Fiber cutting mechanism

摘要

A cutting mechanism for cutting fibers entrained within a viscous flow is herein disclosed. The present invention is typically part of a system for preparing fiber reinforced molding materials that comprises a viscous entrainment compounding device for compounding a continuous strand of reinforcing fiber with a molding material in a predetermined ratio. The entrained fibers are conveyed to the cutting mechanism which cuts the continuous strand of reinforcing fibers into predetermined lengths and conveys the fiber reinforced molding material to an output device. The cutting mechanism itself comprises a housing having a bore with an inlet and an outlet and a bed knife disposed therein. The bed knife has an inlet channel formed therethrough that is aligned with the gullets of a rotating cutter such that the gullets of the rotating cutter are rotated past the inlet channel of the bed knife in substantial alignment therewith. Fibers entrained within the molding material flow into the gullets of the rotating cutter and are cut to a predetermined length and then conveyed to an output device.