Device for translating and rotating a cutting platen with respect to a reciprocal cutter

A device for moving a cutting platen with respect to a vertically movable cutter to a cutting position, said cutter having a preselected cutting peripheral edge, said platen having an upper generally flat cutting surface for supporting a generally flat sheet and a lower portion, said device comprising:

• two upstanding shiftable pin members;
• first and second generally parallel guide ways on said platen and adjacent to said lower portion, said guide ways being generally parallel and dimensioned to allow translation of one of said pin members in each of said guide ways;
• means for extending said pin members into said guide ways;
• means for allowing relative rotation between said pin members and said guide ways;
• and, first and second drive means for shifting said pin members preselected, independent distances along generally parallel paths to impart both rotation and translation to said platen.

A device for cutting a piece from a flat workpiece at a location identified by two or more binary coded numbers, said device comprising:

• a cutter having the shape of said piece;
• a cutting platen having an upper workpiece supporting cutting surface and a lower portion;
• a plurality of upstanding shiftable pin members;
• guide groove means having side walls and located on said platen adjacent said lower portion for receiving said pin members with said pin members being freely movable vertically with respect to said guide groove means;
• means for allowing relative rotation between said pin members and said guide groove means;
• means for moving said members in accordance with said coded numbers;
• and means for forcing said cutter against said cutting surface.