Patent ID: 6350962
Filing Date: 2002-02-26
Classification: B26D,B26F

Abstract:
A cutting machine for forming fracture lines in the cylindrical wall of a plastic cap to facilitate separation of a tamper-evident ring of the cap, comprising:a worktable; at least one cap support, mounted at said worktable, for supporting a cap to be cut for formation of said fracture lines, said cap support being rotatable along with the cap about an axis thereof; a cap conveyor for conveying caps to be cut at a cutting position; locking and centering means for locking a cap to be cut, in a centered position, at said at least one cap support; and a laser beam emitter supported at said worktable at said cutting position, with respect to said at least one cap support, so to provide a laser beam that strikes the cylindrical wall of the cap during rotary motion thereof, said emitter being controllably activated and deactivated in accordance with working requirements and the rotary motion of said cap, so as to form in the cylindrical wall of the cap a plurality of cuts alternated with short intact portions constituting bridges, said plurality of cuts and bridges forming a fracture line which allows the separation of said tamper-evident ring from said cup.