Automatic reconfigurable die
OwnerAllon Guezinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic reconfigurable die having an array of knives, each of which is separately pivoted and extended along and about a respective longitudinal axis, to allow a desired contour to be scored and cut from a sheet material, according to a real time computer plan which is controlling the array of knives. The automatic reconfigurable die includes actuators associated with each knife to control, via information associated with a remote computer system, the extension and retraction, and orientation of the knives. The computer selects the appropriate setpoints for each knife in order to match the required shape/pattern of the cut by simple curve fitting methods. In this manner, a selected plurality of the knives in the array are chosen, oriented and extended in real time to score/cut the selected part.
Claims16
An automatic reconfigurable die for scoring and cutting a sheet of material, comprising:
- a bottom base portion having a plurality of knives attached thereto, and
- means for actuating each of the plurality of knives,
- wherein the means for actuating each of the plurality of knives includes means for pivotably orienting each of the plurality of knives about a respective longitudinal axis, and means for extending and retracting each of the plurality of knives along the respective longitudinal axis, and
- further wherein the automatic reconfigurable die includes control means for controlling the means for actuating such that operation of the control means allows a selected number of the plurality of knives to be oriented and extended to score and cut a selected piece of a material.
A automatic reconfigurable die for scoring and cutting a sheet of material, comprising:
- a bottom base portion having a plurality of knives attached thereto, and
- means for actuating each of the plurality of knives,
- wherein the means for actuating each of the plurality of knives includes means for pivotably orienting each of the plurality of knives about a respective longitudinal axis, and means for extending and retracting each of the plurality of knives along the respective longitudinal axis, and
- further wherein the automatic reconfigurable die includes control means for controlling the means for actuating, and means associated with the control means for allowing real time, on-line computer planning selection of a group of knives selected from the plurality of knives, such that operation of the control means via the means associated with the control means allows the group of knives to be oriented and extended in real time to score and cut a selected piece of material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.