| Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereofUSPTO Application #: 20070293131Title: Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible abrasive product, to such an abrasive product as well as to an apparatus for manufacturing the same. Hereby, the abrasive product is formed to be of the shape of a substantially regular polygon by die cutting it off a material strip. In the present case, the abrasive product has obtained a polygonal shape in which adjacent sides have a reciprocal interior angle of substantially 120 to 150°, whereby the die cutting is carried out in such a way that it coincides at least partly with the die cutting of several adjacent abrasive products. In this way, the die cutting can provide a partially continuous cutting line on the periphery of each individual abrasive product, which cutting line has a significant part of its length in common with the adjacent abrasive products. (end of abstract) Agent: Altera Law Group, LLC - Minneapolis, MN, US Inventor: Goran Johannes Hoglund USPTO Applicaton #: 20070293131 - Class: 451533000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Abrading, Flexible-member Tool, Per Se, Laminate The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070293131. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND [0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a flexible abrasive product of the kind presented in the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a flexible abrasive product of the kind presented in the preamble of claim 11, as well as to an apparatus of the kind presented in the preamble of claim 16, intended for manufacturing such a flexible abrasive product. [0002] In particular, the invention relates to what is called flexible abrasive and polishing discs used in rotating and oscillating work stages. PRIOR ART [0003] In die cutting various abrasive products, for example discs, a narrow material bridge is normally left over which binds together the waste material remaining between the die cut abrasive products. Thanks to such a material bridge, the waste material forms a continuous web that is easier to gather and remove from the die-cutting tool. On the other hand, such material bridges also bring about extra waste and affect thus not only the output of the material strip but also the handling of the waste material. The significant amount of waste material also has a negative effect on the price of the abrasive product, and the costs of the waste material handling rise [0004] There have been attempts to decrease this waste material by placing the abrasive products to be die cut adjacent to each other to save material. It has, however, turned out that when attempting to cause two adjacent blades of a die-cutting tool to touch each other, or at least to reduce the material bridge between the abrasive products to a minimal string, the material strip will be wedged in between the blades of the die-cutting tool in the area where the blades are adjacent to each other. The blades must have a given thickness and their cutting edge has been shaped conical in the sharpening, due to which there is no inclination either on the abrasive product side or on the waste material side of the blade. [0005] Die cutting flexible abrasive material is also difficult to carry out in a purely technical sense. There are several different reasons for this. First and foremost, the abrasive grains in the material strip quickly wear the die-cutting tool used for the work and make them blunt. The work requires thus continuous supervision and maintenance of the die-cutting tools. [0006] Secondly, the backside of the material strip usually has a fastening layer of some kind. The fastening layer comprises either self-adhesive glue, velour cloth with loops, attached with glue, or loops of fiber integrated into the base material of the material strip. In the die cutting carried out to detach the abrasive product from the material strip, the loops, the self-adhesive glue as well as the protective film applied against the self-adhesive glue make the die cutting more difficult, because the remainders of the die cutting stick to the fastening layer and the material strip tends to stick to the die-cutting tool. Furthermore, it is very difficult to succeed in cutting off all tough fibers which the loops in the velour cloth is formed of or which the fibers integrated into the material strip generate, particularly because the die-cutting tools get blunt quickly due to the abrasive grains. [0007] It is also difficult to place abrasive products close to each other, because it is purely generally difficult to obtain a pure cut in die cutting if another cuffing line is touched with far too small an angle. Herein lies a risk that the material strip will bend and the completion of the die cutting will be prevented. [0008] Die cutting of the abrasive material is further made more difficult by the fact that the abrasive material must often also be provided with dust extraction openings, die cut on the surface of the abrasive material and divided more or less regularly thereto. There are often several dust extract openings, and they have a relatively small diameter. These dust extract openings are obtained with particular capsular punching means, i.e. what are called tube punchers, or by a type of cutting where a piston-shaped die-cutting means cooperates with an opening in the opposite cutting plate. Since the intention is to have clearance Inside the die-cutting means that cuts the dust extract opening, the tube puncher is structurally made substantially conical, whereby the abrasive product to be die cut tends get stuck to the surface of the die-cutting means because it is simultaneously cut loose from its place in the continuous material strip. DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM [0009] With the present invention, the problems of known solutions can be substantially avoided. By applying the invention, waste material can be significantly decreased in manufacturing flexible abrasive products, at the same time as reliable die cutting with minimal defects is achieved. [0010] This object is achieved in accordance with the invention by giving the method for manufacturing a flexible abrasive product the characterizing features of the characterizing part of claim 1. The flexible abrasive product is given the characterizing features of the characterizing part of claim 11, while the apparatus for manufacturing of such a flexible abrasive product is given the characterizing features of the characterizing part of claim 16. [0011] The corresponding dependent claims that follow present suitable further embodiments and variations of the invention that further improve the functioning of the invention. [0012] The invention is based on the idea that the amount of waste material can be reduced by deviating from the conventional circular shape of abrasive products used in rotating work stages, and by making the abrasive product polygonal instead, for example hexagonal, octagonal or dodecagonal. The greater the diameter of the abrasive product, the more corners may preferably be given to the product. [0013] Thanks to the polygonal shaping, adjacent abrasive products can have common cuffing lines. [0014] In the present invention, the "blade" refers to the working part of a cutting means, performing the cutting work. This blade provides hereby a "cutting line" in the material strip. [0015] With the present invention, several significant advantages over the prior art are achieved. Hence, it is possible to reduce not only the amount of waste material but also the total length of the required cutting line by enabling the adjacent abrasive products to have common cutting lines. [0016] This can be illustrated with a dodecagon. When placing abrasive products shaped as dodecagons in such a way that they abut on each other, they have half of the 12 sides in common with one of the adjacent dodecagons. This means that the total cutting line is reduced by 25%. [0017] By deviating from the circular cutting line and replacing it with a broken line it is possible, at the same time, to increase the angle at the points where the cutting lines touch each other and to ensure clean cuts in the die cutting. In this way, bending of the material strip edge in the completion of the die cutting is avoided. In the die cutting of for example the above-mentioned dodecagons placed adjacent to each other, the intersection angle between the blades, where thy touch each other, is either 30 or 60 degrees, which is enough to obtain a clean cut as far as to the touching point of the out. [0018] The die cutting of abrasive products can be simply improved further by dividing the die cutting process into two or more steps succeeding each other. [0019] If the simpler angular geometry of the abrasive product is hereby combined with cuffing at the first die-cutting stage both possible dust extract openings in the abrasive product and principally those edges that are directed more in the feed direction of the material strip, the sticking of the abrasive product to the tube punchers is prevented, because the abrasive product still remains attached to the material strip. At the following die-cutting stage or feed position, the remaining continuous material bridges are cut off, whereby the abrasive product is cut out and detached. In practice, the whole material strip ceases to exist because the abrasive products have a large number of common edges, and the minimal geometric waste there is between, for example, dodecagonal abrasive products turn into separate loose pieces that can be sucked away with underpressure or that can drop into a collecting container where they are brought about. [0020] The die-cutting tool does not need to be formed as a single piece either but can easily be divided into two or more parts because of the simple geometric shape. The geometric structure of the die-cutting tool is very simple and may preferably comprise straight blade parts and possible tube punchers or other punching tools. [0021] Handling the finished abrasive products and possible waste material also gets simpler in die cutting with several parts. Thus, in the completion stage of the die cutting, the abrasive product can be gripped with a receiving apparatus before the abrasive product is completely detached from the material strip. Subsequently, the abrasive disc fixed to the receiving apparatus is cut off the material strip, so that it can be immediately after this transported to further treatment or other handling. Continue reading... Full patent description for Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Wearable abrasive surfaces for dry applications Next Patent Application: Method and an apparatus for automatic bone removal Industry Class: Abrading ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Die-cutting method, flexible abrasive product and apparatus for manufacturing thereof patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 3.57129 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , |
||
