Apparatus for cutting sheet material into curved segments

An apparatus for cutting a sheet of material into a plurality of segments having curved edges, comprising:

• a frame having a horizontal support member for slidably receiving a sheet of material thereon;
• a clamping device adapted to secure an edge portion of the sheet and move with said sheet in an axial direction;
• a first mechanism for moving the clamping device and sheet back and forth in said axial direction;
• a cutting head assembly having a pair of passively rotatable knives which cooperate to cut the sheet as the sheet moves in an axial direction past the knives, one of said knives being positioned above the plane of the sheet and another of said knives being positioned below the plane of the sheet, said cutting head assembly being rotatable about a vertical axis and movable in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axial motion of the sheet;
• a second mechanism for moving the cutting head assembly in said lateral direction, said second mechanism comprising an upper moving mechanism attached to an upper portion of the cutting head assembly and a lower moving mechanism attached to a lower portion of the cutting head assembly, said upper and lower moving mechanisms cooperating to support and move the cutting head assembly in said lateral axial direction;
• a third mechanism for rotating the cutting head assembly, said third mechanism being movable with the cutting head assembly as it moves in said lateral direction;
• and
• a controller for sending a signal to the first, second, and third moving mechanisms to move the corresponding components at a rate and distance which produces a continuous curved cutting line.

An apparatus for cutting a sheet of material into a plurality of segments having curved edges, comprising:

• a frame having a horizontal support member for slidably receiving a sheet of material thereon;
• a clamping device adapted to secure an edge portion of the sheet and move with said sheet in an axial direction;
• a mechanism for moving the clamping device and sheet back and forth in said axial direction;
• a cutting head assembly having a pair of passively rotatable knives which cooperate to cut the sheet as the sheet moves in an axial direction past the knives, one of said knives being positioned above the plane of the sheet and another of said knives being positioned below the plane of the sheet, said cutting head assembly being rotatable about a vertical axis and movable in a lateral direction perpendicular to the axial motion of the sheet;
• an upper screw positioned horizontally across the frame above the plane of the sheet;
• an upper nut attached to the cutting head assembly and threadably mounted to the upper screw,
• a lower screw positioned horizontally across the frame below the frame of the sheet;
• a lower nut attached to the cutting head assembly and threadably mounted to the lower screw;
• a mechanism for simultaneously rotating said screws such that rotation of the screws in one direction moves the nuts in one axial direction, and rotation of the screws in an opposite direction moves the nuts in an opposite axial direction, thereby moving said cutting head assembly in a lateral direction;
• a mechanism for rotating the cutting head assembly, said mechanism being movable with the cutting head assembly as it moves in said lateral direction;
• and
• a controller for sending a signal to the first, second, and third moving mechanisms to move the corresponding components at a rate and distance which produces a continuous curved cutting line.

An apparatus for cutting a sheet of material into a plurality of segments having curved edges, comprising:

• a frame having a support member for supporting a sheet of material thereon;
• a movable clamping device adapted to secure only one edge portion of the sheet and move said sheet therewith in a first axial direction and a second opposite axial direction;
• and
• a cutting head assembly having a passively rotatable knife adapted to cut the sheet as the sheet moves past the knife, said cutting head assembly being rotatable about a vertical axis and laterally movable back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the axial motion of the sheet, said cutting head assembly being laterally movable back and forth at a first station while the sheet is moved in the first axial direction to produce a first continuous curved cutting line in the sheet, and further laterally movable a distance from the first cutting line to a second station where the cutting head assembly is in position to again move laterally back and forth while the sheet is moved in the second axial direction to produce the second continuous curved cutting line, said cutting head assembly moving laterally to the second station after the first cutting line is completed;
• and
• a mechanism for rotating the cutting head assembly, said mechanism being movable with the cutting head assembly as it moves laterally.