriage back and forth. Many of these small machines are sold with single-phase motors; where a three-phase version of the same model exists, our small motors can be a match.

Industrial automatic slicing: blade motor and feed

Automatic machines that cut bacon, ham, sausage and cheese blocks into portions have two separate drives. The blade motor turns a sickle-shaped or circular blade at a steady speed; one line’s sheet gives a top blade speed of 600 rpm. The feed that advances the product to the blade sets the slice thickness, so it is servo-driven. Servo and stepper motors are not in our range; on these machines what we can cover is the blade drive and auxiliary motors such as the outfeed belt, cooling fan or hydraulic unit.

Vegetable slicing and dicing machines

On a counter-top vegetable slicer, the motor turns an interchangeable cutting disc at a few hundred rpm; one model has a single step at 340 rpm. In an industrial centrifugal slicer, the product drops into a spinning impeller and is thrown against fixed knives around it; potato chips and vegetable slices are cut this way. On cube and strip dicers, the slicing knife is followed by circular and cross knives, all driven from the same motor through belts or gears.

How many kW for a slicing machine motor? Catalogue values

A) Motor powers stated on maker sheets for slicers and vegetable cutting machines:

Single-motor machines use about 0.18–7.5 kW depending on the maker’s model: 0.18–0.37 kW on deli slicers, 0.5–2.2 kW on vegetable slicers and dicers, and up to 7.5 kW on the centrifugal slicer. The figures for the automatic portion slicer (3.4/3.5 kW) and the high-speed slicing line (up to 15.5 kW) are total machine connected loads, counting blade motor, feed servo, belts and controls together. These sheets do not give the blade motor’s own power, so we do not estimate it.

B) Overlap with the DRG range: our smallest motor is 0.25 kW, so the 0.18 and 0.22 kW deli slicer motors fall below our range, and those machines come single-phase anyway. The 0.25–0.37 kW band is covered by our aluminium 71 models, 0.5–2.2 kW vegetable machine motors by 80–100L frames, and the 7.5 kW centrifugal slicer motor by a 132 frame. The 3.7 kW value in catalogues is a horsepower-based rating; our standard steps are 3 and 4 kW, and which one suits is decided with the machine maker. Single-phase motors, servo motors and motors with built-in brakes are outside our range.

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Worked example: blade speed and reduction ratio

From the 350 mm blade speeds on the sheets, let us find the speed at the cutting edge, then the belt or gear ratio needed with the plate speed of our 0.37 kW 4-pole DRG-712-4 (1340 rpm):

The two blades of the same diameter differ only in speed, and edge speed ranges from 3.7 to 5.1 m/s. If the old motor is not 4-pole or has a different plate speed, the ratio changes; to keep the pulleys or gearbox when replacing, stay with the same pole number and a close speed. You can try your own values with the pulley and belt calculator.

Centrifugal slicer: 2-pole or 4-pole?

Our range has 7.5 kW in two forms: the 4-pole DRG-132M-4 (14.3 A at 400 V) and the 2-pole DRG-132S2-2 (13.7 A). Impeller speed directly affects slice thickness and surface, so the machine’s gearbox and the old motor plate decide which one is fitted; changing the pole number doubles or halves the impeller speed.

Blade safety, cleaning and items outside our range

On slicing machines the blade keeps turning for a while after the motor is switched off. The safety switch that cuts the motor when the cover or blade guard opens and the device that stops the blade belong to the machine. Some models use a brake motor; we do not supply brake motors. With our standard motor, stopping is done by an electronic brake in the panel or by the machine’s existing mechanical brake, following the machine maker’s safety scheme. For details, see our article on when a brake motor is needed.

Where the motor sits and how it is cleaned

Our motors are standard IP55 industrial motors with painted aluminium or cast iron frames and do not touch the product. On a slicer they sit in the housing behind the blade; on a vegetable machine, in the closed compartment under the cutting chamber. Blade and chamber are removed for washing; no pressure jet goes into the motor compartment, and the frame is wiped with a damp cloth. Applications that call for a stainless steel motor in a directly washed wet zone are not covered by our range; speak to us in that case.

DRG motors for slicing machines

Models matching deli, vegetable and centrifugal slicer powers:

On small slicers the motor is usually fixed to the gearbox or machine body with a B14 or B5 flange; shaft end, spigot diameter and flange holes must be the same as the old motor. On larger vegetable machines a foot-mounted (B3) motor drives through a belt. Aluminium frames are also available at these 0.25–7.5 kW powers. We assess photos of the old motor plate, flange side and shaft end together with the machine documents to confirm suitability; no fit guarantee is given without dimensions.

B5 dimensions for small flange motors

B5 flange values for the small frames common on slicers and vegetable machines, mm:

B14 sizes vary by machine and are not given here; all foot and flange drawings are on the technical drawings page.

Live price table

Prices of models at slicing machine powers come live from the store:

DRG MOTOR motors are guaranteed against material and manufacturing defects for 2 years from the delivery date (warranty certificate).

Motors in this power range

• DRG-711-4 – 0.25 kW – 1340 rpm – 71 aluminium
• DRG-712-4 – 0.37 kW – 1340 rpm – 71 aluminium
• DRG-802-4 – 0.75 kW – 1420 rpm – 80 cast iron
• DRG-90L-4 – 1.5 kW – 1445 rpm – 90L cast iron
• DRG-132M-4 – 7.5 kW – 1460 rpm – 132M cast iron

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Browse the products, ask for a quote: suitable motors for your slicer are on the Buy Electric Motors Online page. Share the blade diameter, whether the machine is single- or three-phase, and the old motor plate via WhatsApp; information is also available on +90 (542) 666 11 11.

Frequently asked questions

Can a three-phase motor go on a single-phase slicer?

Only if the workshop has a three-phase supply and the machine’s switch and control circuit are changed accordingly. A three-phase motor cannot run from a single-phase socket; details in our three-phase and single-phase article.

Do you supply the feed motor of an automatic slicer?

The feed sets slice thickness and is servo-driven, which is outside our range. Our standard motors can be considered for the blade drive, belts and fans.

Where is the slicer motor price shown?

The price table on this page brings current store values for the 0.25–7.5 kW models; for another power, write to us on WhatsApp.

+90 (542) 666 11 11 · info@drgmotor.com · contact form and address.