Pallet cutting machine

A pallet-cutting machine for selectively removing individual components of a load-bearing pallet, the pallet being composed of load-supporting deck components forming a load-supporting deck, ground-engaging deck components forming a ground-engaging deck, interconnecting components interposed between the decks and fastening means fastening the decks to the interconnecting components, the machine comprising:

• support means defining a support plane to support the pallet during a cutting operation thereon,
• holding means operable to hold the pallet against movement relative to said support means during a cutting operation on the pallet,
• at least one guideway having a guide axis extending parallel to said support plane,
• at least one rotary cutter mounted for movement along said guide axis of said at least one guideway, said cutter having a cutting edge extending parallel to said guide axis whereby said cutting edge is movable parallel to one of said deck components of the pallet when the pallet is held on said support means to cut through at least one of the components and fastening means of the pallet,
• drive means for imparting rotary motion to said rotary cutter;
• adjusting means for imparting relative movement between said cutter and the pallet when held on said support means in directions parallel and perpendicular to said support plane whereby said cutter is selectively adjustable relative to the pallet in directions parallel and perpendicular to the support plane for cutting the pallet in a preselected region where a selected deck component is fastened to a selected interconnecting component in order to separate the selected deck component from the selected interconnecting component,
• joint detecting means operable to detect a joint to be cut, and
• control means operable to bring said cutter to the position of the joint.

A pallet-cutting machine for selectively removing individual components of a load-bearing pallet, the pallet being composed of load-supporting deck components forming a load-supporting deck, ground-engaging deck components forming a ground-engaging deck, interconnecting components interposed between the decks and fastening means fastening the decks to the interconnecting components, the machine comprising:

• support means defining a support plane to support the pallet during a cutting operation thereon,
• holding means operable to hold the pallet against movement relative to said support means during a cutting operation on the pallet,
• a plurality of guideways each having a guide axis extending parallel to said support plane,
• a plurality of cutters each of which is mounted for movement along the guide axis of a respective guideway, each said cutter having a cutting edge extending parallel to said guide axis of said respective guideway whereby said cutting edge is movable parallel to one of said deck components of the pallet when the pallet is held on said support means to cut through at least one of the components and fastening means of the pallet,
• drive means for imparting rotary motion to each said rotary cutter, and
• adjusting means for imparting relative movement between each said cutter and the pallet when held on said support means in directions parallel and perpendicular to said support plane whereby each said cutter is selectively adjustable relative to the pallet in directions parallel and perpendicular to the support plane for cutting the pallet in a preselected region where a selected deck component is fastened to a selected interconnecting component in order to separate the selected deck component from the selected interconnecting component, at least one of said cutters being adjustable independently of the other cutters relative to the pallet held on said support means in directions parallel and perpendicular to said support plane.