System for cutting a strip of elastomeric material such as a tire tread

摘要

An electrically heated knife blade is mounted on a carriage for moving the blade across a strip of elastomeric material. The carriage is propelled by a constant force provided by a pneumatic cylinder in communication with a source of constant air pressure so that the cutting speed is automatically increased at sections of strip material which are relatively thin and the cutting speed is automatically decreased at sections of strip material which are relatively thick. Sensors for determining the position of the relatively thick sections may be connected to the source of electricity for heating the knife blade to increase the voltage while cutting the relatively thick sections and thereby provide for a substantially constant cutting speed across the strip of elastomeric material. A tire tread is bent at the location the knife blade is moved across the tread to provide matching cut ends for splicing on a tire building drum.