Fluid cutting jet receiver
AssigneeGerber Garment Technology, Inc.
InventorsHeinz J. Gerber, David R. Pearl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cutting machine utilizing a high velocity fluid cutting jet for cutting is provided with a receiver to absorb the cutting jet after it passes through sheet material in a cutting operation. The receiver comprises a jet-deflection chamber having an inlet positioned to receive the fluid jet and an inside wall which turns or deflects the jet in a whirling or circular path to dissipate the energy or momentum of the jet. A drain from the chamber may be provided to continually evacuate the spent fluid of the jet.
Claims29
In a cutting machine having a cutting tool including a fluid jet nozzle having a jet axis directed toward a support surface on which a workpiece is laid to be cut by a high velocity fluid cutting jet issuing from the nozzle and passing along the axis toward the workpiece, the nozzle being mounted on a tool carriage for movement generally parallel to the support surface and material supported on the surface, the improvement comprising:
- a fluid jet receiver suspended from the tool carriage at the side of the support surface opposite from the nozzle for movement with the jet nozzle parallel to the support surface and positioned to intercept the fluid cutting jet after the jet passes through the workpiece on the support surface and including a jet deflection chamber having a curved inner wall and an inlet aligned with the jet axis and leading into the interior of the deflection chamber tangentially of the curved inner wall.
In a cutting machine having a carriage movable relative to a workpiece positioned on a support surface, the improvement comprising:
- a fluid jet nozzle mounted on the carriage and directed toward the support surface for producing a high velocity fluid cutting jet which makes continuous cuts along cutting paths over the workpiece as the carriage moves relative to the workpiece;
- a foot suspended from the carriage and under the workpiece for movement with the carriage and jet nozzle relative to the workpiece;
- and
- a fluid jet receiver mounted on the foot and including a jet deflection chamber having an inlet located in alignment with the fluid jet from the nozzle to intercept and receiver the jet exiting from the workpiece.
Apparatus for cutting sheet material with a fluid jet comprising:
- a cutting table having a bed defining a support surface for holding limp sheet material in a spread condition for cutting
- a carriage movable relative to the cutting table and parallel with sheet material spread on the support surface of the bed;
- a fluid jet nozzle mounted on the tool carriage for movement with the carriage relative to the sheet material, and directed toward the material on the support surface;
- fluid means connected with the jet nozzle for supplying pressurized fluid to the nozzle and sending a high velocity fluid cutting jet from the nozzle into the limp sheet material on the support surface;
- and
- a fluid jet receiver positioned at the one side of the sheet material opposite the nozzle to intercept the cutting jet after the jet exits from the sheet material supported on the support surface, the receiver being suspended from the movable carriage and having a jet inlet registering with the nozzle and movable with the carriage to maintain registration of the jet and inlet and receive the exiting jet.
A fluid cutting machine for sheet material comprising:
- a cutting bed defining a horizontal support surface on which sheet material is positioned for cutting;
- a carriage mounted for movement relative to the bed;
- a fluid jet nozzle positioned on the carriage and producing a fluid cutting jet extending from the carriage to the sheet material to be cut on the support surface of the bed;
- a fluid jet receiver positioned below the sheet material on the bed and having an inlet registering with the fluid jet from the nozzle;
- and
- means for moving the fluid jet receiver and the nozzle relative to the sheet material and maintaining the fluid jet receiver and the nozzle in registration, the means for moving including a member suspending the fluid jet receiver from the movable carriage on which the nozzle is positioned.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.