Apparatus for shearing a metallic belt for manufacturing electric accumulators and method of operation of said apparatus

Apparatus for shearing a metallic belt for manufacturing electric accumulators, such apparatus comprising:

• a support structure provided with at least one sliding path along which a metallic belt is configured for advancing;
• a driving system configured to advance said metallic belt with a continuous movement along said sliding path in an advancement direction (V1);
• a cutting device positioned to intercept said sliding path, and comprising:
• at least one first mold provided with a first cutting face
• and at least one second mold provided with a second cutting face facing towards the first cutting face of said first mold to define with said first cutting face at least one cutting zone,
• said metallic belt being configured for passing between the first cutting face of said first mold and the second cutting face of said second mold;
• said cutting device being able to be moved from an open configuration, in which the first cutting face of said first mold is spaced from the second cutting face of said second mold to allow the advancement of said metallic belt between said first mold and said second mold, and a closed configuration, in which the first cutting face of said first mold is placed in abutment against the second cutting face of said second mold to cut said metallic belt at said cutting zone;
• said apparatus also comprising:
• a first slider slidably constrained to said support structure to move along said sliding path and placed upstream of said cutting device with respect to said advancement direction (V1);
• a second slider slidably constrained to said support structure to move along said sliding path and placed downstream of said cutting device with respect to said advancement direction (V1);
• a first movable roller, which is rotatably mounted on said first slider, defines at least a first movable curve of said sliding path and is configured for engaging said metallic belt by bending said metallic belt along said first movable curve;
• a second movable roller, which is rotatably mounted on said second slider, defines at least a second movable curve of said sliding path and is configured for engaging said metallic belt by bending said metallic belt along said second movable curve;
• a handling system mechanically connected to said first slider and to said second slider and configured to move said first slider and said second slider along said sliding path;
• a control unit operatively connected to said handling system and configured to drive said handling system:
• to move in a cyclic way said first slider along said sliding path
• from a first moving away position, in which said first movable roller is brought by said first slider away from said cutting device along said sliding path to make said sliding path longer upstream of said cutting device,
• and a first approaching position, in which said first movable roller is brought by said first slider closer to said cutting device along said sliding path to make said sliding path shorter upstream of said cutting device,
• and to move in a cyclic way said second slider along said sliding path
• from a second approaching position in which, with said first slider in said first moving away position, said second movable roller is brought by said second slider closer to said cutting device along said sliding path to make said sliding path shorter downstream of said cutting device,
• and a second moving away position in which, with said first slider in said first approaching position, said second movable roller is brought by said second slider away from said cutting device along said sliding path to make said sliding path longer downstream of said cutting device.