Apparatus for improving wear life of rotary die cutter anvil covers

Apparatus for extending the useful life of a resilient cover on an anvil roll for a rotary die cutter comprising in combination:

• a die holder roll, having die cutting rules mounted thereon, rotatable at a first selected speed;
• a laterally reciprocable anvil roll, having said resilient cover thereon adapted for penetration by said die cutting rules, including a first gear associated therewith and driven by a second gear on said die holder roll, rotatable at a second selected speed different from said first selected speed of said die holder roll tending to cause said die cutting rules to penetrate said cover at first sequential circumferentially spaced locations upon successive revolutions of said anvil roll;
• and
• speed changing means including gear means, connected between said first gear and said anvil roll, operable in response to lateral reciprocation of said anvil roll for adding to and subtracting from the speed provided by said first gear to add to and subtract from the speed of said anvil roll an amount less than the difference between said first and second selected speeds causing said die cutting rules to actually penetrate said cover at a second different location circumferentially spaced from said first different location upon substantially successive revolutions of said anvil roll.