Method of forming a gang cutting tool assembly and tool formed thereby

Claim 1

Mechanism for forming product sheets of rigid material having a pattern of holes uniformly formed therein comprising in combination: (a) a pattern sheet containing an entire pattern of locations for holes to be formed in said sheets, (b) a plurality of plug-like members having a diameter at least equal to the diameter of powered tool heads to be used to form said holes in gang multiple head manner in said product sheets and provided with a central sharp projection on one end thereof adapted to be positioned on selected locations of holes of said pattern sheet without interference between any of the members for at least pricking said pattern sheet at selected hole locations on said sheet to form sets of partial patterns of holes, a series of sets of partial patterns of holes comprising the entire pattern thereof on said pattern sheet, (c) a perforated tape for a numerically controlled drilling machine on which the locations of said sets of partial patterns of holes are digitized for use in a numerically controlled drilling machine, and operable to drill respectively on a set of rigid support plates partial patterns of attachment holes, (d) a plurality of powered tool heads of uniform diameter, (e) means to connect said tool heads to said patterns of attachment holes in said support plates to form a set of patterned gangs of tool heads on said plates, (f) base plates to support one or more product sheets of material, (g) a series of reciprocable machine heads respectively adapted to support and reciprocate said series of patterned gangs of tool heads, and (h) means to move said base plates with product sheets thereon sequentially beneath said machine heads to have partial patterns of holes machined therein ultimately to form complete patterns of holes in said product sheets.