Page 121 - Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials
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108 Industrial Cutting of Textile Materials
Fig. 8.9 Small round-knife cutting machine.
Fig. 8.10 Battery-powered rotary shears, ‘Workerbee’ and ‘Workerbee Pelican’ by Eastman.
The machines may be mains or battery powered (see Fig. 8.10). Left-handed cutters
are also available.
8.5 The band-knife cutting machine
Band-knife machines provide the most accurate cutting and are therefore used in cut-
ting small components of complex shape. The fabric plies are guided against the cutting
device that is fixed and performs only a vertical movement down to the fabric. Because
the band knife moves in only down direction (see Fig. 8.11B), the friction between the
knife and material ensures the continuous compression of fabric plies throughout the
process. Band-knife machines may be used to cut fabric spreads up to 300 mm high.
The band-knife cutting machine has the following main parts: (1) bodywork, (2) band
knife, (3) motor, (4) work surface, and (5) knife sharpener (see Fig. 8.11).
8.5.1 The band knife
A band-knife blade forms a continuously moving circle during the cutting process.
It is narrower than the blade of a straight knife; therefore, it provides a higher degree
of accuracy. The band knife is characterized by its length, width, and thickness (e.g.
3860 × 10 × 0.45 mm):
