Method and apparatus for sharpening and cleaning scalloped-edged blades

A method for cleaning and sharpening a band blade in a slitting machine, comprising the steps of;

• contacting a first and a second side of a band blade with rotating brushes to remove debris from the band blade;
• moving a first rotating hone into contact with the first side of the band blade at a preselected sharpening angle for a cutting edge;
• moving a second rotating hone into contact with the second side of the band blade at a preselected sharpening angle for the cutting edge;
• and
• moving the hones in repeated reciprocal movements transverse to the blade direction to stroke the cutting edge as the hones rotate;
• wherein the first hone is rotated so that a surface of the first hone is moving counter to the blade direction;
• and
• the second cylindrical hone is rotated so that a surface of the second hone is moving in the blade direction.

A method for cleaning and sharpening a band blade in a slitting machine, comprising the steps of:

• running a band blade in a machine at a sharpening speed;
• contacting opposing sides of the band blade with rotating brushes;
• rotating a first cylindrical hone so that a surface of the first hone is moving counter to the blade direction;
• rotating a second cylindrical hone so that a surface of the second hone is moving in the blade direction;
• moving the first and second hones in a direction transverse to a blade length and parallel to a blade width;
• moving the first and second hones relative to a cutting edge of the blade to contact one side of the cutting edge at a preselected sharpening angle with the first rotating hone for sharpening the cutting edge and to contact an opposing side of the cutting edge at a preselected angle with the second rotating hone for deburring the cutting edge;
• and,
• moving the hones in repeated reciprocal movements transverse to the blade direction to stroke the cutting edge as the hones rotate.

An apparatus for cleaning and sharpening an endless band blade in a slitting machine, comprising:

• a first brush assembly located adjacent one side of a blade and a second brush assembly located adjacent an opposite side of said blade, each said brush assembly comprising a brush, means for rotating the brush and a pivotal support so that each brush assembly is movable between a retracted position out of contact with said blade and an operative position in contact with said blade;
• a first actuator operatively connected with said pivotal supports to move said brush assemblies controllably between said retracted and operative positions;
• a second actuator for reciprocating movement transverse to a blade length direction and parallel to a blade width direction;
• a third actuator mounted to the second actuator for movement relative to a blade cutting edge plane;
• a first cylindrical rotatable hone attached to the third actuator and extending in the blade width direction;
• a second cylindrical rotatable hone attached to the third actuator and extending in the blade width direction;
• means for rotating the first and second hones;
• and,
• means for controlling the third actuator so that movement of the third actuator in a first direction causes the first and second hones to move into contact with a cutting edge of the blade for sharpening and movement in a second direction causes the first and second hones to move out of contact with the cutting edge.