Travelling gap conveyor cutting method and apparatus

A method of cutting a workpiece upon a cutting machine having a pair of longitudinally aligned, endless conveyor belts, said belts having upper runs movable in a common horizontal plane, said upper runs of said endless conveyor belts having a length dimension extending longitudinally of said conveyor belts, said belts being adjacent one another and spaced apart to define a gap, said method comprising

• locating a workpiece upon the upper run of a first one of said belts,
• simultaneously and synchronously moving said gap and said cutting means longitudinally relative to said workpiece while passing a cutting medium through said gap so as to cut said workpiece in a longitudinal direction, and
• maintaining said length dimension of said upper run of at least one of said conveyor belts unchanged as said gap is moved longitudinally relative to said workpiece and said workpiece is transported from said upper run of one of said belts to the upper run of the other one of said belts.

A method of cutting a workpiece upon a cutting machine having a pair of longitudinally aligned endless conveyor belts, said belts having upper runs movable in a common horizontal plane, said upper runs of said endless conveyor belts having a length dimension extending longitudinally of said conveyor belts, said belts being adjacent one another and spaced apart to define a gap, said method comprising

• locating a workpiece upon the upper run of a first one of said belts,
• simultaneously and synchronously moving said gap and a cutting medium longitudinally relative to said workpiece while passing said cutting medium through said gap so as to cut said workpiece in a longitudinal direction, and
• changing the length dimension of said upper run of one of said belts while maintaining the length dimension of the upper run of the other of said belts as said gap is moved longitudinally relative to said workpiece and said workpiece is transported from said upper run of said one of said belts to the upper run of the other one of said belts.

A travelling gap conveyor comprising

• a pair of independently operable, longitudinally aligned endless conveyor belts, said belts having upper runs movable in a common horizontal plane, said upper runs of said endless conveyor belts having a length dimension extending longitudinally of said conveyor belts, said belts being adjacent one another and spaced apart to define a longitudinal gap,
• a workpiece supported on said conveyors over said gap, and
• means for simultaneously and synchronously moving said gap longitudinally relative to said workpiece, said gap moving means being operable to move said gap while maintaining said length dimension of said upper run of at least one of said belts unchanged as said gap is moved relative to said workpiece and said workpiece is transported from said upper run of one of said conveyor belts to the upper run of the other of said conveyor belts.

A method of conveying a workpiece upon a machine having a pair of longitudinally aligned, endless conveyor belts, said belts having upper runs movable in a common horizontal plane, said upper runs of said endless conveyor belts having a length dimension extending longitudinally of said conveyor belts, said belts being adjacent one another and spaced apart to define a gap, said method comprising

• locating a workpiece upon the upper run of a first one of said belts,
• moving said gap longitudinally relative to said workpiece, and
• maintaining said length dimension of said upper run of at least one of said conveyor belts unchanged as said gap is moved longitudinally relative to said workpiece and said workpiece is transported from said upper run of one of said belts to the upper run of the other one of said belts.

A method of conveying a workpiece upon a machine having a pair of longitudinally aligned endless conveyor belts, said belts having upper runs movable in a common horizontal plane, said upper runs of said endless conveyor belts having a length dimension extending longitudinally of said conveyor belts, said belts being adjacent one another and spaced apart to define a gap, said method comprising

• locating a workpiece upon the upper run of a first one of said belts,
• moving said gap longitudinally relative to said workpiece, and
• changing the length dimension of said upper run of one of said belts while maintaining the length dimension of the upper run of the other of said belts as said gap is moved longitudinally relative to said workpiece and said workpiece is transported from said upper run of said one of said belts to the upper run of the other one of said belts.