Machine for cutting disposable containers

A machine capable of cutting into elongated pieces the thin wall material of a plurality of disposable containers such as plastic bottles and metal cans comprising:

• a loading section for receiving said plurality of said disposable containers;
• a cutting section joined to said loading section and having an entrance opening for receiving said disposable containers therefrom, said cutting section including a pair of parallel shafts mounted for rotation in opposite direction, said pair of shafts each supporting a plurality of cutting wheels keyed for rotation therewith;
• each said cutting wheel being mounted for axial movement on one of said shafts and being axially separated from axially adjacent said cutting wheels thereon by one of said cutting wheels on the other of said shafts extending therebetween, each said cutting wheel having a plurality of cutting teeth thereon;
• said cutting teeth of said cutting wheels having a root diameter and said pair of shafts being separated by a distance therebetween which is less than said root diameter;
• said cutting section including a plurality of combers, each said comber being aligned with a corresponding said cutting wheel to provide a gap between an end thereof and said cutting teeth of said corresponding cutting wheel;
• said plurality of said cutting wheels on said pair of shafts being rotated to grip said disposable containers therebetween to cause said disposable containers to be directed between said pair of shafts with said thin wall material of said disposable containers being continuously cut into said elongated pieces having a width generally equal to a width of said cutting wheels with each elongated edge of each elongated piece being cut between side edges of said cutting teeth of one of said cutting wheels on said one shaft and the adjacent side edges of said cutting teeth of an adjacent said cutting wheel on said other shaft as said elongated pieces pass through said gaps between said end of said combers and said cutting teeth of said corresponding cutting wheels;
• a collecting section adjoining said cutting section for receipt of said elongated pieces of said plurality of said disposable containers leaving said cutting section;
• and
• feeding assist means in said entrance opening of said cutting section including a pair of parallel feeding shafts which are centrally disposed above said pair of said shafts and parallel therewith, said feeding shafts each including a plurality of paddles fixedly mounted thereon with each said feeding shaft and said paddles thereon rotating in the same direction as its adjacent said shaft to cause said paddles to push said disposable containers toward said cutting wheels to be gripped thereby.