Cutting system for cutting profiles in air-permeable and resilient materials and method

A cutting system for cutting profiles in a strip of material comprising:

• a conveyor path to support a strip of material;
• a strip positioning system adapted to move the strip of material along the conveyor path;
• a profile cutting tool located along the conveyor path and mounted for movement across the conveyor path to cut a desired profile across the strip;
• a strip hold down located in proximity to the profile cutting tool and on a same side of the conveyor path mounted for movement toward and away from the conveyor path to hold the strip of material in position during cutting;
• and
• a controller connected to the profile cutting tool which activates the profile cutting tool to cut the desired profile into the strip of material at desired intervals as the strip of material is moved along the conveyor path.