Importance

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Abstract

An apparatus for cutting parts out of a sheet of material including a cutting table, an endless gas permeable conveyor movable in a feed direction along the cutting table for supporting the sheet material thereon, a suction box for applying a vacuum to the conveyor and holding the material firmly against the conveyor during a feeding step and a cutting step, a plasma arc cutter for cutting parts from the material supported on the conveyor and a carriage for supporting the plasma arc cutter and moving it along pattern coordinates of the parts. A brake is mounted on the carriage for selectively engaging the conveyor with the carriage to thereby selectively advance the conveyor along the feed direction. A controller stores pattern coordinates of the parts and controls movement of the carriage and actuation of the brake. The carriage is controlled by the controller to move a distance in a feed direction which is greater than the length of the feed direction of the longest part to be cut from the sheet material during a cutting step. Also, the controller actuates the brake to release engagement between the carriage and the conveyor so that the carriage can be controlled by the controller to move the plasma arc cutter along pattern coordinates of the parts. The apparatus also includes labeling and pickup apparatus located downstream from a cutting zone on the cutting table.

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First Claim