Abstract: A method of combining the grading and trimming operation of a board to thereby eliminate the position of a trimmer, includes feeding a board having two sides to a turn assembly with a first side of its two sides upright, grading the first side of the board, moving the board longitudinally using belt, chain, or rollers, turning the board such that the second side of the board is upright and grading the second side of the board, moving the board in a longitudinal direction using a roll case, to position the board in a position for trimming, and feeding the board to a trimmer to be cut. A sloped turn assembly or flat transfer assembly can be used to turn the board for inspection.

Abstract: A machine for cutting stacked sheets of stock. The machine has a counter for accommodating the stock. The rear of the counter accommodates the stock to be cut and the front of the counter the cut stock. The rear of the counter also accommodates a mechanism for advancing the stack and a baffle for one side of the stack to rest against. A bent is positioned above the counter and accommodates a blade for cutting the stock and a holdfast that can be lowered onto the top of the stack. A control panel and a display panel are positioned on the front side. The machine in accordance with the present invention is characterized by at least one camera (22) at the rear (9) of the counter. The camera monitors the position of the stock in relation to the stack-advancing mechanism (10) or the lateral baffle (12) and displays on the display panel (17) a real-time image (26) of what it can discern.

Abstract: A device for removing paper from a damaged paper roll. The device comprising a rotatable platform to support and rotate the paper roll about a central axis. Additionally, the device comprises a circular saw blade attached to a movable arm attached to a track adjacent to the paper roll. The arm is advanceable toward to the central axis of the paper roll such that as the roll is rotated, the saw blade will cut into the roll to thereby remove paper therefrom. The operation of the device can be automated by a controller and sensors such that a single operator can use the device.

Abstract: An apparatus for positioning lumber pieces for end trimming, by means of a succession of gates mounted on traveling chains set at a converging angle with the even end line of uniformly spaced lumber pieces carried transversely on parallel chains towards a multiple saw trimmer. The positioning is accomplished by any one gate pushing against the end of a lumber piece and then retracting when the lumber piece has reached the appropriate position for cutting by stationary trimming saws. The positioning process and the saw selection for each cut are scanner/computer controlled.

Abstract: A slicing machine has a blade, a stop plate extending parallel to the blade, and a carriage adapted to hold a sliceable product against the plate and displaceable past the blade to cut a slice from the product. A large-diameter disk is rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the blade and is formed with a spiral groove. A follower coupled to the stop plate is engaged in the groove. A drive motor rotates the disk to displace the stop plate parallel to the blade axis. A small-diameter sensor wheel is positively coupled by a nonsmooth drive element to the disk. A sensor determines the angular position and rotation of the disk and generates an actual-value output corresponding thereto. A desired-value signal corresponding to a desired slice thickness is fed to a controller connected to the sensor and to the motor to make the output equal to the desired-value signal.

Abstract: Web or sheet-fed segment processing apparatus (30, 300) is provided for high speed, extremely accurate operations such as die cutting or lamination. The apparatus (30, 300) includes a processing station (32, 300) adapted to receive a segment (38) forming a part of a continuous web (100, 102) or as a discrete sheet. The station (32, 300) includes a vacuum hold-down plate (142, 306) for holding initially fed segments (38); the hold-down plate (32,308) is shiftable as necessary along orthogonal X-Y axes in the plane of the segment (38), and/or &thgr; rotation about a rotational axis transverse to the segment plane, such movement being effected by a series of aligned, translatable eccentric drive units (178-182,346-350) coupled with plate (142,306). Preferably, the segments (38) carry positioning fiducials (44) and which are compared with fixed reference indicia (250, 252) in the station (32, 300).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a photographic web cutter device for cutting a web of photographic paper prints, a so called batch, related to a plurality of customer orders, including magazines for the web or batch, a cutter portion and a control portion, and according to the invention said control portion controls the cutting operation by means of control data so that cut parts of the photographic web can be assigned to a related customer order.

Abstract: A unidirectional and bidirectional optical fiber couplers using polymer optical fibers having mirrors formed within the polymer optical fibers for reflecting optical signals. The mirrors comprise a notch having at least one surface angled with respect to the central axis of the optical fiber for reflecting the optical signal perpendicular to its central axis. A unidirectional embodiment allows input optical signals to be coupled from any combination of input optical fibers and transmitted into any combination of output optical fibers. A bidirectional embodiment allows optical signals from tapping fibers to be reflected in opposite directions along a first, or BUS optical fiber. Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus and method for controlling the depth of the notch by monitoring residue power through the optical fibers while the notch is being cut.

Abstract: A machine for cutting stacked sheets of stock. The machine has a counter for accommodating the stock. The rear of the counter accommodates the stock to be cut and the front of the counter the cut stock. The rear of the counter also accommodates a mechanism for advancing the stack and a baffle for one side of the stack to rest against. A bent is positioned above the counter and accommodates a blade for cutting the stock and a holdfast that can be lowered onto the top of the stack. A control panel and a display panel are positioned on the front side.

Abstract: Disclosed is a cutting apparatus equipped with a means for alignment of its rotary blade relative to a selected street on a semiconductor wafer. The cutting apparatus has a marking member positioned at such a place that the rotary blade can make a mark of cutting position in an indexing direction on the marking member, thereby permitting the rotary blade to be put in precise alignment relative to a selected cutting line on the semiconductor wafer by adjusting the rotary blade in the direction traversing the street-cutting direction until the trace of the rotary blade has been put in alignment with a reference hairline.

Abstract: An automatic log-cutting apparatus, or log merchandiser, which is designed to analyze and rapidly process tree-length stems, or logs, into shorter segments for further processing in pole mills, sawmills, plywood plants and the like. The logs are loaded via a conveyor onto the support arms of a number of cutting stations, all of which are movable and pre-positioned according to the determined optimum cut locations. The logs are then cut by pivoting saw blades, and the cut segments are released by the support arms onto a conveyor for removal.

Abstract: Ultrasonic techniques are applied to the measurement of wooden members to detect splitting during sawing operations and thereby allow modification of sawing technique or change in saw cut placement.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for advancing and cutting tube blanks into desired lengths and ejecting the unusable piece of tubing remaining after all of the usable cuts have been made. The machine for cutting the tubes of the present invention is preferably a standard supported shear type cutting machine and the ejection of the tube is accomplished via a pusher that is mounted for reciprocation on a carriage such that when the last piece of usable tubing has been cut from the tube blank the pusher may be activated to eject the tubing from the cutting machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for cutting fabric includes at least one fabric wind-off device (1, 1′) for one fabric bolt (7), a conveyor belt (5) for conveying the unwound fabric, and a cutting device (3) which cuts a piece of fabric to a given shape from the length of fabric deposited on the conveyor belt (5). Said conveyor belt (5) extends without interruption from at least that point where the fabric is deposited by the wind-off device (1, 1′) to the working area of the said cutting device (3). The wind-off device (1, 1′) places the length of fabric directly onto the conveyor belt (5) or onto one of more lengths of fabric already deposited on the said conveyor belt. An apparatus control automatically feeds the unwound fabric to the cutting device and directs the cutting of the unwound fabric by the cutting device.

Abstract: Laminated elements, which may be constituted, for example, by labels to be applied to articles while in movement, are formed from a strip provided by a feeding device. The strip moves forward onto a reception unit, passing through a cutting zone. The individual laminated elements are formed by causing the cutting unit to come into action when the length of the strip paid out by the feeding unit is equal to the desired length of the labels. The cutting unit preferably includes a revolving knife and a counterknife, where the latter consists of a non-driven roller supported in a cradle that is lubricated and exerts an elastic force against the cutting unit. Preferably, the reception unit realizes the step of applying the individual laminated elements to their respective articles.

Abstract: To shorten the processing time in modern plants for cutting away pieces or sections from a continously moving endless material, e.g. a glass strip, one after the other by flying cutting the cutting bridge carrying the cutting device (6) is accelerated until at a speed within a predetermined tolerance range of the feed speed of the continuously running endless material. Then the cutting bridge speed is synchronized for each piece or section to be cutaway and the cutting away of each piece or section takes place after the synchronization. To attain a very high precision cutting the spacing of the front cut edge formed when the previous piece or section is cut away from the cutting device is measured by means of an image-taking device (7) prior to cutting away of the next piece or section. Then the measured spacing is compared with a set value for the spacing and the speed of the cutting bridge is synchronized or fine tuned according to the comparison prior to cutting away the next piece or section.

Abstract: An automatic carton slitting machines includes a transmission means for moving cartons, a sensing and positioning means for detecting and positioning the cartons at locations desired, a slitting means for slitting the carton and a control unit for coordinate and control the operations of all other means. The cutter means includes two spaced cutter sets each has a motor driven rotating saw cutter with adjustable slitting angle. One of the cutter sets is movable by a cutter set moving means for changing spacing distance between the cutter sets to process carton of different width. The cutter means also has a frame lifting means to adjust cutter sets height for processing cartons of different height. Through coordinating the transmission means, cutter set moving means and frame lifting means may coordinate their motion so that the cutter sets may move in three dimensions against the carton for automatically cleaving cartons of different size.

Abstract: An apparatus for advancing positions of a web material has a first transporter at which the pieces are separated from a web, a clamp which transfers the pieces to the plane of a second transporter and a second transporter operating in this plane in a direction orthogonal to the displacement direction of the first transporter. The second transporter has at least one conveyor at least part of which is movable toward and away from the clamp and toward which the clamp can be moved so that the pieces are transferred to the conveyor and can be displaced by the latter with no spacing between them or with only a limited spacing between them.

Abstract: A rectangular glass workpiece positioning system and method of use for a cutting table is disclosed. A conveyor transports a rectangular glass workpiece in a transporting direction. A stop mechanism is adapted to abut an edge of the glass workpiece which is positioned substantially perpendicular to the transporting direction of the conveyor. A movable edge sensor is adapted to sense an edge of the glass workpiece extending substantially parallel to the transporting direction with the movable edge sensor movable at least perpendicular to the transporting direction. A movable cutting head is provided for cutting the glass workpiece according to a predetermined pattern. The present invention additionally includes a method of retrofitting existing cutting tables.

Abstract: A shape sawing system for sawing lumber pieces from a curved cant. The cant is scanned by scanners and the scan data is input to a computer. The computer determines a curved path for the saw to follow in sawing the cant into lumber pieces. The saw is laterally and pivotally adjustable to follow the determined path established by the computer. The saw is a plurality of circular saw blades having a defined cutting edge portion that is inclined from a leading point at the bottom of the cant to a trailing point at the top of the cant. The point of pivot of the saws is between the leading point and the trailing point of the cutting edge portion. The saw assembly is mounted on pads having a low coefficient of friction. Pressurized air and lubricant are delivered to the pads to reduce the friction.

Abstract: A paper cutter is provided for a photographic processing system which processes photographic materials while collating the photographic materials on the basis of identification marks which have been recorded in advance, by codes which can be read by machine and by operator, on at least one of a photographic film for image recording and an accommodating body which accommodates the photographic film, said paper cutter cutting per print an elongated photographic printing paper on which images recorded on a photographic film have been printed successively and on which an index print has been printed in succession with the printed images. A bar code reader functions to read a bar code (an identification mark) applied to an index print. When conveying of a photographic printing paper is stable, the bar code reader opposes a bar code, and the conveying of the photographic printing paper is stopped.

Abstract: This invention applies to a shape sawing system for sawing lumber pieces from a curved cant portion. A scanner scans the cant portion as it is conveyed on a conveyor system and inputs the scan data into a computer. The computer determines the curvature and position of the cant portion on the conveyor system. The conveyor system conveys the cant portion through side chippers and into a saw. The side chippers are independently laterally adjustable to follow the curvature of the cant portion. Guide members mounted strategic to the saw guide the cant portion into the saw. The saw is pivotally and laterally adjustable to follow the curvature of the cant portion to produce full length and partial length lumber pieces from the cant portion.