Cutter for rotary cutting machine

A rotary cutting machine comprising:

• a main frame, a sub frame, bearing means on each of said frames, a plurality of rotatable cutter shafts journalled for rotation on the bearing means of the sub frame but removable therefrom, a die cutter removably mounted on each cutter shaft for rotation therewith, each die cutter comprising a hollow open ended cylinder having cutting blades on the outer surface thereof, the axial length of said cylinder being less than the axial length of the cutter shaft, the inner surface of said cylinder being adapted for mounting on one of said cutter shafts and further adapted to be adjustable axially relative to said one shaft, an anvil roller journalled for rotation on the bearing means of the main frame and associated with each cutter shaft, distance piece means removably mounted on each cutter shaft and including a pair of distance pieces, each distance piece being removably mounted near an end of said cutter shaft for rotation therewith and bearing against the surface of said anvil roller to determine the distance between each cutter shaft and anvil roller, gear means connected between said cutter shaft and said anvil roller, and means including an annular sleeve removably mounted intermediate a distance piece and an end of said cutter cylinder on each cutter shaft and rotatable therewith and a pressure roller bearing against said annular sleeve for urging said cutter shaft towards its associated anvil roller to maintain said cutter shaft and anvil roller in axially parallel, spaced-apart relationship.

A rotary cutting machine comprising:

• a main frame;
• a pair of anvil roller bearings mounted in spaced apart relationship on said main frame;
• an anvil roller journalled for rotation on said pair of anvil roller bearings;
• an anvil roller gear fixedly mounted on one end of said anvil roller and rotatable therewith;
• a sub frame;
• means for mounting said sub frame in a fixed position relative to said main frame;
• means for releasing a portion of said sub frame from its fixed position to allow it to be shifted relative to said main frame;
• a pair of cutter shaft bearings mounted in spaced apart relationship on said sub frame;
• a cutter shaft journalled for rotation on said pair of cutter shaft bearings;
• a cutter shaft gear fixedly mounted on one end of said cutter shaft and rotatable therewith, said cutter shaft gear being in meshing engagement with said anvil roller gear whereby said cutter shaft and said anvil roller rotate together in opposite directions;
• a hollow open ended cutter cylinder having cutter blades on the outer surface thereof, the axial length of said cutter cylinder being less than that of said cutter shaft, said cutter cylinder being slidably mountable on said cutter shaft to enable said cutter cylinder to be axially positioned in desired axial positions on said cutter shaft and to be axially removed from an end of said cutter shaft;
• means for releasably securing said cutter cylinder in a desired axial position on said cutter shaft;
• means for fixedly securing said cutter cylinder on said cutter shaft for rotation therewith;
• distance piece means for determining the distance between said cutter shaft and said anvil roller, said distance piece means comprising a pair of distance pieces, one distance piece being slidably mountable near each end of said cutter shaft and bearing against the surface of said anvil roller, each distance piece being axially removable from an end of said cutter shaft;
• means for releasably securing said distance pieces in axial positions near the ends of said cutter shaft;
• means for fixedly securing said distance pieces on said cutter shaft for rotation therewith;
• and means to maintain the axis of said cutter shaft parallel to the axis of said anvil roller at least along that part of said cutter shaft on which said cutter cylinder is mounted comprising:
• an annular sleeve slidably mountable on said cutter shaft between an end of said cutter cylinder and one of said distance pieces and able to be axially positioned in desired axial positions on said cutter shaft and to be axially removed from an end of said cutter shaft;
• means for releasably securing said annular sleeve in a desired axial position on said cutter shaft;
• means for fixedly securing said annular sleeve on said cutter shaft for rotation therewith;
• a pressure roller which bears against said annular sleeve and urges that part of the axis of said cutter shaft on which said cylinder is mounted into parallel relationship with the axis of said anvil roller;
• and means for adjusting the force applied by said pressure roller to said annular sleeve.