Adjustable shuttle stop apparatus
First Claim
1. A material cutting apparatus comprising:
- a feed conveyor;
a machine tool adjacent to said feed conveyor;
a shuttle vise movably disposed on said feed conveyor, said shuttle vise being adapted for clamping a workpiece on said feed conveyor when in a clamping position and moving the workpiece to a cutting position adjacent to the machine tool; and
an adjustable stop on said feed conveyor for adjusting a distance between said stop and said shuttle vise and stopping said shuttle vise at said cutting position.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A adjustable shuttle stop apparatus for use in controlling feeding of material to a machining operation on a machine tool, such as a band saw. The apparatus comprises a feed conveyor, a band saw adjacent to the feed conveyor, a shuttle vise movably disposed on the feed conveyor, and an adjustable stop on the feed conveyor for adjusting a distance between the stop and the shuttle vise and for stopping the shuttle vise at the cutting position. The adjustable stop compensates for undesired movement of the shuttle vise caused by clamping the workpiece such that the distance between the stop and the shuttle vise remains substantially constant. This allows for a consistent cut length of the workpiece on subsequent cutting cycles. Different embodiments of the adjustable stop are disclosed along with a method of use of the apparatus.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A material cutting apparatus comprising:
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a feed conveyor;
a machine tool adjacent to said feed conveyor;
a shuttle vise movably disposed on said feed conveyor, said shuttle vise being adapted for clamping a workpiece on said feed conveyor when in a clamping position and moving the workpiece to a cutting position adjacent to the machine tool; and
an adjustable stop on said feed conveyor for adjusting a distance between said stop and said shuttle vise and stopping said shuttle vise at said cutting position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. On a machine of the type comprising a feed conveyor, a material cutting device adjacent to the feed conveyor, a shuttle vise longitudinally movably disposed on said feed conveyor and adapted for clamping a workpiece when in a clamping position and moving the workpiece to a cutting position under the material cutting device, the improvement comprising:
a stop disposed on said feed conveyor for limiting movement of said shuttle vise toward said material cutting device, the distance between said stop and said shuttle vise being adjustable in response to movement of said shuttle vise when clamping the workpiece. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A method of cutting a workpiece comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a cutting apparatus comprising a feed conveyor, a machine tool adjacent to said feed conveyor, a shuttle vise movably disposed on said feed conveyor and adapted for clamping the workpiece when in a clamping position and moving the workpiece to a cutting position adjacent to the machine tool, and a stop for stopping the shuttle vise at the cutting position;
(b) detecting movement of said shuttle vise resulting from clamping the workpiece; and
(c) adjusting said stop on said feed conveyor for compensating for said movement of said shuttle vise such that a distance between said shuttle vise and said stop remains substantially constant. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification