Sheet material cutting apparatus, and associated method

A method for slitting a tobacco sheet material into cut pieces used to form smoking articles, the method comprising:

• receiving a tobacco sheet material in a cutting apparatus comprising a rotatable cutter assembly and a fixed counter-knife assembly, the rotatable cutter assembly having a drum member and a plurality of knife members disposed about the periphery of the drum member and extending radially therefrom, the fixed counter-knife assembly being disposed adjacent to the periphery of the drum member and comprising a ledger member having a plurality of cutting insert members individually removably engaged therewith via a securing member, each of the cutting insert members including a front side and an opposing back side, a plurality of cutting edges defined at the front side and the opposing back side, and an aperture extending along an axis from the front side to the opposing back side and configured to receive the securing member;
• rotating the drum member of the rotatable cutter assembly about an axis defined thereby and with respect to the fixed counter-knife assembly such that the knife members of the rotatable cutter assembly interact with the cutting insert members of the fixed counter-knife assembly to slit the tobacco sheet material received therebetween into cut pieces;
• and
• rearranging the cutting edges cooperating with the knife members by reversing one or more of the cutting insert members such that one of the front side and the opposing back side cooperates with the knife members and rotating one or more of the cutting insert members about the axis defined by the aperture extending therethrough.