Apparatus having angle blade lobes for high speed cutting of elastomeric materials

Abstract

A high speed rotary cutter assembly for cutting sheets of elastomeric materials wherein a rotary blade is affixedly mounted on one end of a spindle and rotates therewith at a rotational speed greater than 2000 rpm. The rotary blade includes a generally planar cutting surface and a tapered back surface to provide a clean cut and minimize abrasion of the cut surface. The rotary blade further includes between 4 and 40 peripheral lobes, each having an attack surface and a trailing surface. The trailing surface is cut more sharply than the attack surface to provide relief to the cut elastomeric material. The spindle includes a spindle bore which communicates cooling air to the rotary blade. The rotary cutter assembly also includes preloaded, permanently lubricated, angular contact ball bearings and a labyrinth seal to provide high speed operation without heat build-up. The cutter assembly includes a replacement means, which comprises a frame and gib lock, for quickly replacing worn shoe inserts and the insert assembly without the necessity for adjusting of the shoe or blade. The shoe insert has a top surface in the same plane as the top surface of the shoe and further includes grooves in the cutting face to relieve the surface.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.