Floating cutter unit and trimming press processing device

A floating cutter unit configured to be mounted to a trimming press processing device, the trimming press processing device being configured to cut a scrap from a plate material along a trim line and to divide the scrap further along a scrap cut line, the floating cutter unit comprising:

• a holder set including a hole, the holder set having a bush fixed in the hole;
• a floating cutter held by the holder set in a manner movable relative to the holder set in a direction of an axial center of the floating cutter, the floating cutter comprising
• a shank part having slidable fit in the bush so as to be slidable in the direction of the axial center of the floating cutter, the shank part having a tail end surface at one end located in the hole in the holder set;
• and
• a cutting part integrally formed at another end of the shank part and projecting outside the hole in the holder set, the cutting part having a first side surface and a second side surface which are on opposite sides of the floating cutter and extend along the central axis of the floating cutter, the first side surface having a cutting edge at a bottom edge of the first side surface, the cutting edge being configured to be arranged along the trim line to cut the scrap from the plate material;
• a spring inserted in the hole in the holder set and abutting the tail end surface of the floating cutter so as to give a reaction force to the floating cutter;
• and
• a member fixed to the holder set and comprising a guide surface that is placed in slidable contact with the second side surface of the cutting part of the floating cutter, the guide surface being configured to guide the floating cutter moving in the direction of the central axis with respect to the holder set by sliding the second side surface of the cutting part of the floating cutter over the guide surface,
• wherein the member comprises a lower portion that includes the guide surface and an upper portion that is above the lower portion and includes a side surface that opposes the second side surface of the cutting part of the floating cutter,
• wherein the lower portion of the member projects toward the floating cutter beyond the upper portion of the member so that there is a gap between the floating cutter and the upper portion of the member leaving the shank part and the cutting part of the floating cutter with no contact with the upper portion of the member, the gap having a constant width between the second side surface of the cutting part of the floating cutter and the upper portion of the member when the cutting edge moves toward the bush in the holder set,
• wherein the gap is bound from below by an upper surface of the lower portion of the member and is bound from a side by the side surface of the upper portion of the member,
• wherein the entire vertical length of the side surface of the upper portion of the member is configured to remain spaced apart from the floating cutter during a cutting operation, and
• wherein the member and the floating cutter are configured so that the member does not limit a downward movement of the floating cutter during the cutting operation.