METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING PROFILES
An apparatus for cutting a profile, including: a cutter configured to make cuts on the profile having a first surface and a second surface, and having at least one rib on the first surface, wherein the cuts are made on the first surface of the profile; a first drive unit to drive the cutter forward and backward to and from the first surface of the profile; and a second drive unit to drive the cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile.
Latest Seoul Laser Dieboard System Co., Ltd. Patents:
This application claims the benefit of priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2007-112810, filed Nov. 6, 2007. The disclosure of the above-referenced patent application is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for cutting profiles.
2. Background
Certain embodiments as disclosed herein provide methods, apparatus, and computer programs for cutting profiles. In some embodiments, methods, apparatus, and computer programs described herein provide for cutting and folding profiles to make channel letters for a sign board.
In one aspect, an apparatus for cutting a profile is disclosed. The apparatus including: a cutter configured to make cuts on the profile having a first surface and a second surface, and having at least one rib on the first surface, wherein the cuts are made on the first surface of the profile; a first drive unit to drive the cutter forward and backward to and from the first surface of the profile; and a second drive unit to drive the cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile.
In another aspect, a folding machine for cutting and folding profiles to make channel letters for a sign board is disclosed. The folding machine including: a profile supply unit configured to feed a profile into the folding machine; a profile feeding path coupled to the profile supply unit, and configured to guide the profile for cutting; a cutting unit coupled to the profile feeding path, the cutting unit comprising: a cutter configured to make cuts on the profile having a first surface and a second surface, and having at least one rib on the first surface, wherein the cuts are made on the first surface of the profile; a first drive unit to drive the cutter forward and backward to and from the first surface of the profile; a second drive unit to drive the cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile; a folding unit configured to fold the profile that is properly cut into a channel letter.
In another aspect, a method for cutting a profile is disclosed. The method including: determining a cut depth of a cut to be made with a cutter on the profile; appropriately selecting and engaging a stopper to allow the cutter to receive and cut the profile; first moving the cutter forward for first cutting and/or backward for repositioning; second moving the cutter down and/or up for second cutting or repositioning; repeating first moving and second moving according to a desired number of cuts.
In yet another aspect, a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for cutting a profile is disclosed. The computer the program including executable instructions that cause a computer to: determine a cut depth of a cut to be made with a cutter on the profile; appropriately select and engage a stopper to allow the cutter to receive and cut the profile; first move the cutter forward for first cutting and/or backward for repositioning; second move the cutter down and/or up for second cutting or repositioning; repeat the first move and the second move according to a desired number of cuts.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings.
Certain embodiments as disclosed herein provide methods and apparatus for cutting profiles. In some embodiments, methods and apparatus described herein provide for cutting and folding profiles to make channel letters for a sign board. References will be made in detail to these embodiments including examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Technical structure and operation of the device will be described with reference to the drawings in
As described above, conventional folding machines have structural difficulties in folding metal rules (or strips) of shapes that are not flat. For example, the conventional folding machine shown in
In some embodiments, the metal rule (or other rigid material) of the shape illustrated in
In one embodiment, the protruding rib 110b that protrudes out at the bottom end is used to insert or place a front panel once the metal rule 110 has been folded into a desired shape or letter. The protruding rib 110a that protrudes out at the top end can be used to insert or place a back panel once the metal rule 110 has been folded into a desired shape or letter.
To describe the cutting and folding process in detail,
To further describe the cutting process in detail, the cutting portion (Part B) of the profile 110 is shown in detail in
In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment of
The cutting unit 20 also includes a cutter driving motor 75, a Z-axis slide rail 42, a first cylinder 55, a support member 95, a bi-directional rod 56, a securing wheel 59, a stopper 72, and a second cylinder 77. The cutter driving motor 75 drives the cutter 70, and is fixed to the sidewall of the moving plate 40 using the Z-axis slide rail 42. Thus, the Z-axis slide rail 42 allows the first cylinder 55 to drive the cutter driving motor 75 forward and backward along the Z-axis direction. The first cylinder 55 is coupled to the support member 95, which is in turn coupled to one side of the moving plate 40. The first cylinder 55 drives the bi-directional rod 56 through its opening to move the cutter driving motor 75 along the Z-axis direction. The rod 56 includes an inner rod 56a and an outer rod 56b, which are formed as a single body. The inner rod 56a is coupled to the cutter driving motor 75, while the outer rod 56b passes through the support member 95 and is coupled to the securing wheel 59. The stopper 72 is designed to provide a multi-level depth control in such a way that the movement of the cutter driving motor 75 along the Z-axis direction can be controlled. In the illustrated embodiment of
In the illustrated embodiment of
Elements of the cutting unit 20 described in
At the initial stage of the cutting process (as shown in
Once the cutting depth has been determined and an appropriate stopper 72 has been selected and engaged, the profile 110 is then fed through the slit 200 until Line A (see
In an alternative embodiment, the cutter 70 is initially positioned at the bottom end of the profile 110 to make a cut at the bottom of the profile 110, then the screw driving motor 80 now drives the moving plate 40 up along the Y-axis direction to move the cutter 70 up with it to make the scratch line 118 on the inside surface 140 of the profile 110 and the V cuts in the bottom rib 110b and the top rib 110a of the profile 110. Other embodiments with different orders for the above-described steps are also contemplated.
The above-described process can be summarized generally as follows: determining a cut depth of a cut to be made with a cutter on the profile; appropriately selecting and engaging a stopper to allow the cutter to cut the profile; receiving the profile for cutting; first moving the cutter forward for first cutting and/or backward for repositioning; second moving the cutter down and/or up for second cutting or repositioning; and repeating first moving and second moving according to a desired number of cuts.
Once the profile 110 has reached and come to a rest at an initial cutting position, the first cylinder 55 is driven to push the rod 56 toward the profile feeding path 30, thereby moving the cutter driving motor 75 and, in turn, the cutter 70 forward in the Z-axis direction, at Box 1208. The cutter 70 is then rotated and moved through the opening 61 to cut into the profile 110 for a predetermined cutting depth.
The foregoing embodiments are merely presented as examples and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of methods, apparatus and/or devices. In other embodiments, the teachings embodied in the method(s) can also be implemented as computer programs stored in storage medium. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. An apparatus for cutting a profile, comprising:
- a cutter configured to make cuts on the profile having a first surface and a second surface, and having at least one rib on the first surface,
- wherein the cuts are made on the first surface of the profile;
- a first drive unit to drive said cutter forward and backward to and from the first surface of the profile; and
- a second drive unit to drive said cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising
- a cutter driving motor configured to rotate said cutter for cutting the profile.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first drive unit comprises:
- a bi-directional rod coupled to said cutter driving motor;
- a first slide rail coupled to said cutter driving motor;
- a cylinder configured to drive said bi-directional rod,
- wherein the driving of said bi-directional rod moves said cutter driving motor on said first slide rail forward to and backward from the first surface of the profile.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said first drive unit further comprises:
- a stopper; and
- a securing wheel,
- wherein said stopper and said securing wheel operates together to limit the movement of said bi-directional rod to control the depth of a cut made by said cutter on the first surface of the profile.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said second drive unit comprises:
- a moving plate coupled to said cutter driving motor;
- a second slide rail coupled to said moving plate;
- a driving motor configured to drive said moving plate on said second slide rail,
- wherein the driving of said moving plate moves said cutter driving motor and said cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising
- a vertical axis screw coupled to said driving motor and said moving plate,
- wherein said vertical axis screw is driven by said driving motor to move said moving plate vertically on said second slide rail.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cuts made on the at least one rib are angled so that an open edge of the at least one rib has a larger angle than a closed edge.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cuts made on the surface of the profile produce a small ridge with a depth equal to approximately one-third the thickness of the profile.
9. A folding machine for cutting and folding profiles to make channel letters for a sign board, comprising:
- a profile supply unit configured to feed a profile into the folding machine;
- a profile feeding path coupled to said profile supply unit, and configured to guide said profile for cutting;
- a cutting unit coupled to said profile feeding path, said cutting unit comprising: a cutter configured to make cuts on the profile having a first surface and a second surface, and having at least one rib on the first surface, wherein the cuts are made on the first surface of the profile; a first drive unit to drive said cutter forward and backward to and from the first surface of the profile; a second drive unit to drive said cutter up and down along the first surface of the profile;
- a folding unit configured to fold said profile that is properly cut into a channel letter.
10. The folding machine of claim 9, wherein said cutting unit comprises a frame coupled to said profile feeding path, said frame disposed parallel to said profile feeding path, and together forming a slit through which the profile is fed through for cutting.
11. A method for cutting a profile, comprising:
- determining a cut depth of a cut to be made with a cutter on the profile;
- appropriately selecting and engaging a stopper to allow the cutter to receive and cut the profile;
- first moving the cutter forward for first cutting and/or backward for repositioning;
- second moving the cutter down and/or up for second cutting or repositioning;
- repeating said first moving and said second moving according to a desired number of cuts.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising
- positioning the cutter initially at a top end of the profile, wherein
- said first moving includes moving the cutter forward for the first cutting,
- said second moving includes moving the cutter down for the second cutting,
- said repeating includes first moving the cutter backward for repositioning, and second moving the cutter up for repositioning.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising
- positioning the cutter initially at a bottom end of the profile, wherein
- said first moving includes moving the cutter forward for the first cutting,
- said second moving includes moving the cutter up for the second cutting, and
- said repeating includes first moving the cutter backward for repositioning.
14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for cutting a profile, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:
- determine a cut depth of a cut to be made with a cutter on the profile;
- appropriately select and engage a stopper to allow the cutter to receive and cut the profile;
- first move the cutter forward for first cutting and/or backward for repositioning;
- second move the cutter down and/or up for second cutting or repositioning;
- repeat said first moving and said second moving according to a desired number of cuts.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 4, 2008
Publication Date: May 3, 2012
Applicants: Seoul Laser Dieboard System Co., Ltd. (Kyong-gi-Do), Seoul Laser Dieboard System Co., Ltd. (San Diego, CA)
Inventor: Sang Moo Lee (San Diego, CA)
Application Number: 13/133,133
International Classification: B21D 31/00 (20060101); B26D 3/00 (20060101); B23D 17/00 (20060101);