Band cutting machine

A band cutting machine comprising:

• a motor driven turntable to support a supply of a tubular textile article to be cut;
• a bracket, supported on said turntable, through which said tubular textile article passes before being cut, said bracket being mounted for a limited horizontal rotation relative to said turntable;
• a first feeler means, adjacent to said turntable and said bracket, to scan the angular deviation of a longitudinal axis of said bracket from a given axis of said turntable, said first feeler providing a first signal indicative of said angular deviation;
• a plurality of motor driven rotating article feeding cylinders which each have a plurality of axially oscillating jacket members having a stroke that is adjustable by a means for adjusting the stroke of said jacket members of at least one of said article feeding cylinders;
• cutting means having rotating cutting members for cutting said tubular textile article into at least one band, said cutting means including two oppositely rotating cutter shafts supporting pairs of interacting first and second circular cutting knives, each of the first circular cutting knives on one of said cutter shafts having a locking means, by means of which each first circular cutting knife may be locked to one of said cutter shafts at a selected axial position in an axially and rotationally locked condition, the second circular cutting knives on an other cutter shaft are axially movable along said other cutter shaft, but are rotationally locked in position on said other cutter shaft by a tongue and groove means on said second circular cutting knives and said other cutter shaft, wherein each of said second circular cutting knives is weighted to rest on a corresponding first circular cutting knife to position said second circular cutting knife on said other cutter shaft;
• at least one second feeler means, being positioned between said cutting means and one of said article feeding cylinders, to scan the position of a section of the edge of the tubular textile article when said textile article is engaged with said article feeding cylinders and provide a second signal to be fed to said means for adjusting the stroke of said jacket members of at least one of said article feeding cylinders;
• and
• a control apparatus connected to said motor driven article feeding cylinders, said turntable, and said first feeler so that in operation the rotational speed of said turntable and said article feeding cylinders can be adjusted according to the first signal input from said first feeler.