Rotary cutter for cutting a continuous corrugated strip

A rotary cutter for cutting a continuous corrugated strip into strip sections having various lengths, which comprises:

• a frame;
• a rotary drum mounted for rotation on said frame and having at least one radial slot therethrough extending in the axial direction;
• means for rotating said rotary drum;
• at least one reciprocative cutter blade having a cutting edge at its outer end, said reciprocative cutter blade being slidably received in said radial slot for movement between a retracted position in which said cutting edge is retracted substantially within the confinement of the outer circumference of said drum and a projected position in which said cutting edge is protracted radially outward beyond the outer circumference of the rotary drum;
• means for biasing said reciprocative cutter blade toward said retracted position;
• a rotary cam mounted on said frame for rotation inside of said drum coaxially therewith, said rotary cam having a cam nose engageable with an inner end of said reciprocative cutter blade to urge said cutter blade radially outward into said projected position;
• a toothed counterwheel mounted on said frame adjacent to said rotary drum for rotation in synchronization with said rotary drum, said counterwheel having teeth positively engageable with the continuous corrugated strip;
• at least one fixed cutter blade secured to the outer periphery of the counterwheel at an angular position to cooperate with said reciprocative cutter blade;
• drive means for rotating said rotary cam;
• and
• control means for controlling said drive means in such a manner that, during the non-cutting mode of operation of the rotary cutter, the rotary cam is rotated in synchronization with the rotary drum, with the cam nose being angularly offset from the inner end of said reciprocative cutter blade, thereby allowing the rotary drum and the counterwheel to rotate without cutting the corrugated strip, and that, during the cutting mode of operation, the rotary cam is rotated in synchronization with said rotary drum, with the cam nose engaging the inner end of the reciprocative cutter blade for at least a rotational angle of said rotary drum and said counterwheel, wherein said reciprocative cutter blade is facing said fixed cutter blade, thereby projecting said reciprocative cutter blade radially outward into engagement with the associated fixed cutter blade to cut the corrugated strip.