Cloth cutter bed made from elongate support members

A cutter permeable bed comprising:

• a table having a plurality of channels formed thereon;
• said table including a base plate the upper surface of said base plate cooperates to form a bottom portion of each of said channels such that said channels lie generally in the same horizontal plane with one another;
• a plurality of elongate plastic extrusions each having a base portion and at least one web portion directed generally upwardly from said base portion and ending in an edge;
• said plurality of elongate extrusions being received within respective ones of said channels formed on said table;
• each of said extrusions being configured such that each upper edge of each of said at least one web portion of each one of said plurality of elongate extrusions lies generally coincidentally in a generally horizontal plane with other such edges, each of said elongate extrusions has a given length, said given length being defined as running parallel to said generally horizontal plane, the web portion of each elongate extrusion having a length substantially equal to and continuous with the given length of its associated base portion;
• and
• vacuum means connected to said bed for drawing air from around each of said extrusions through said base plate and into a vacuum source.

A cloth cutter bed defining a support surface for supporting material in sheet form on a cutting machine having a cutterhead positioned above the bed and moveable relative thereto, said cutterhead being of the type having a reciprocating knife, the tip of which being capable of remaining in the bed with each stroke during a cutting operation, said bed comprising:

• a work table;
• a plurality of elongate support members arranged in rows on said table and each having a base portion and at least one web portion extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• said web portions at the upper ends thereof ending in edges capable of collectively supporting a layup thereon;
• said work table further including mounting means cooperating with the base portions of each of said support members to hold each support member on the table such that said edges of said web portions are positioned adjacent to one another and form a workpiece support surface;
• each of said support members is arranged on said table in a laterally spaced apart side-by-side relationship with one another;
• said mounting means being positioned between each of said elongate members to maintain them in said side-by-side relationship;
• said mounting means includes a plurality of mounting elements each having a horizontally extending upper flange portion;
• opposed ones of said mounting elements when arranged in rows on said work table defining a channel therebetween for receiving the correspondingly sized and shaped base portion of an associated one of said plurality of support members;
• said work table includes a base plate having an upper and lower surface and each of said mounting elements is secured to said base plate by securing means;
• said upper surface of said base plate providing a surface upon which said mounting elements are secured and said lower opposite surface of said base plate defining one side of a chamber underlying said bed, said chamber being connected to a vacuum source;
• means for communicating air between said upper surface of said base plate and said chamber;
• said means for communicating air between said chamber and said base plate upper surface includes a plurality of aligned openings formed respectively in each of said mounting elements and in underlying portions of said base plate;
• and
• wherein said securing means includes a plurality of hollow fasteners each having a tubular body portion received within said aligned openings to provide passages confluent with said vacuum source.

A cloth cutter bed defining a support surface for supporting material in sheet form on a cutting machine having a cutterhead positioned above the bed and moveable relative thereto, said cutterhead being of the type having a reciprocating knife, the tip of which being capable of remaining in the bed with each stroke during a cutting operation, said bed comprising:

• a work table;
• a plurality of elongate support members arranged in rows on said table and each having a base portion and a plurality of web portions extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• said web portions at the upper ends thereof ending in edges capable of collectively supporting a layup thereon in a generally horizontal plane;
• said work table further including mounting means cooperating with the base portions of each of said plastic extrusions to hold each of said plurality of said plastic extrusions on the table such that said edges of said web portions are positioned adjacent to one another and form a workpiece support surface;
• each of said plastic extrusions has first, second and third web portions extending generally upwardly from an associated base portion each of said plastic extrusions has a given length, said given length being defined as running parallel to said generally horizontal plane, the web portions and the base portion of each plastic extrusion each having a length substantially equal to and continuous with the given length of the plastic extrusion;
• said first web portion being disposed generally vertically and coincidentally with a central plane of each extrusion;
• each of said second and third web portions extending generally upwardly from said base portion at an angle taken relative to said first web portion equal to between 30 and 45 degrees;
• and
• wherein said plastic extrusions are arranged on said work table such that the second web portion of one extrusion is positioned generally adjacent the third web portion of an adjacent extrusion and the third web portion of the one extrusion being positioned generally adjacent the second web portion of the next successive extrusion proceeding away from said adjacent extrusion.

A cloth cutter permeable bed defining a support surface for supporting material in sheet form on a cutting machine having a cutterhead positioned above the bed and moveable relative thereto, said cutterhead being of the type having a reciprocating knife, the tip of which being capable of remaining in the bed with each stroke during a cutting operation, said bed comprising:

• a work table;
• a plurality of elongate support members arranged in rows on said table and each having a base portion and at least one web portion extending generally upwardly therefrom;
• said at least one web portion at the upper end thereof ending in at least one edge capable of collectively supporting a layup thereon in a generally horizontal plane;
• said work table further including mounting means cooperating with the base portions of each of said support members to hold each support member on the table such that said edges of said web portions are positioned adjacent to one another and form a workpiece support surface;
• and
• wherein each of said elongate support members has a given length, said given length being defined as running parallel to said generally horizontal plane, said base portion and at least part of said at least one web portion having a length substantially equal to and continuous with the given length of the elongate support member.