Cutting anvil and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9375857-B2
Application number	US-201313781725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2013
Priority date	Apr 22, 2004
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A cutting system includes a cutting assembly and an anvil. The cutting assembly includes an ultrasonic cutting tool having a stylus with a tip and an actuator to move the tip along a path. The path is oriented in a transverse manner relative to movement of a backed ply material. The anvil includes a rigid base for securing the anvil to the cutting assembly and a surface coinciding with the path. The system is configured to drive the tip into the surface and draw the tip along the path to generate a groove disposed upon the surface. The groove being in cooperative alignment with the tip.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a backed ply material comprising at least one ply and a backed ply, wherein the backed ply is relatively more flexible than the at least one ply;
a cutting assembly comprising an ultrasonic cutting tool including a stylus having an edge with a tip, the stylus being rotatable between a first orientation and a second orientation, and an actuator to move the stylus along a path, the path being oriented in a transverse manner relative to movement of the backed ply material; and
an anvil comprising a rigid base securing the anvil to the cutting assembly, and a deformable insert secured to the base along the path, the insert having groove formed into a surface of the insert along the path, and wherein the groove has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the edge, and wherein the groove is in cooperative alignment with the tip; wherein the cutting assembly is configured:
while the stylus is in the first orientation, to drive the tip into the surface of the insert and scrape the edge along the path to generate the groove in the surface; and
while the stylus is in the second orientation, to cut the at least one ply without cutting the backed ply by deflecting the backed ply into a gap maintained between the tip and the groove.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the insert is disposed in the base.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein the insert comprises a polymeric material.

4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the insert comprises at least one of an ultra high molecular weight polymer and nylon.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the anvil comprises a dimensionally stable, rigid, and wear resistant material.

6. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the anvil comprises a metal.

7. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the anvil comprises a high pressure laminate.

8. The system according to claim 5 , wherein the anvil comprises at least one of a polymeric material and a resin.

9. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a first height of the surface and a second height of the surface, wherein the first height of the surface and the second height of the surface are disposed adjacent to and on opposite sides of the groove, and wherein the first height of the surface and the second height of the surface are essentially the same.

10. A ply cutting system comprising:
a backed ply material comprising at least one ply and a backed ply, wherein the backed ply is relatively more flexible than the at least one ply;
a cutting assembly comprising an ultrasonic cutting tool including a stylus having an edge with a tip, the stylus being rotatable between a first orientation and a second orientation, and an actuator to move the stylus along a path, the path being oriented in a transverse manner relative to movement of the backed ply material; and
an anvil blank secured to the cutting assembly;
wherein the ply cutting system is configured to generate a groove in a surface of the anvil blank coinciding with the path prior to ply cutting operations by driving the tip into the anvil blank to a predetermined depth while the stylus is in the first orientation, and scraping the edge across the anvil blank along the path, wherein the groove has a cross-section shape corresponding to a cross-sectional shape of the edge; and
to cut the at least one ply without cutting the backed ply by deflecting the backed ply into a gap maintained between the tip and the groove while the stylus is in the second orientation.

11. The ply cutting system of claim 10 , wherein the anvil blank includes a material that does not cause damage to the tip when the anvil blank undergoes at least one of a cutting, a scraping, and a carving by the tip.

12. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the anvil blank is disposed in the base.

13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the anvil blank comprises a polymeric material.

14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the anvil blank comprises at least one of an ultra high molecular weight polymer and nylon.

15. The system according to claim 10 , wherein the anvil comprises a dimensionally stable, rigid, and wear resistant material.

16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the anvil comprises a metal.

17. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the anvil comprises a high pressure laminate.

18. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the anvil comprises at least one of a polymeric material and a resin.

19. The system according to claim 10 , further comprising a first height of the surface and a second height of the surface, wherein the first height of the surface and the second height of the surface are disposed adjacent to and on opposite sides of the groove, and wherein the first height of the surface and the second height of the surface are essentially the same.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Evans Richard B

Classifications

• B26D7/086 Primary

  by vibrating, e.g. ultrasonically · CPC title

• B26D1/045

  for thin material, e.g. for sheets, strips or the like · CPC title

• B26D7/20

  Cutting beds {(B26D7/018 takes precedence; supporting beds for severing by means of a fluid jet B26F3/008)} · CPC title

• Y10T83/8745

  Tool and anvil relatively positionable · CPC title

• B26D3/06 Primary

  Grooving involving removal of material from the surface of the work · CPC title