Automatically removing waste material using a strip die when cutting a sheet of material according to a predetermined pattern
AssigneeEsko-Graphics Kongsberg AS
InventorIvar Holm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A strip die is prepared with cutouts according to a pre-determined pattern, e.g., on a cutting table and positioned on a stripping station that has a removal tool to remove waste material. After a sheet of material is cut on the same or another cutting table, the sheet is positioned in the stripping station over the female strip die. The removal tool moves to programmed positions in the stripping station and removes pieces of waste material. The final stripped cut sheet is the brought to the out-stack.
Claims13
A method of controlling a cutting and stripping apparatus, the controlling using a controller of the apparatus to cause the apparatus to cut a sheet of strip-die material on a cutting-table surface of the apparatus to prepare a strip die, to cut a sheet of stock material on the cutting table surface, and to strip waste material from the cut stock material sheet using the created strip die on a stripping station surface of the apparatus, the method comprising:
- (a) accepting into the controller a pre-determined material-cutting pattern for cutting a to-be-cut sheet of material into one or more final portions and one or more to-be-removed pieces of waste material, such that after removal of the one or more to-be-removed pieces of waste material, a sheet of material is formed that includes the one or more final portions and that has one or more voids, and further accepting or determining a strip-die cutting pattern for preparing a strip die, the strip die cutting pattern determined from the pre-determined cutting pattern and comprising one or more openings and one or more final strip-die portions, with at least one of the one or more final portions of the cut sheet of material having a corresponding final strip-die portion in the prepared strip die, and having a shape, after cutting, that is similar to the shape of the corresponding final strip-die portion;
- (b) causing a cutting tool of the apparatus to cut a sheet of strip-die material that has been placed on the cutting table surface, the cutting being according to the strip-die cutting pattern;
- (c) causing removal of one or more to-be-removed pieces of waste strip-die material from the cut sheet of strip-die material, the cutting and removing preparing a strip die according to the strip-die cutting pattern, wherein the prepared strip die is positioned at a strip-die position on the stripping station surface,
- (d) causing the apparatus to cut a to-be-cut sheet of stock material that is positioned on the cutting table surface according to the pre-determined material-cutting pattern, resulting in a cut sheet of stock material that includes, in cut form, the one or more final portions and the one or more to-be-removed pieces of waste material;
- (e) causing the cut sheet of stock material to be moved to the stripping station surface positioned over the strip die at a pre-determined position relative to the strip-die position such that the at least one of the one or more final portions of the cut sheet of stock material covers the corresponding final strip-die portion;
- and
- (f) causing the apparatus to remove the one or more to-be-removed pieces of waste material from the cut sheet of stock material,
- wherein each void in the cut sheet of stock material that has a corresponding opening in the prepared strip die is smaller than the corresponding strip-die opening in the prepared strip die.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.