Machine for cutting portions from blanks of sheet material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR MAINTAINING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT SPACED PERIPHERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN A ROTARY CUTTER SUPPORTED FROM ONE SIDE OF A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR MACHINE FRAME AND A CO-OPERATING HARD SURFACED ANVIL ROLLER SUPPORTED FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE RECTANGULAR FRAME OF A MACHINE FOR CUTTING SHEET MATERIAL PASSING THEREBETWEEN COMPRISING, MEANS FOR HEATING THE SUPPORTS OF SAID ROTARY CUTTER AND SAID ANVIL ROLLER TO A PRE-ESTABLISHED SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT TEMPERATURE IN EXCESS OF THE NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF SAID MACHINE, MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PERIPHERAL SPACING BETWEEN THE CO-OPERATING CUTTER AND ANVIL ROLLER OF THE MACHINE AT THE PRE-ESTABLISHED ELEVATED TEMPERATURE, MEANS FOR SENSING THE HEAT RISE IN SAID MACHINE ADJACENT SAID CUTTER AND ROLLER DUE TO THE OPERATION THEREOF, MEANS FOR SENSING THE TEMPERATURE IN THE SIDES OF THE RECTANGULAR MACHINE FRAME TRANSVERSE TO THE AXIS OF ROTATION OF SAID CUTTER AND ANVIL, AND MEANS FOR VARYING THE AMOUNT OF HEAT SUPPLIED BY SAID HEATING MEANS TO MAINTAIN A CONSTANT PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN SAID FRAME AND CUTTER AND ANVIL SUPPORTING MEANS, SO THAT THE ADJUSTED SPACED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ROTARY CUTTER AND ANVIL ROLLER OF SAID MACHINE IS MAINTAINED CONSTANT IRRESPECTIVE OF ITS OPERATING SPEED OR CONDITIONS.