High speed perforation machine for perforating predetermined repetitive patterns in a continuous moving web
AssigneeConverdis Inc.
InventorRene Croteau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An method and an apparatus for high speed cutting, a predetermined repetitive pattern in a continuous moving web of material. The web is supported and displaced in a flat plane, and a sensor is utilized to detect the lateral position of the web on this plane. At least one cutting element, herein a high pressure water jet, is displaceably supported for movement on two transverse axes in a horizontal plane adjacent a face of the web and generates a cutting beam to cut a predetermined repetitive pattern through the web. The cutting element is secure to a guide member which is displaced in the horizontal plane adjacent the web, and its displacement and rate of speed are controlled by a control device.
Claims11
A method of cutting a predetermined repetitive pattern in a continuous moving web of material, said method comprising:
- (i) supporting a moving web of material on a flat plane defined by a plurality of spaced conveyor wires;
- (ii) detecting the lateral position of said web in said flat plane by sensing an edge of said web to determine said lateral position;
- (iii) detecting the speed of displacement of said web;
- (iv) displacing each of four cutting elements in path parallel to two transverse axes and in a horizontal plane adjacent a face of said web, said cutting elements being displaced on a respective one of four guide rails each being supported at opposed ends on pedestals, each secured to a displaceable attachment which is connected to a motor which displaces said attachment and said guide rails along the moving direction of said web;
- (v) generating a cutting beam by each said cutting element which co-acts in pairs to cut said repetitive pattern through said web during a single pass to produce two adjacent configured pieces from said web of material for minimum material loss;
- and
- (vi) controlling the displacement and rate of speed of said cutting elements dependent on information signals representative of the rate of displacement and the lateral position of said edge of said web being sensed on the support means and generated by said steps (ii) and (iii) to minimize web material loss and to ensure that precise repetitive patterns are perforated in said moving web irrespective of web speed variations.
A high speed cutting machine for perforating a predetermined repetitive patterin in a continuous moving web of material, said apparatus comprising conveyor means for supporting and displacing said web in a flat plane, position sensing means to sense an edge of said web to determine the lateral position of said web on said conveyor means, speed sensing means to sense the speed of displacement of said web on said conveyor means, at least four cutting elements are displaceably supported for movement along a respective one of four bridge members for independent transverse displacement across said web in a horizontal plane disposed above a face of said web, each said bridge member being supported at opposed ends on pedestals secured to a displaceable attachment which is connected to a motor which displaces said attachment and said bridge members along the moving direction of said web, each of said bridge members being displaceable along the direction of said moving web to displace its associated one of said cutting elements in the longitudinal direction of said web, said four cutting elements co-acting in pairs and each cutting element generating a cutting beam to cut a respective pattern through said web during a single pass of said web, said four cutting elements each being independently displaceable from one another to perforate two adjacent patterns across said web with minimum material loss, guide means to support each of said four cutting elements for displacement in said horizontal plane adjustment siad web which is displaced on said conveyor means, and control means for receiving information signals from said position sensing means and said speed sensing means to control the displacement and rate of speed of each of said four cutting elements dependent on the rate of displacement and the lateral position of the web on the conveyor means to minimize web material loss and to ensure that precise repetitive patterns are perforated in said moving web irrespective of web speed variation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.