Vacuum die cutting apparatus for foam backed materials

Claim 2

In a method of cutting compressible materials with a stationary steel rule cutting die wherein one or more layers of the materials are placed over the sharpened edge of a steel rule cutting die, the layers and die are covered with an air-impervious cover sheet and a backing pad, the volume covered by the cover sheet is evacuated, and the layers are pressed on to the die to cut the layers against the backing pad, the improvement wherein: (A) said pressing step is performed in a stationary press; (B) said evacuating step is performed by the use of a vacuum hose attached to the die prior to movement of the die and layers into the press; (C) the vacuum hose is removed from the die prior to completion of the movement of the die and layers through the press; and (D) means are provided to maintain the vacuum condition upon removal of the vacuum hose so that the movement of the die and layers through the press may be completed with the vacuum condition intact but with the vacuum hose removed.

Claim 5

A steel rule die assembly for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of the steel rule, said die assembly comprising: (A) a die carrier defining a support surface; (B) a steel rule die including (1) a base member adapted to be removably positioned on said support surface of said die carrier and (2) an upstanding steel rule fixed to said base member at its lower edge and having an exposed sharpened upper edge defining the fixed cutting pattern; (C) air impervious cover means covering said die and said die carrier and any stacked layers of compressible material overlying siad upper rule edge and coacting with said die carrier to define a vacuum chamber delimited above by said cover means and below and laterally by said die carrier; and (D) means carried by said die carrier operative to exhaust air laterally outwardly from said vacuum chamber to compress and reduce the thickness of said stacked layers prior to cutting said layers with said rule.

Claim 6

A steel rule die assembly for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of the steel rule, said die assembly comprising: (A) a die carrier defining a support surface; (B) a steel rule die including (1) a base member adapted to be removably positioned on said support surface of said die carrier and (2) an upstanding steel rule fixed to said base member at its lower edge and having an exposed sharpened upper edge defining the fixed cutting pattern; (C) air impervious cover means covering said die and said die carrier and any stacked layers of compressible material overlying siad upper rule edge and coacting with said die carrier to define a vacuum chamber delimited above by said cover means and below and laterally by said die carrier; and (D) means carried by said die carrier operative to exhaust air laterally outwardly from said vacuum chamber to compress and reduce the thickness of said stacked layers prior to cutting said layers with said rule.

Claim 7

A steel rule die assembly according to claim 3 and further including: (E) a board placed over said stacked layers and under said cover means and operative to preclude horizontal compression of said stacked layers as said stacked layers undergo vertical compression in response to evacuation of said chamber.

Claim 8

A die assembly according to claim 3 wherein: (E) said die carrier further defines a continuous peripheral vacuum surface; and (F) said die assembly further includes means defining a continuous vacuum surface generally conforming in size and shape to said die carrier vacuum surface and adapted to be intimately juxtaposed to said carrier vacuum surface with said base removably positioned on said carrier support surface.

Claim 9

A die assembly according to claim 5 wherein: (G) said die assembly further includes open cell compressible members supported on said base member adjacent said rule for supporting the stacked material layers substantially on said sharpened upper edge; and (H) said die assembly vacuum surface is defined along a peripheral edge portion of said open cell compressible members.

Claim 10

A die assembly according to claim 6 wherein: (I) said die carrier includes; (1) a base plate defining said support surface at its upper face and (2) a fence member extending along and upstanding from at least one edge of said base plate and defining said die carrier vacuum surface at its inboard surface.

Claim 11

A die assembly according to claim 7 wherein: (J) said fence member comprises an imperforate fence portion upstanding from and extending along said at least one edge of said base plate and a perforate portion positioned along and inboard of said imperforate fence portion and spaced inboard from said imperforate fence portion to define with said imperforate fence portion a vacuum channel; (K) said vacuum surface on the peripheral edge portion of said compressible members is sized and configured to fit snugly against and along the inboard face of said perforate portion with said die positioned on said base plate; and (I) said exhaust means includes port means extending through said imperforate fence portion to communicate said vacuum channel with vacuum pump means.

Claim 12

A die assembly according to claim 8 wherein: (M) said base plate is generally rectangular; and (N) said fence portion extends around and along at least two adjacent peripheral edges of said base plate to define a continuous vacuum chamber along said adjacent peripheral edges; and (O) said compressible members define two adjacent vacuum surfaces along adjacent peripheral edge surfaces of said compressible members adapted to fit snuggly against the respective perforate portions of said fence member.

Claim 13

A die assembly according to claim 8 wherein: (M) said fence member comprises a tubular structure of rectangular cross section; (N) said perforate portion of said fence member is constituted by the inner wall of said tubular structure; and (O) said imperforate portion of said fence member is constituted by the outer wall of said tubular structure.

Claim 14

A die assembly, according to claim 10 wherein: (P) said base plate is rectangular with long side edges and short end edges; (Q) said tubular members extends in a closed loop around all four edges of said base plate; (R) said die assembly further included a conduit communicating at one end with an opening in the imperforate outer wall of said tubular structure along an end edge of said base plate and adapted for connection at its other end with a vacuum hose.

Claim 15

A die assembly according to claim 11 wherein said die assembly further includes: (S) a check valve in said conduit arranged to close in response to disconnection of the vacuum hose from said conduit to maintain the vacuum condition is said vacuum chamber.

Claim 16

A steel rule die assembly for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of the steel rule, said die assembly comprising: (A) a die carrier having side walls and a bottom wall defining an open top die chamber; (B) a steel rule die including (1) a base member adapted to be removably positioned on said bottom wall and having a size and shape to fit snuggly in said die chamber, (2) a steel rule fixedly upstanding from said base member in spaced relation to said die carrier side walls and having an exposed sharpened upper edge defining the fixed cutting pattern, and (3) open cell compressible material interposed between said steel rule and said die carrier side walls; (C) air-impervious cover means for covering said die carrier and said die and any layers of compressible material overlying said sharpened upper cutting edge to define a vacuum chamber; and (D) means associated with said die carrier, including means creating a vacuum condition along said die carrier side walls, operative to suck air out of said stacked layers of compressible materials and downwardly outwardly through said side walls to compress and reduced the thickness of said stacked layers to facilitate the cutting operation.

Claim 17

A steel rule die assembly for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of the steel rule, said die assembly comprising: (A) a die carrier having side walls and a bottom wall defining an open top die chamber; (B) a steel rule die including (1) a base member adapted to be removably positioned on said bottom wall and having a size and shape to fit snuggly in said die chamber, (2) a steel rule fixedly upstanding from said base member in spaced relation to said die carrier side walls and having an exposed sharpened upper edge defining the fixed cutting pattern, and (3) open cell compressible material interposed between said steel rule and said die carrier side walls; (C) air-impervious cover means for covering said die carrier and said die and any layers of compressible material overlying said sharpened upper cutting edge to define a vacuum chamber; and (D) means associated with said die carrier, including means creating a vacuum condition along said die carrier side walls, operative to suck air out of said stacked layers of compressible materials and downwardly outwardly through said side walls to compress and reduced the thickness of said stacked layers to facilitate the cutting operation.

Claim 18

A steel rule assembly according to claim 13 wherein: (E) said vacuum condition creating means comprises (1) perforated elongated members positioned respectively along and inboard of said die carrier side walls to form a continuous vacuum channel along said side walls, and (2) means communicating said channel with vacuum pump means.

Claim 19

A steel rule assembly according to claim 13 and further including: (E) a rigid board having a horizontal extent at least as great as the horizontal extent of said stacked layers, placed over said stacked layers and under said cover means and operative to preclude horizontal compression of said stacked layers as said stacked layers are vertically compressed in response to evacuation of said chamber.

Claim 20

A stationary steel rule die apparatus for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of said rule comprising: (A) a base; (B) a steel rule having an exposed sharpened edge and being fixed to the base for defining the fixed cutting pattern; (C) air-impervious cover means for covering said base and any layers of compressible material overlying said edge to define a vacuum chamber; (D) means for evacuating said vacuum chamber to compress and reduce the thickness of said stacked layers before cutting same with said rule and including conduit means in communication at one end thereof with said vacuum chamber and adapted to be connected at the other end thereof to a source of vacuum; and (E) means operative in response to disconnection of said conduit means from said source of vacuum to maintain the vacuum condition in said chamber.

Claim 21

A stationary steel rule die apparatus for cutting a fixed pattern in each of a plurality of stacked compressible material layers according to the shape of said rule comprising: (A) a base; (B) a steel rule having an exposed sharpened edge and being fixed to the base for defining the fixed cutting pattern; (C) air-impervious cover means for covering said base and any layers of compressible material overlying said edge to define a vacuum chamber; (D) means for evacuating said vacuum chamber to compress and reduce the thickness of said stacked layers before cutting same with said rule and including conduit means in communication at one end thereof with said vacuum chamber and adapted to be connected at the other end thereof to a source of vacuum; and (E) means operative in response to disconnection of said conduit means from said source of vacuum to maintain the vacuum condition in said chamber.

Claim 22

A steel rule die according to claim 16 wherein: (G) said operative means comprises a check valve in said conduit means.

Claim 23

A steel rule die according to claim 17 wherein: (H) said other end of said conduit means is connected to said source of vacuum by a vacuum hose extending between the vacuum source and said other end of said conduit means; and (I) said check valve is arranged to close in response to disconnection of said vacuum hose from the other end of said conduit means to maintain the vacuum condition in said vacuum chamber.

Claim 24

A steel rule assembly according to claim 16 wherein: (J) said vacuum condition maintaining means includes; (1) a conduit communicating at one end with said volume and adapted to be connected at its other end with a vacuum hose, and (2) a check valve in said conduit operative upon removal of the vacuum hose to maintain said vacuum condition.