Abstract: A rotary cutting tool comprises a rotary die cylinder having an axis of rotation, a pair of sides and a cylindrical surface, a die plate positioned around the cylindrical surface of the die cylinder and rigidly attached to the die cylinder at a first location, and an adjustable slide assembly operatively connecting the die plate to the die cylinder at a second location, and slidable with respect to the die cylinder between a retracted position and an extended position. The adjustable slide assembly is slidable along either a first direction around the axis of rotation of the die cylinder or a second direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the die cylinder. Adjustment of the adjustable slide assembly adjusts the position of the die plate with respect to the cylinder. The cylinder may be formed as a single piece assembly or as a first piece and a bar attached to the first piece. The bar can be machined to define in combination with the first piece the cylindrical surface.

Abstract: A method of making a rotary cutting tool for cutting a web of material comprises the steps of roll forming a first flexible die plate into a cylindrical shape, mounting the cylindrically shaped die plate onto a cylindrically shaped fixture, and machining cutting elements onto the roll formed die plate. The roll formed die plate may then be removed from the fixture and attached to a cylinder. The first die plate can cooperate with a second die plate attached to a second cylinder to cut the thin web of material.

Abstract: A rotary cutting tool for cutting a moving web of material into blanks and scrap material, comprises an upper cutting assembly having an upper cutting element which defines a cutout area on the upper cutting assembly, a lower cutting assembly having a lower cutting element, wherein the upper cutting element and the lower cutting element are adapted to cooperate to cut the moving web of material into blanks and scrap material, and a scrap ejection element on the upper cutting assembly at the cutout area which can urge the scrap material away from the blanks and towards the lower cutting elements, wherein the scrap ejection element is formed unitary with the upper cutting element.

Abstract: A rotary cutting tool with easy to adjust rotary die plates comprises a rotary die cylinder, a die plate adjustably mounted to the rotary die cylinder, an external eccentric mounted on the rotary die cylinder having a first axis of rotation with respect to the cylinder and having a central opening offset from the first axis, and an internal eccentric mounted in the central opening. Rotation of the external eccentric urges the internal eccentric to move with respect to the cylinder, and the die plate moves in response to motion of the internal eccentric.

Abstract: A rotary cutting tool with easy to adjust rotary die plates comprises a rotary die cylinder, a die plate adjustably mounted to the rotary die cylinder, an external eccentric mounted on the rotary die cylinder having a first axis of rotation with respect to the cylinder and having a central opening offset from the first axis, and an internal eccentric mounted in the central opening. Rotation of the external eccentric urges the internal eccentric to move with respect to the cylinder, and the die plate moves in response to motion of the internal eccentric.

Abstract: An improved rotary die cutting apparatus and method for removing scrap material from work pieces such as paperboard blanks. One of the dies of a pair of rotary cutting dies is provided with gripper elements that extend over at least a portion of the area of the die corresponding to the areas over which the scrap portions are generated. The gripper elements grip, without piercing completely through, the scrap portions generated by the cutting operation of the dies. A stripping knife extends across the die carrying the scrap portions at a height above the gripper elements that provides clearance between the gripper elements and the stripping knife but contacts the scrap portions retained on the gripper elements.

Abstract: An improved rotary die cutting apparatus and method for removing scrap material from work pieces such as paperboard blanks. One of the dies of a pair of rotary cutting dies is provided with gripper elements that extend over at least a portion of the area of the die corresponding to the areas over which the scrap portions are generated. The gripper elements grip, without piercing completely through, the scrap portions generated by the cutting operation of the dies. A stripping knife extends across the die carrying the scrap portions at a height above the gripper elements that provides clearance between the gripper elements and the stripping knife but contacts the scrap portions retained on the gripper elements.

Abstract: A pair of rotary die cylinders having co-acting cutting blades formed by integral lands projecting generally radially outwardly from the main body of each cylinder and a method of making them by rough machining a tool steel workpiece with conventional cutting tools to form the general contour and path of the cutting blades and thereafter final machining and simultaneously heat treating the cutting blades with a laser to provide an accurately formed and hardened cutting blade. Preferably, the rough machining with conventional cutting tools and the final machining and heat treating by a laser are performed with the same machine tool, such as a computerized numerical control (CNC) machining center. Such a machining center permits rapid and accurate rough machining as well as accurate final laser machining of the cutting blades.

Abstract: A system to accurately align relative to each other a pair of rotary die cylinders having co-acting cutting blades formed by integral lands projecting generally radially outwardly from each cylinder. Each cylinder has an alignment groove formed therein such that when the cutting blades of the die cylinders are in alignment, the alignment grooves of each cylinder are aligned and define a slot between the cylinders which is constructed to receive an alignment pin. To initially align the die cylinders relative to each other, they are free to move both axially and rotatably relative to each other to permit the die cylinders to fully engage an alignment pin or pins inserted between the cylinders. Preferably, an alignment slot is provided adjacent each end of each cylinder with each slot constructed to receive a separate alignment pin to more accurately register or align the die cylinders relative to each other.

Abstract: A pair of rotary die cylinders each removably mountable in a die stand by a pair of opposed arbor assemblies each with a separate spindle journaled in a separate carrier block and having a nose drawable into engagement with complementary recesses in opposed ends of the die cylinder in coaxial alignment with the axis of the die cylinder. The noses of the spindles are removably engaged in the recess by a drawbar extending through each cylinder. The carrier blocks are removably slidably received in slots in a pair of spaced apart uprights of the die stand.

Abstract: A method of making a pair of rotary die cylinders with lands having coacting cutting edges which cut blanks from a web of material passing through the nip of the rotating dies. In cross section each land has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the chord of the outer face to provide a clean cut and facilitate release of the cut blank from the cutting blades as it emerges from the nip of the dies. The die cylinders are journalled for rotation by recesses with frusto conical locating surfaces in their opposed ends. Each die cylinder is made by machining the recesses in the opposed ends of a generally cylindrical workpiece of tool steel and then utilizing the recesses to locate and orient the workpiece relative to a cutting tool to produce a cylindrical surface on the workpiece concentric with the axis of the recesses and then to machine away portions of the periphery of the cylindrical surface to form the cutting blade lands thereon.

Abstract: A pair of rotary die cylinders with lands having coacting cutting edges which cut blanks from a web of material passing through the nip of the rotating dies. In cross section each land has an outer face and a pair of spaced apart side faces which are parallel to each other and perpendicular to the chord of the outer face to provide a clean cut and facilitate release of the cut blank from the cutting blades as it emerges from the nip of the dies. The die cylinders are journalled for rotation by recesses with frusto conical locating surfaces in their opposed ends. Each die cylinder is made by machining the recesses in the opposed ends of a generally cylindrical workpiece of tool steel and then utilizing the recesses to locate and orient the workpiece relative to a cutting tool to produce a cylindrical surface on the workpiece concentric with the axis of the recesses and then to machine away portions of the periphery of the cylindrical surface to form the cutting blade lands thereon.

Abstract: A piece of scrap material cut from a web passing through the nip of a pair of rotary cutting dies is removed by a mechanism with an actuator carried by one of the cylinders, a pin and ejector sleeve carried by the other cylinder and a release roller downstream of the nip and adjacent the other cylinder. As the scrap piece is cut from the web it is impaled on the pin by cooperation with the actuator which also retracts the sleeve to expose the pin and actuates an indexable ring to releasably retain the sleeve in a retracted position from the head of pin. The scrap piece is impaled on the pin and is carried away from the nip and web by rotation of the other cylinder and downstream thereof passes through the nip of a roller and the other cylinder which moves the sleeve and actuates the ring to release the sleeve so that as it passes out of the nip it moves to the fully extended position to strip the cut piece from the pin and thereby release and remove it from the cylinder.

Abstract: Individual strips of material, such as copper conductors, are laminated between continuously moving webs of backing material such as mylar, in a plurality of parallel lanes extending longitudinally of the webs, by apparatus which selectively controls the length of strip material in each lane to produce a product such as a wiring harness. The apparatus includes a pressing station through which the mylar webs are continuously moved by a pair of opposed driven rollers. The strips of material are fed to the pressing station by selectively operable feeding devices, one for each lane, through selectively operable cut-off devices, one for each lane, and through a severing device selectively operable to simultaneously sever any strips in all lanes.