Apparatus for making blanks and strips of blanks

Apparatus for dividing a web of metallic material into a plurality of strips from which polygonally-shaped blanks are to be made, comprising perforating means for perforating said web at predetermined locations, said perforating means including a first set of cutting tools, including punches, mounted on a first rotatable shaft for rotation in one arcuate direction and a second set of cutting tools, including dies, mounted on a second rotatable shaft for rotation in an opposite arcuate direction, said first and second shafts being mounted generally parallel to each other and being driven in synchronization with each other through anti-backlash gearing such that each punch of said first set of cutting tools cooperates with a corresponding die of said second set of cutting tools to punch out polygonally shaped pieces of material from said web as said web is fed between said first and second sets of cutting tools and as said first and second sets of cutting tools are rotated conjointly with said first and second shafts, respectively, and longitudinal scroll slitting means for slitting said web along at least one scroll line which extends generally longitudinally along said web, said longitudinal scroll slitting means slitting said web along said at least one scroll line after said perforating means perforates said web and said longitudinal scroll slitting means including a third set of cutting tools mounted on a third rotatable shaft for rotation in one arcuate direction and a fourth set of cutting tools mounted on a fourth rotatable shaft for rotation in an opposite arcuate direction, said third and fourth shafts being mounted generally parallel to each other and being driven in synchronization with each other through anti-backlash gearing such that each cutting tool of said third set of cutting tools cooperates with a corresponding one of said cutting tools of said fourth set of cutting tools to slit said web along said at least one scroll line as said web is fed between said third and fourth sets of cutting tools, said third and fourth sets of cutting tools including cutting edges having profiles which correspond to the shape of said at least one scroll line, said cutting edges of said third set of cutting tools leading said cutting edges of said fourth set of cutting tools and extending beyond a pitch circle of their corresponding cutting tools of said third set of cutting tools and said cutting edges of said fourth set of cutting tools extending short of a pitch circle of their corresponding cutting tools of said fourth set of cutting tools, whereby said cutting edges of said fourth set of cutting tools have a lower linear velocity than said cutting edges of said third set of cutting tools.