| 摘要 |
<p>A cutter (22) whose active part consists of a tapered tip (25) in a hard material is adjustable by means of a screw (24) inside a cutter holder (15, 17) so that its tip extends beyond this cutter holder (15, 17) by a chosen amount. The cutter holder (15, 17) is mounted removably in the body (1, 2) of the apparatus and a gripper (6, 7) makes it possible to release the cutter holder in order to adjust the cutter (22, 25) and in order to simultaneously immobilise relative to the body (1, 2) of the apparatus the cutter (22, 25) in the cutter holder (15, 17), and the latter in the gripper (6, 7). The tip (25) of the cutter is embedded in the sheet (27) to be cut until the end (26) of the cutter holder (15, 17) is in contact with this sheet. The body of the apparatus (1, 2) is fixed to the movable member (30) of a plotter controlled by a programme, instead and in place of the pen of this plotter. The movement imparted to the tip of the cutter (25) by the plotter produces, in the sheet to be cut, a groove whose shape is that of the design to be produced. The useful parts of the sheet are separated by tearing along the groove. The plotter may be controlled by a programmable desk-top computer. Designs may thus be produced automatically, using equipment which is inexpensive and generally available in laboratories, by virtue of the cutter which, due to its shape of revolution, makes it possible to execute any cutting shapes. <IMAGE></p> |
