Patent ID: 6742428
Filing Date: 2004-06-01
Classification: B26D,B32B,Y10T

Abstract:
A master processing apparatus for use with a pair of removable feed rolls, the removable feed rolls carrying a supply of stock material to be unwound, at least one of the stock materials having a layer of adhesive provided thereon, the apparatus comprising:a frame constructed and arranged to removably mount the feed rolls; a master processing assembly constructed and arranged such that, when the feed rolls are removably mounted to the frame, a master can be inserted into the master processing assembly together with the stock materials unwound from their respective feed rolls and disposed on opposing sides of the master; the master processing assembly being constructed and arranged to perform a master processing operation wherein the master processing assembly causes adhesive bonding between the master and the stock materials being fed in a feeding direction into the feed side thereof and subsequently discharges the processed master and stock materials outwardly from a discharge side thereof; and a cutter assembly removably mounted in a mounted operative position to the frame on the discharge side of the master processing assembly, the cutter assembly having (a) a base member removably mountable to the frame and extending generally transversely with respect to the frame, the base member providing a substrate supporting surface configured to receive and support the processed master and stock materials being discharged from the processing assembly in a substantially flat relation, and (b) a blade mounted to the base member and movable to perform a cutting operation in the form of a severing operation wherein the blade cuts through the stock materials discharged from the processing assembly and supported on the base member in a direction generally transverse to the feeding direction to sever a final product comprising the processed master and stock materials from a remainder of the supply of the stock materials; the cutter assembly being constructed and arranged to be removed from the frame as a unit for placement in a removed operative position on a generally horizontal surface separate from the frame, the cutter assembly being constructed and arranged such that, in the removed operative position, the blade is movable to perform other cutting operations including a trimming operation wherein the blade is moved to cut through the processed stock materials supported on the base member in the feeding direction.