Card-Cutting Apparatus Slitter Head Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional automatic card-cutting apparatuses are cumbersome and difficult to accurately position slitter heads for cutting longitudinal middle waste portions, leading to inefficiencies and inaccuracies in cutting card dimensions.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus features position-adjustable slitter heads with elastic pushing members and rotational force transmission shafts, allowing for precise cutting of longitudinal middle waste portions into belt shapes, reducing the number of slitter heads and apparatus length, and utilizing timing belts for accurate paper transfer and cutting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If multiple slitter heads are provided to cut longitudinal middle waste portions, then the cutting function is improved, but the apparatus becomes long and large in the transferring direction

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting accuracyVSAvoidapparatus length
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLength of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple cutting functions (side edge cutting and longitudinal middle waste portion cutting) into a single slitter head assembly. The first and second lower piece blades are mounted on the same slitter head, allowing both cutting operations to be performed at one location rather than requiring separate heads positioned at different locations along the transferring direction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent repositions the cutting function from the transferring direction (X-axis) to the lateral direction (Y-axis) by mounting multiple piece blades on a single slitter head. This dimensional shift allows the apparatus to maintain compact length in the transferring direction while achieving multiple cutting functions through lateral arrangement of blades.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Manufacturing precision

If slitter heads are positioned with high accuracy in lateral direction, then cutting precision is improved, but positioning difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecutting precisionVSAvoidpositioning difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The slitter head is designed as a universal assembly that performs multiple cutting functions (side edge cutting and longitudinal middle waste portion cutting) through its multiple lower piece blades. This multi-functional design reduces the need for multiple separate positioning systems, thereby simplifying positioning while maintaining precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an elastic pushing member as an intermediary mechanism between the slitter head positioning system and the piece blades. This elastic member automatically adjusts and maintains the precise positioning of the piece blades, reducing the complexity of direct positioning while ensuring cutting precision through its self-adjusting elastic force.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2620401B1Automatic card-cutting apparatus
Publication Date: 2016.01.27 SAKURA SEIKI
  • EP2620401B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2620401B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2620401B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An automatic card-cutting apparatus provided with plural transfer rollers (5) to transfer paper (90), plural slitter heads (1) to cut the paper (90) in a transferring direction (X), and a lateral cutter portion (2) to cut the paper (90) in a lateral direction (Y) at right angles with the transferring direction (X) to conduct divisional cutting of the paper (90) into plural cards (C). Each of the plural slitter heads (1) is provided with a side head (1A) disposed as to be freely position-adjusted in the lateral direction to cut a side edge portion (91) of the paper (90) into belt shape, and a middle head (1B) having an upper blade (11) of disc and a pair of lower blades (12) each of which contacts each of left and right side edge portions (11d) of the upper blade (11), disposed as to be freely position-adjusted in the lateral direction to cut a longitudinal middle waste portion (92) of the paper (90) into belt shape.