SERVO DRIVEN WATERCUTTER

摘要

An apparatus for cutting a moving substrate (22) includes a cutter nozzle (24) connected to a movable support (26). A supplying mechanism provides a cutting fluid to the cutter nozzle (24) at a pressure which provides for a fluid flow rate from the cutter nozzle (24) which is sufficient to cut the substrate (22) in a selected cut pattern (32). A designating mechanism (72) identifies a plurality of selected article lengths (36) along the substrate (22), and a transporting mechanism (42) moves the substrate (22) at a predetermined speed along the machine direction (40) during the cutting of the substrate (22). An actuating servo (44) moves the cutter nozzle (24) along a selected cutting path (46), and a regulating mechanism (48) controls the actuating servo (44) by employing a selected, electronically stored data set (50). The data set (50) is configured to move the actuating servo (44) in a selected sequence, and the sequence has a predetermined correspondence with the movement of the substrate (22) to thereby direct the cutter nozzle (24) along the selected cutting path (46) and provide the selected cut pattern (32) on the substrate (22).