A method and apparatus to verify that proper tooling has been installed in a cable preparation apparatus and/or to calibrate the tooling prior to running the cable preparation apparatus with a cable inserted therein. The method includes: inserting a reference device between blades of the cable preparation device; moving the blades inward toward the reference device until the blades engage the reference device; collecting data to determine when the blades engage the reference device; and comparing the collected data of the blades to an expected range of data of the reference device, wherein if the collected data of the blades does not conform to the expected range of data of the reference device the tooling is not validated, and the apparatus alerts the user.

A portable tool for scoring a surface of a flexible building material. The tool includes a base receiving a hinged guide for securing the flexible building material. A platform with a blade is slidable relative to the base from a starting position to an end position to score the flexible building material.

A mold separation device includes a carrying mechanism, a scraping mechanism, and two separation mechanisms. The carrying mechanism is adapted to carry a first mold and a second mold bonded to the first mold. The scraping mechanism is disposed at an edge of the carrying mechanism and is adapted to scrape off a spilled glue produced when the first mold is bonded to the second mold. The separation mechanisms are disposed at the edge of the carrying mechanism and are located on two opposite sides of the scraping mechanism. The separation mechanisms are adapted to pull open the first mold and the second mold so that the first mold and the second mold are separated from each other.

A cutter unit includes a cutter holder, a cradle, a cutter lever, a cradle lever, and a transmitting portion. The cradle faces the cutter holder and movable between a full-cut position and a half-cut position. The cutter lever is configured to be contactable with the cutter holder. The cradle lever is configured to be contactable with the cradle. The transmitting portion is configured to move the cutter lever and the cradle lever in interlocking relation therebetween. The transmitting portion is configured to shut off transmission of movement of the cutter lever to the cradle lever in accordance with only operation to the cutter lever out of the cutter lever and the cradle lever while the transmitting portion is configured to transmit movement of the cradle lever to the cutter lever in accordance with only operation to the cradle lever out of the cutter lever and the cradle lever.

A system for forming composite flake. An apparatus includes a first shearing assembly that meshes with a second shearing assembly to shear a length of composite material into a plurality of strips wherein reinforcing fibers of the composite material extend along the length of the composite strips. A chopping station receives the plurality of strips from the first and second shearing assemblies and shears the plurality strips across the axis of the reinforcing fibers to chop each strip into a plurality of pieces.

A roller-type compressionincisioncutting unit for packaging material webs comprises: a motor-driven roller (2) provided with at least one projecting incisioncutting profile (3); a driven counter-roller (4) provided with at least one abutting counter-profile (5); kinematic means (6) for directly transmitting motion, in a synchronised fashion, between the roller (2) and the counter-roller (4), the kinematic means being connected to respective shafts (2a, 4a); adjustable pusher elements (7), adapted to allow an incision or cutting contact between the roller (2) and the counter-roller (4); at least one rolling element (10, 11) interposed between the roller (2) and the counter-roller (4), and adapted to separate the rotation of the motor-driven roller (2) from the rotation of the thrust rings of the driven counter-roller (4).

A perforating apparatus has a base having at least one counter component. The counter component has a length, L.sub.CC, and a nonlinear shape having a shape width, W. A support is operatively engaged with the base. A blade having a length, L.sub.B, is disposed on the support so as to cooperate in interacting relationship with the counter component. The blade has a plurality of teeth. A web material is perforated as it passes between the base and the support and the blade cooperates with the counter component. A driving means is associated with one of the support and the base to reciprocally shift the one of the support or the base for a distance, D, in a shifting direction. The distance, D, is at least the translational distance that one tooth travels to cover the shape width, W.

Cutting head for a centrifugal cutting apparatus, comprising cutting stations, each of which has a cutting element at a leading end and an inner wall extending from the leading end to a trailing end and forming a product sliding surface. The cutting stations are assembled adjacent one another with a gap between each pair of adjacent cutting stations, a rake-off angle .sub.R being defined as the angle that a product slice deviates upon being cut by one of the cutting elements and exiting the cutting head through the respective gap, said angle being measured relative to a tangent line to the product sliding surface at the trailing end of the respective preceding cutting element. A rear part of the product sliding surface at the trailing end is adapted such that the rake-off angle .sub.R is below 17.

A cutting mechanism for a composite material lay-up head comprises a plurality of blades, each blade having a variable width, and a drive mechanism to drive the blades along an axial direction to cut a respective tow of composite material. The blades are rotatable about the axial direction between a first angular position, wherein the blades sever the respective tow along a first cutting direction transversal to a longitudinal direction of the respective tow, and a second angular position, wherein the blades sever the respective tow along a second cutting direction rotated by a rotation angle to the first cutting direction.

A cutting machine head and a cutting machine are provided in the present invention. The cutting machine head includes a fixing plate, a cutter holder, a cutting component, a machine head lifting mechanism and a machine head rotating mechanism. The cutter holder is mounted on the fixing plate. The machine head lifting mechanism is connected to the cutter holder, and is used to drive the cutter holder to move up and down on the fixing plate. The cutting component includes at least two cutter head assemblies mounted on the cutter holder. The machine head rotating mechanism is connected to the cutter head assemblies for driving the cutter head assemblies to rotate. The rotating angle of each cutter head assembly of the cutting machine head can be controlled. The machine head rotating mechanism controls the cutter head assembly to rotate when the machine head is cutting, and the resulting cutting line has no flaws, which can ensure the integrity of the cutting pattern.