Method and apparatus for automatically cutting long rolls of microfoam material and the like into shorter sub-rolls

A method of cutting a long roll of soft, flexible, spongy material into narrower sub-rolls thereof comprising the steps of:

• (a) mounting a roll to be cut in a frame,
• (b) restricting the rotation of said roll to one direction in the frame,
• (c) reciprocating a knife edge in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the roll,
• (d) rotating said roll during a first reciprocating motion of said knife edge against said roll,
• (e) cutting said roll during a second reciprocating motion of said knife edge while the movement of the roll is being restricted, and
• (f) incrementally moving said knife edge inward toward the axis of said roll during such cutting step thereby cutting said roll progressively completely around the periphery and progressively inwardly toward the axis.

Apparatus for automatically cutting long rolls of microfoam material or the like into shorter-length sub-rolls comprising:

• (a) a frame for holding a long roll of such material which is to be cut into sub-rolls thereof,
• (b) cutting means movably positioned on said frame whereby said cutting means may be moved along with respect to the length of a long roll to a position thereon where the long roll is to be cut,
• (c) holding means for restricting rotational movement of said roll in a first direction while permitting rotational movement in a second direction,
• (d) drive means coupled to said cutting means for reciprocating and incrementally advancing said cutting means inward as said roll is being cut, and
• (e) said cutting means rotating said roll in said second direction on a first reciprocating motion thereof and cutting said roll and incrementally advancing inward on a second reciprocating motion thereof while said holding means is restricting the movement of said roll.

Reciprocating knife cutting apparatus for automatically cutting large diameter long rolls of flexible, spongy material into shorter-length sub-rolls comprising:

• (a) one-way clutch means adapted to be mounted on a support frame on which such a roll may be supported for permitting the roll to be rotated in only one direction about its axis,
• (b) carriage means adapted to be mounted on the support frame on which such a roll may be mounted,
• (c) a knife blade longitudinally reciprocatably mounted with respect to said carriage means and having a free end extending away from said carriage means by a distance greater than the radius of the roll to be cut, said knife blade being in a plane which is perpendicular to the roll axis,
• (d) reciprocating drive means on said carriage means coupled to said knife blade for reciprocating said knife blade in alternating extension and retraction strokes,
• (e) said knife blade also being mounted on said carriage for swinging movement of said knife blade in said plane perpendicular to the roll axis with the cutting edge of the knife blade facing toward the roll axis,
• (f) incremental drive means for swinging the knife blade inward a small increment toward the roll axis during predetermined alternate strokes, said predetermined alternate strokes being in the direction in which said one-way clutch means prevents said roll from rotating about its axis,
• (g) thereby during said predetermined alternate strokes the knife blade cuts inwardly a small increment toward the roll axis and during the intervening strokes the friction of the knife blade is permitted to rotate the roll somewhat about its axis to a new cutting position, and
• (h) whereby the roll is automatically cut perpendicular to its axis.