METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY CUTTING TO LENGTH VARIABLE TOOTH PITCH BAND SAW BLADES FROM BULK REEL

摘要

A method of automatically cutting a variable tooth pitch band saw blade from a bulk reel (40) of blade material (14) is achieved by using a cut to length machine (8). Blade material (14) from the bulk reel (40) is pulled on to a bed (42) of the machine (8). The blade material (14) is placed between rollers (50), which are powered and one of which is a metered roller (44) actuable to dispense a desired amount of the blade material. The cut to length machine (8) includes a cutting section (18) and an optical sensor (24), both connected to and controlled by a computer (46). The cutting section (18) comprises suitable cutting means, such as a mechanical cutter or laser cutter.