Chain-type cutting assembly

Abstract

An assembly for cutting foam, nonwoven, rubber, and composite products has a guide having a longitudinally extending guide edge formed with a longitudinally extending and outwardly open groove. A longitudinally extending row of cutting elements extends along the guide edge, and element each has an entrainment dog projecting inward into the groove, a support riding on the guide edge and having sides each formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced and outwardly open recesses, a base outward of the support, and a wedge-section cutting tooth forming a cutting edge outside the base and having a pair of longitudinally extending flanks converging at the cutting edge. Coupling links extend between and have ends set in the recesses of adjacent cutting elements. Pivot pins extend through the ends of the links and through the supports at the bases. The base is of a maximum width greater than a width of the assembly at the pins.

Claims

1. An assembly for cutting foam, nonwoven, rubber, and composite products, the assembly comprising: a guide having a longitudinally extending and straight guide edge formed with a longitudinally extending and outwardly open groove; a longitudinally extending row of cutting elements extending along the guide edge and each having an entrainment dog projecting inward into the groove, a support riding on the guide edge and having sides each formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced and outwardly open recesses, a base outward of the support, and a wedge-section cutting tooth forming a cutting edge outside the base and having a pair of longitudinally extending side flanks converging at the cutting edge, the cutting edges of the cutting elements all being longitudinally aligned along the guide edge and parallel to the guide edge; coupling links extending between and having ends set in the recesses of adjacent cutting elements; and pivot pins extending through the ends of the links and through the supports, the base being of a maximum width measured transverse to the guide edge greater than a length of the pins.

2. The cutting assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the side flanks are each formed by a planar outer face remote from the respective base and a planar inner face close to the base and longitudinally contiguous with the respective outer face.

3. The cutting assembly defined in claim 2, wherein the planar outer faces of each cutting element form a smaller acute angle with each other than the respective planar inner faces.

4. The cutting assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the teeth of the cutting elements abut one another along a longitudinal axis and the straight guide edge.

5. The cutting assembly defined in claim 4, wherein each of the teeth has leading and trailing end faces that longitudinally abut trailing and leading end faces of adjacent teeth.

6. The cutting assembly defined in claim 5, wherein the end faces are planar and extend perpendicular to the guide edge.

7. The cutting assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the cutting edges are straight and parallel to the guide edge.

8. An assembly for cutting foam, nonwoven, rubber, and composite products, the assembly comprising: a guide having a longitudinally extending and straight guide edge formed with a longitudinally extending and outwardly open groove; a longitudinally extending row of cutting elements extending along the guide edge and each having an entrainment dog projecting inward into the groove, a support riding on the guide edge and having sides each formed with a pair of longitudinally spaced and outwardly open recesses, a base outward of the support, and a wedge-section cutting tooth forming a cutting edge outside the base and having a pair of longitudinally extending side flanks converging at the cutting edge and longitudinally oppositely directed end faces extending substantially perpendicular to the guide edge, the cutting edges of the cutting elements all being longitudinally aligned along the guide edge and parallel to the guide edge, the teeth being of such a length that the end faces of adjacent cutting elements longitudinally directly abut one another along the guide edge; coupling links extending between and having ends set in the recesses of adjacent cutting elements; and pivot pins extending through the ends of the links and through the supports, the base being of a maximum width measured transverse to the guide edge greater than a length of the pins.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

(1) The above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cutting element for a cutting assembly according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of part of a cutting apparatus having a chain of cutting elements as shown in FIG. 1; and

(4) FIG. 3 is an end view of a cutting assembly as shown by arrow III in FIG. 2.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(5) As seen in FIG. 1, a cutting element 1 or link has a tooth 2 extending outward from a base 3 of the cutting element 1. A support 4 inward of the base has laterally open recesses 5 formed with respective holes 6, as well as a pusher dog 7 as a drive and guide component projecting in ward from the tooth base 3. The edge form of the cutting edge of the cutting tooth 2 can be flat, serrated, toothed, or with offset toothing as a function of requirements or specifications.

(6) FIG. 2 shows how a cutting apparatus 8 has a cutting chain 9 formed by a plurality of the cutting elements 1, of which only three are shown by way of example.

(7) The cutting elements 1 are held and guided in a groove 11 of an elongated metal blade, saw bar, or guide rail 10. The cutting elements 1 are articulated at both ends on 8-shaped links 12 and connecting pins or rivets 13 that pass through the holes 6. The cutting elements 1 are in a row with no gaps so as to produce an effective slicing action. In fact the cutting elements 1 have planar leading and trailing end faces 1a that abut flatly as shown in FIG. 2 when they run along the straight guide edge of the bar 10.

(8) The cutting chain 9 is guide around an unillustrated rounded end of the rail 10 like a saw chain of a chain saw. Chain saws of this type including corresponding chain guides are well-known and are used primarily for cutting wood. On the straight edges of the rail 10 the end faces 1a of the teeth 2 and bases 2 abut each other longitudinally with no gap, forming a single continuous cutting edge 2a aimed more at slicing the workpiece than cutting it with chip or material removal.

(9) The end view of FIG. 3 shows that the teeth 2 are of wedge section with opposite planar faces 2b forming a small acute angle with each other and meeting at the straight outer cutting edge 2a. The base 3 also has planar outer faces 3a that form a somewhat larger angle of less than 90° and that extend inward (downward in the figures) from inner edges of the faces 2b of the respective tooth 1. Thus the outer faces 2b, 3a of the cutting assembly 1 is stepped but of uniform sectional shape along its full length (perpendicular to view of FIG. 3), although they can also be formed without steps or as a single step.

(10) The recesses 5 receiving the rounded ends of the connecting links 12 are formed on each lateral side of each cutting element 1 and are of such a depth that the bases 3 have a maximum width W generally equal to the width w of the respective connecting links 12 and rivets 13, thereby producing the narrowest design possible. This yields the smoothest possible overall lateral surface for the cutting chain 9, thereby also avoiding detrimental edges.

(11) The invention thus relates to cutting assembly 8 comprising the cutting chain 9 formed by a row of cutting elements 1, and the geometry of the cutting edges is designed for cutting foam, nonwoven, rubber, and composite products. The row of cutting elements 1 can be implemented with and without gaps between cutting elements 1. The number and distribution of connecting links 12 and cutting elements 1 are arranged to match the optimum cutting result.

(12) The cross-sectional shape of the cutting elements 1 has a single step or multiple steps. The base width W corresponds to the overall chain width w including chain guide. This approach prevents the cutting surfaces from being damaged, while the removed material is moved around the cutting chain and the guide thereof without detrimental edges.

(13) The functional difference between cutting chain and saw chain is essentially that material is cut with no removal or only a small removal of material.