Fabric cutting apparatus

Claim 2

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric comprising a support frame, a carriage mounted on said support frame for reciprocal movement, power operated means connected to said carriage for reciprocating said carriage, a pair of laterally spaced cutter means journaled on said carriage for rotation thereon, drive means mounted on said carriage operatively connected to said cutter means for rotating each of said cutter means, a guide plate secured to the lower portion of said support frame over which fabric is moved, anvil means secured to said carriage for movement therewith, said anvil means guided for reciprocal movement on said guide plate, said anvil means having a linear cutting edge, and biasing means connected to each of said cutter means to bias a portion of the cutting edges of each of said cutter means into shearing contact with said linear cutting edge of said anvil means.

Claim 3

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein each of said cutter means are rotated in the same direction, and control means mounted on said support frame for selectively rotating said drive means clockwise and counterclockwise.

Claim 4

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said cutter means is adjustably mounted on said carriage for adjusting the acute angle said cutting means makes with said anvil means.

Claim 5

A bias Cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein each of said cutter means has a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting edges that are cooperative with said anvil means to perform a shearing action on the fabric, and the plane of said cutting edges of each cutter means makes an acute angle with said cutting edge of said anvil means.

Claim 6

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein at least one of the cutting edges of one of said cutter means has a portion thereof in cooperating contact with said linear cutting edge of said anvil at all times and making an acute angle therewith.

Claim 7

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein control means are connected to each of said cutter means for moving said cutters selectively in an axial direction away from said anvil means to maintain one or the other of said cutter means out of contact with said anvil.

Claim 8

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein clamp means are operatively connected to said support frame for clamping ply stock to be cut by said cutter means.

Claim 9

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric with wire strands therein comprising a support frame, a pair of spaced rollers mounted on said support frame, an endless conveyor belt trained over said rollers, said belt having an upper conveying run and a lower return run, said upper conveying run having a longitudinal center line lying in a vertical plane that is normal to the axis of rotation of said spaced rollers, said support frame having a pivot means for pivotal adjustment of said support frame, guideways mounted on said support frame, a carriage mounted on said guideways for reciprocal movement thereon, drive means connected to said carriage for reciprocating said carriage, a guide bar mounted on said support frame for pivotal movement therewith, said guide bar having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said guide bar tapering to a point from said trailing edge to said leading edge, anvil means guided for reciprocal movement on said guide bar, said anvil having a linear cutting edge, said anvil means connected to said carriage for movement therewith, said carriage having a pair of laterally spaced downwardly extending cutter support members, a shaft journaled in each of said cutter support members for rotation and limited axial linear movement in a direction generally parallel to said longitudinal center line, motor drive means connected to said shafts for rotating said shafts simultaneously clockwise or counterclockwise, one end of each of said shafts supporting cutter means, biasing means mounted on the other end of each of said shafts for biasing that portion of said cutter means adjacent to said trailing edge into contact with said trailing edge, first vertical and second vertical planes containing each of said cutter means respectively making acute angles with a third vertical plane that contains said linear cutting edge of said anvil, and said third plane is normal to said upper conveying run.

Claim 10

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric with wire strands therein comprising a support frame, a pair of spaced rollers mounted on said support frame, an endless conveyor belt trained over said rollers, said belt having an upper conveying run and a lower return run, said upper conveying run having a longitudinal center line lying in a vertical plane that is normal to the axis of rotation of said spaced rollers, said support frame having a pivot means for pivotal adjustment of said support frame, guideways mounted on said support frame, a carriage mounted on said guideways for reciprocal movement thereon, drive means connected to said carriage for reciprocating said carriage, a guide bar mounted on said support frame for pivotal movement therewith, said guide bar having a leading edge and a trailing edge, said guide bar tapering to a point from said trailing edge to said leading edge, anvil means guided for reciprocal movement on said guide bar, said anvil having a linear cutting edge, said anvil means connected to said carriage for movement therewith, said carriage having a pair of laterally spaced downwardly extending cutter support members, a shaft journaled in each of said cutter support members for rotation and limited axial linear movement in a direction generally parallel to said longitudinal center line, motor drive means connected to said shafts for rotating said shafts simultaneously clockwise or counterclockwise, one end of each of said shafts supporting cutter means, biasing means mounted on the other end of each of said shafts for biasing that portion of said cutter means adjacent to said trailing edge into contact with said trailing edge, first vertical and second vertical planes containing each of said cutter means respectively making acute angles with a third vertical plane that contains said linear cutting edge of said anvil, and said third plane is normal to said upper conveying run.

Claim 11

A bias cutting apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein each of said cutter means has a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting edges that are linear, and said biasing means maintains contact with at least one of said cutting edges of each of said cutter means.

Claim 12

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric comprising a support frame, mounting means for pivoting said support frame about a central pivot point for swinging said support frame to predetermined positions, guideway means mounted on said support frame, carriage means mounted on said guideway for reciprocal movement thereon, a pair of cutter supports mounted on said carriage for movement therewith, cutter means mounted on each of said cutter supports for rotation thereon, spring means operatively engaging each of said cutter means for biasing each of said cutter means toward said cutter supports, motive means connected to each of said cutter means for rotating said cutter means, a guide plate mounted on said support frame in alignment with said guideway, a pair of anvils mounted for reciprocation on said guide plate, means interconnecting said anvils and said carriage for simultaneous movement in the same linear direction, means mounted on said carriage for adjusting the cutter means relative to said anvils to adjust the angle that said cutter means makes with said anvils, and drive means operatively connected to said carriage for selectively reciprocating said carriage on said guideway while said cutter means are in cooperative shearing action with said anvils.

Claim 13

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric comprising a support frame, mounting means for pivoting said support frame about a central pivot point for swinging said support frame to predetermined positions, guideway means mounted on said support frame, carriage means mounted on said guideway for reciprocal movement thereon, a pair of cutter supports mounted on said carriage for movement therewith, cutter means mounted on each of said cutter supports for rotation thereon, spring means operatively engaging each of said cutter means for biasing each of said cutter means toward said cutter supports, motive means connected to each of said cutter means for rotating said cutter means, a guide plate mounted on said support frame in alignment with said guideway, a pair of anvils mounted for reciprocation on said guide plate, means interconnecting said anvils and said carriage for simultaneous movement in the same linear direction, means mounted on said carriage for adjusting the cutter means relative to said anvils to adjust the angle that said cutter means makes with said anvils, and drive means operatively connected to said carriage for selectively reciprocating said carriage on said guideway while said cutter means are in cooperative shearing action with said anvils.

Claim 14

A bias cutting apparatus for cutting rubberized fabric as set forth in claim 9 wherein said linear cutting edge of said anvil defines a first line, the cutting edges of each of said cutter means defines a pair of vertical inter-secting planes, and the included angle between each of said respective planes and said first line as based on a horizontal plane defines a pair of acute angles.