METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OF FLEXIBLE FOAM

摘要

An apparatus and process for the continuous cutting of a generally cylindrical rod from soft flexible polymeric foam slabs is disclosed. The apparatus includes a drive for moving a length of the foam slab along a predetermined path, a guide for restricting the movement of such foam slab to movement along said predetermined path, at least one rotary cutter having an open bore with the axis thereof generally along said predetermined path and in a position to continuously cut a rod from the thickness of such foam slab as it is moved past said cutter, a drive for rotating said at least one rotary cutter at a speed sufficient to cut such foam slab effectively as such foam is moved along said path, and an arrangement for positively withdrawing a cut rod from the cutter bore, the guide engages the foam slab adjacent the cutters and forces the slab to move past the cutters and in so doing the cutter slits the slab to allow such cut rod to continue along such path and allow the foam slab other than such rod to diverge from the path away from the at least one cutter. The apparatus and process allow convenient cutting of joint backer rods from soft flexible polymeric foam slabs (open celled).