Patent Application
20210316379
The present invention is directed generally to cutting device and, more particularly, to a drive with the capability of cutting hard materials, such as steels, stainless steels and other similar and exotic alloys.
Conventional cutting devices often require numerous rotating structures carrying blades to perform a cutting action. Further, the cutting action, including the movement of the blades, requires manual operation. Manual operation requires a worker and it is likely that the conventional cutting device will not be operating at equal intervals to maximize efficiency.
Therefore, there is a need for cutting device that can cut hard material continuously into pieces having a predetermined length.
The present invention is directed to a cutting device with the capability of cutting hard materials, such as steels, stainless steels and other similar and exotic alloys. According to one aspect, the present invention is a cutting assembly. The cutting assembly includes a cutter head having a central aperture and a stationary body with a channel extending therethrough. The stationary body extends through the central aperture of the cutter head. The cutter head is rotatable between a first configuration and a second configuration relative to the stationary body. The cutting device also includes first and second substantially parallel blades fixed to the stationary body. In the first configuration, the first blade is a first distance from the second blade. In the second configuration, the first blade is a second distance from the second blade.
According to another aspect, the present invention is a cutting device. The cutting device includes a cutting assembly having a stationary body with a channel extending therethrough. The stationary body extends through the central aperture of the cutter head. The cutter head is rotatable between a first configuration and a second configuration relative to the stationary body. The cutting assembly additionally includes a first blade fixed to the stationary body and a second blade fixed to the stationary body. The second blade is substantially parallel relative to the first blade. In first configuration, the first blade is a first distance from the second blade. In the second configuration, the first blade is a second distance from the second blade. The cutting device also includes a drive mechanism having a driver connected to an actuator. The driver moves the actuator between a first position and a second position. The actuator is connected to the cutter head such that when the actuator is in the first position, the cutter head is in the first configuration and when the actuator is in the second position, the cutter head is in the second configuration.
According to another aspect, the present invention is method for cutting a material. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing a cutting device including a cutting assembly having a stationary body with a channel extending therethrough, the stationary body extending through the central aperture of the cutter head, wherein the cutter head is rotatable between a first configuration and a second configuration relative to the stationary body, a first blade fixed to the stationary body, a second blade fixed to the stationary body, wherein the second blade is substantially parallel relative to the first blade, wherein in a first configuration, the first blade is a first distance from the second blade, and a drive mechanism having a driver connected to an actuator, wherein the actuator connected to the cutter head; (ii) extending a first material through the channel in the stationary body between the first blade and the second blade in the first configuration; (iii) engaging the driver, causing the actuator to rotate from a first position to a second position; (iv) rotating the cutter head from the first configuration to the second configuration; (v) moving the first blade and the second blade toward each other; and (vi) cutting the first material with the first blade and the second blade.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter.
One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification. The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages, and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known structures are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the invention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific non-limiting examples, while indicating aspects of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, and are not by way of limitation. Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and/or arrangements, within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout,
As also shown in
In
Turning now to
Still referring to
The cutting assembly 100 additionally comprises a stationary body 118. In the depicted embodiment, the stationary body 118 is a bushing sleeve. The bushing sleeve 118 comprises a central channel 120 extending therethrough such that the bushing sleeve 118 has an inner diameter. The channel 120 is sized and configured to fit the desired material for cutting. The bushing sleeve 118 additionally comprises a first side 122 with a first pin 110 and a second pin 111 extending therefrom. As shown in
The first side 122 of the bushing sleeve 118 comprises a first outer diameter sized and configured to fit within the inner diameter of the bearing 108, as shown in
Still referring to
Turning back to
Still referring to
Referring now to
In the open configuration, as shown in
As recited above, the actuator 204 rotates from the first position to the second position. As the actuator 204 is attached to the cutter head 102, as shown in
As the first blade 104 and the second blade 106 rotate with the cutter head 102 in a counterclockwise fashion, the first blade 104 rotates as the first pin 112 of the cutter head 102 slides toward an outer end of the slot 128 and the second blade 106 rotates as the second pin 114 of the cutter head 102 slides toward an outer end of the slot 128. In other words, the slots 128 on the first and second blades 104, 106 allow for or accommodate a limited amount of movement of the first and second blades 104, 106. Ultimately, the movement of the first and second blades 104, 106 is limited by movement of the driver 202 (e.g., the stroke of the air cylinder). Thus, as the cutter head 102 is rotated, the first and second blades 104, 106 rotate with the cutter head 102 as the first pin 112 and the second pin 114 move toward the outer end of the slots 128 until their motion is limited by the driver 202, as shown in
The cutting device 10 can be connected to a computing system (not shown) such that the rotation of the cutter head 102 is programmable. For example, the driver mechanism 202 can be programmed to rotate the cutter head 102 a specific number of rotations per a time period or programmed to start/end rotations at a specific time.
All definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms.
While various embodiments have been described and illustrated herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and/or structures for performing the function and/or obtaining the results and/or one or more of the advantages described herein, and each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and/or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the teachings is/are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific embodiments described herein. It is, therefore, to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature, system, article, material, kit, and/or method described herein. In addition, any combination of two or more such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods, if such features, systems, articles, materials, kits, and/or methods are not mutually inconsistent, is included within the scope of the present disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as, “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or device that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of method or an element of a device that “comprises”, “has”, “includes” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.
The corresponding structures, materials, acts and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below, if any, are intended to include any structure, material or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of one or more aspects of the invention and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand one or more aspects of the present invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
