Abstract: A flat platen-type cutting and creasing press for sheet material includes a continuously moving closed loop conveyor that carries sheet gripping means in a feed direction along a generally horizontal feed path extending through a sheet loading station, a sheet unloading station, and a cutting station having die elements positioned thereat with the cutting station being positioned between the sheet loading and unloading stations. Eccentric shafts rotating at uniform speed translates platens carrying the die elements along a circular path positioned for the die elements to operatively engage and thereby fully cut a sheet moving along the feed path through said cutting station. Rotating counterbalancing weights on the eccentric shafts are disposed between points on the platens that are connected to the eccentric shafts.

Abstract: A conveyor belt transfer section moves printed sheets at constant speed from a printer to a platen type die-cutter, this constant speed being equal to the printer speed. The die-cutter is provided with an intermittently operated sheet conveyor having a gripper bar that is moved intermittently so as to fully stop in succession at a plurality of locations including an infeed station and a working station downstream of the infeed station. When the bar is stopped at the infeed station, sheet grippers mounted thereon are opened and are kept open while the bar is accelerated in the downstream direction. As a sheet approaches the infeed station, the bar begins to move away from the infeed station at an acceleration rate which permits the sheet to enter the open grippers on the moving bar. These grippers are closed to hold the sheet when sheet speed and gripper bar speed are essentially equal.