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Waterjet portioning

Every piece scanned and cut to your target weight — so your plate cost is the number you costed it at.

Inside our plant · JBT DSI 812 waterjet portioner

Every piece scanned. Every cut computed.

  1. 01 — The machine

    Our JBT DSI 812 waterjet portioner

    A compact, all-in-one portioning system — a 93″ × 65″ footprint with its own onboard high-pressure pump.

  2. 02 — Inside

    A laser, a computer and water

    An onboard laser scanner, Q-LINK portioning software, computer-positioned waterjets and an electric servo pump rated up to 60,000 PSI.

  3. 03 — Scan

    Every piece mapped before it’s cut

    The scanner measures each piece’s shape, thickness and weight, and the software builds a cut plan for that exact piece.

  4. 04 — Cut

    Cut by water, not blades

    Two waterjets move across the belt as each piece passes, making every cut in a single pass.

  5. 05 — Portion

    Portions that match your spec

    Consistent sizes from the first case to the last, so your plate cost stays predictable and your line cooks aren’t re-cutting.

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3D illustration based on published DSI 812 specs · not an official JBT image · portion sizes are an example

Cut by water, not by blade

Most portioning is done with a blade against a fixed setting, which works until the product stops being uniform — and protein never is. A waterjet portioner measures first and cuts second. Our JBT DSI 812 scans each piece as it enters, builds a cut plan for that exact piece, then cuts it with water at pressures up to 60,000 PSI.

Nothing touches the product except water. There is no blade to dull between cases, and the cut itself is narrow enough that very little product is lost to it.

What it means for your kitchen

Portioning is one step of the line

Portioned product carries on through the same plant as everything else we make: marinated in our own tumblers or battered and breaded on our line, packed to your case spec, and inspected throughout under USDA Establishment 1926. The full catalog lists portion size, case weight and pack format against every item code, and anything there can be quoted to a different portion weight.

If you need something that is not catalogued, that is a custom formulation — bring us a flavour profile, a portion target, a cost target and a volume.

Common questions

What is waterjet portioning?

Cutting meat with a high-pressure stream of water instead of a blade. A laser scanner measures each piece, software works out where to cut it to hit the target weight, and computer-positioned jets make the cuts as the piece travels down the belt.

Why not just cut to weight by hand?

Hand cutting is accurate in skilled hands but slow, and the variation compounds across a case. Scanning every piece is what keeps a 3 oz portion a 3 oz portion at volume.

Can you cut to a custom portion size?

Yes. Tell us the target weight and the volume and we will quote it.

Spec your portion, then taste it

Send us the portion weight and the volume you need. We will quote it, and samples of the closest catalogued item are free.

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