# US 12,005,600 B2 · Method and apparatus for cutting a pipe made from thermoplastic material

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- Number: US 12,005,600 B2
- Document ID: US12005600B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/195,564
- Filed: 2021-03-08
- Published: 2021-06-24
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2016-10-17
- Assignees: Sica S.P.A.
- Applicants: SICA S.p.A.
- Inventors: Giorgio Tabanelli; Lorenzo Spagna; Marco Gulminelli
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005600B2

## CPC

- B26D 3/16: Cutting rods or tubes transversely {(cutting tubes longitudinally B26D3/001)}
- B26D 7/10: by heating (with Laser B23K26/00; severing by heating B26F)
- B29C 48/0022: {combined with cutting}
- B29C 48/09: Articles with cross-sections having partially or fully enclosed cavities, e.g. pipes or channels
- B29K 2101/12: Thermoplastic materials
- B29L 2023/22: {Tubes or pipes, i.e. rigid (bent tubes not for use as pipe couplings B29L2023/004)}
- B26D: CUTTING; DETAILS COMMON TO MACHINES FOR PERFORATING, PUNCHING, CUTTING-OUT, STAMPING-OUT OR SEVERING (for growing crops or plants A01D, A01G; for fodder or straw A01F; for bulk butter A01J; for dough A21C; slaughtering A22B; for tobacco, cigars or cigarettes A24; marking-out, perforating or making buttonholes A41H25/00; manufacturing footwear A43D; brushmaking A46D; surgery A61B; disintegrating, mincing or shredding in general B02C; cutting wire, making pins or nails B21F, B21G; of the kind used formetal B23; cutting by abrasive fluid jets B24C5/02; hand-held cutting tools B26B; perforating, cutting-out, stamping-out or punching, or severing by means other than cutting B26F; for wood B27; for stone B28D; working of plastics or substances in a plastic state B29; making boxes, cartons, envelopes or bags, of paper or similarly worked materials, e.g. metal foil, B31B; article or web delivery apparatus incorporating cutting or line-perforating devices B65H35/00; for leather or upholstery B68, C14B; for glass C03B; making matches C06F; for peat C10F; for sugar C13B45/00; for textile materials D06H; civil engineering, building, mining, see Section E; for light guides G02B6/25; cutting processed photographic material G03D15/04)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A method for cutting a pipe made of thermoplastic material including, in combination, the following steps: feeding a continuous pipe made of thermoplastic material; localised and circumferential heating of a first localised axial portion of the pipe for a predetermined time using a heating unit; cutting without removal of chippings, using a cutting unit, of the first heated axial portion, to obtain a piece of the pipe; localised and circumferential heating of a second localised axial portion of the pipe, for a predetermined time, the second axial portion being placed at a predetermined distance from the first portion.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for cutting a pipe being advanced through the apparatus, the pipe being made from thermoplastic material, comprising:
a heating device including a heating element configured for circumferentially heating localized axial portions of the pipe at a predetermined operating temperature;
a cutting device including a blade configured for cutting the heated localized axial portions of the pipe,
a first carriage and a second carriage, both axially movable along an axial direction parallel to an axial extension of the pipe;
wherein the heating device is attached to the first carriage to be movable with the first carriage, and the cutting device is attached to the second carriage to be movable with the second carriage;
wherein the first carriage and the second carriage are independently axially movable relative to each other, as well as to a speed of advancement of the pipe;
first and second actuators operatively connected with the first and second carriages respectively for moving the first and second carriages;
an electronic command and control unit configured for independently controlling the first and second actuators, to independently move the first and second carriages along the axial direction, to allow the heating device and the cutting device to operate simultaneously on two separate localized axial portions of the pipe;
the electronic command and control unit configured to control the cutting device, the heating device, and the first and second actuators to independently move the first and second carriages, as follows:
to move the first carriage and heating device closer toward the second carriage and heating device forward along the axial direction;
to move the second carriage and cutting device forward along the axial direction;
to space apart the second carriage and cutting device from the first carriage and heating device along the axial direction;
to move the first carriage and heating device rearward along the axial direction;
to move the second carriage and cutting device rearward along the axial direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, and further comprising first and second tracks on which the first and second carriages are respectively slidably mounted for movement along the first and second tracks, respectively.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first tracks are separate from the second tracks.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heating device and the cutting device are configured to move relative to each other along the axial direction at a same time as the pipe is fed along the axial direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of the respective first and second actuators is configured to be driven independently from the other of the respective first and second actuators.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, and further comprising:
wherein the electronic command and control unit is configured to cause the following:
to accelerate forward along the axial direction the first carriage and heating device to synchronize speed with a first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to heat the first axial portion of the pipe while the heating device is moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to accelerate forward along the axial direction the second carriage and cutting device to synchronize speed with the first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to reverse direction of the first carriage and heating unit with respect to the pipe to move rearward along the axial direction with respect to the pipe;
to again accelerate forward along the axial direction the first carriage and heating device to synchronize speed with a second axial portion of the pipe upstream of the first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the second axial portion of the pipe;
to heat the second axial portion of the pipe while the heating device is moving synchronously with the second axial portion of the pipe;
to reverse direction of the first carriage and heating unit to move rearward along the axial direction;
to synchronize the position of the second carriage and cutting device with the second axial portion of the pipe and cutting the pipe at the second axial portion of the pipe.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the heating of the second axial portion and the cutting of the first axial portion are performed simultaneously.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the reversing direction of the first carriage and heating unit with respect to the pipe to move rearward along the axial direction with respect to the pipe is started substantially prior to the accelerating forward along the axial direction the second carriage and cutting device to synchronize speed with the first axial portion of the pipe.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, and further comprising:
wherein the electronic command and control unit is configured to cause the following:
to move along the axial direction the first carriage and heating device to synchronize speed with a first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to heat the first axial portion of the pipe while the heating device is moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to move along the axial direction the second carriage and cutting device to synchronize speed with the first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the first axial portion of the pipe;
to move the first carriage and heating unit rearward along the axial direction with respect to the pipe;
to move along the axial direction the first carriage and heating device to synchronize speed with a second axial portion of the pipe upstream of the first axial portion of the pipe, and then moving synchronously with the second axial portion of the pipe;
to heat the second axial portion of the pipe while the heating device is moving synchronously with the second axial portion of the pipe;
to reverse direction of the first carriage and heating unit to move rearward along the axial direction;
to synchronize the position of the second carriage and cutting device with the second axial portion of the pipe and cutting the pipe at the second axial portion of the pipe.

### Claim 10 (depends on 6)

The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the heating of the second axial portion and the cutting of the first axial portion are performed simultaneously.

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the moving the first carriage and heating unit rearward along the axial direction with respect to the pipe is started substantially prior to the moving along the axial direction the second carriage and cutting device to synchronize speed with the first axial portion of the pipe.