Abstract:
Apparatus and method for affixing rigid transparent windows to folding cartons draws rigid window web material from a roll and scores and notches the window material in a continuous manner. Notch waste is removed and collected for disposal by the combination of vacuum and an air jet applied at the point of severance. The transparent window material is then provided to an accumulator and then to a stop-and-go adhesive application and material cutting stage, where adhesive is applied to the material which is cut into individual rigid window patches, with the accumulator serving as a buffer between the high speed continuous scoring and notching stage and the stop-and-go adhesive application and cutting stage. Adhesive-bearing individual window patches are applied to moving folding cartons with registration between the notches and cut lines as well as between the cut window blanks and carton blanks provided by a control system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates generally to the application of a window film over a die cut opening in a folding carton, and is particularly directed to the formation of rigid windows from rolls of rigid window materials and the application of the thus formed rigid windows to folding cartons in a single, high speed operation. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Window film is often applied over a die cut opening in a folding carton to provide a way to view the contents inside the carton. The window may be within the perimeter of one or more panels of the carton. 
         [0003]    Windows in more than one panel of a carton are often referred to as panoramic windows, particularly if the window continuously extends from one panel, across the score or crease line at a corner of the carton, and into an adjacent panel. 
         [0004]    In larger cartons, or in cartons containing more expensive or attractive contents, a substantially thicker window, approximately 0.007″ or thicker is used, as opposed to thinner films of approx 0.0005″ to 0.003″ thick. Such thicker window materials are known as rigid windows because their thickness renders them relatively stiff or rigid. Rigid windows may be made of such polymers as polyester, calendared PVC, or polystyrene sold by Plastic Suppliers, Inc. of Columbus, Ohio, and others. 
         [0005]    When a rigid window is used in conjunction with a panoramic window opening in a folding carton, the rigid window material will typically require a score essentially aligning with the score, or corner, of the carton. Further, the rigid window will typically require die cut reliefs, or notches, where the rigid window material would otherwise overlie the carton material&#39;s score or crease. The relieved areas of the rigid window permit the carton to more easily fold along the carton&#39;s score line. If the window material were not so relieved, the score in the carton and the score in the overlying window material would resist folding not unlike the binding that would occur if a door were hinged along two offset hinge axes. The scoring and relieving requirements have historically been provided by pre-die cutting the rigid window blanks with either rotary or platen die cutting equipment which cut the window blank from a roll or from a larger sheet, respectively. This defines the complete perimeter and scores of the window blank. The pre-cut window blanks are collected in a stack for subsequent application to folding cartons. 
         [0006]    Rigid windows, as well as thinner window films, have been applied to folding carton blanks by windowing machines such as those manufactured by Heiber+Schröder Maschinenbau GmbH of Erkrath, Germany. The operation of supplying an adhesive pattern to bond the window material and affixing the window in the desired position, or registration, on the carton is often referred to as window patching. In the case of the traditional Heiber+Schröder Maschinenbau GmbH machine, the rigid windows are supplied to the machine as precut and pre-scored singulated blanks. An adhesive pattern is applied to the folding carton blank and the rigid window is fed onto a vacuum cylinder which carries the rigid window on the cylinder&#39;s circumference until the rigid window is transferred to the carton blank over the adhesive pattern on the carton blank and in the desired location on the carton blank. More recently, Heiber+Schröder Maschinenbau GmbH has offered an attachment for feeding rigid window material from a roll, hot creasing, and die cutting the window material and applying it to folding cartons. The die cutting is a punching operation, performed while the window material is stationary, using male and female dies. This has practical limitations on speed as it uses a reciprocating punching station with male and female dies. Male and female dies are more complex and costly than a rotary die cylinder and rotary die cylinders are easy to set up and operate. The carton blank, now equipped with a window, is conveyed to a stacker where the flat carton blanks are collected for subsequent processing on a separate machine, i.e., a carton folder/gluer. On occasion a Heiber+Schröder Maschinenbau GmbH windowing machine has been built into a carton folder/gluer so that windows may be applied to folding cartons and the cartons folded and glued into a ready-to-fill configuration in a single pass operation. 
         [0007]    Since about 2000, Tamarack Products of Wauconda, Ill., USA has made the Vista® window applicator (with reference to U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,663) which is typically installed on a carton folder gluer to apply windows in conjunction with the carton folding and gluing process for a single-pass operation. The Tamarack window applicator may also be installed on an abbreviated conveyor to separate the windowing process from the folding gluing process. The Vista® window applicator senses the lead edge of a carton as it is transported on carrier belts and a triggering signal activates feeding, gluing, and cutting axes to provide a cut window patch with a pattern of adhesive and delivers it for application onto a carton blank in the desired position. The Vista® window applicator differs from most other window applicators in several aspects. For example, the adhesive pattern is applied to the window film rather than the carton blank. This has the advantage that the adhesive pattern is inherently covered by the window patch. In systems where the adhesive pattern is applied to the carton blank, when a window misfeeds, i.e., is not placed in the proper location on the carton, or is missing altogether, the adhesive transfers onto various conveying components, e.g., transport belts, rollers and folding swords, fouling them with adhesive that can cause misfeeding of the carton blanks and the need to clean conveying belts and rollers to restore proper function. In approximately 2003, a die cut unit was added to the Vista® applicator to provide die cuts, for example perforations, for ease in the formation of an opening for the removal of facial tissues through a polyethylene window in a folding carton. The die cut unit was servo driven and coordinated with the feeding, gluing and cutting axes of the Vista® applicator. 
         [0008]    Until the instant invention, however, the Vista® window applicator has not been adapted to process rigid window materials. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0009]    The instant invention relates to a new method and apparatus for providing rigid windows on cartons wherein the rigid window material is supplied to the apparatus as a roll of rigid window material, rather than as pre-die cut, pre-scored singulated blanks. 
         [0010]    The instant invention also relates to a process that eliminates two off-line processing operations currently practiced in the prior art. Namely, the instant invention draws from a roll of rigid window material and die cuts, scores and singulates the blanks (previously a separate operation in the prior art); applies the singulated blanks onto folding cartons (normally a second separate operation in the prior art); and performs the folding and gluing operations (normally a third separate operation in the prior art), all in one pass, on a combined machine (instead of two or three separate machines as in the prior art). While the rigid window material is sometimes referred to as being “transparent” in the following description, the rigid window material may include printing or other graphic features and thus does not have to be entirely, or 100%, transparent as used with the present invention. 
         [0011]    The instant invention enhances the operation of a combination of prior art machinery: a carton folder gluer and a Tamarack Vista® window applicator equipped with an optional die cut station. The present invention provides a new way of webbing the window material that utilizes a die cut station&#39;s anvil cylinder as a feeding cylinder. This new webbing approach also allows the die cut to operate at an essentially constant rate of rotation while accommodating the Vista® applicator&#39;s stop-and go operation. 
         [0012]    A reconfigured die cylinder is used to cut notches and make fold scores (sometimes the scoring is done at an additional station in conjunction with die cutting). 
         [0013]    A waste removal system follows the die cutting operation to remove the notch material 
         [0014]    The inventive process further provides instant feedback as to the alignment of the window fold scores with the carton fold scores. In other words, if the window scores do not align with the carton scores, the carton folding process will be impeded, possibly interrupted. This immediate indication of misalignment then allows prompt corrections to be made, with minimal waste of window and carton materials. In comparison, the prior art processes are separated and so a large batch of windowed cartons may be faulty. While the alignment problem will be evident in the subsequent, separate carton folding/gluing process as an interruption or failure, the entire batch of faulty windowed cartons would likely have to be scrapped. 
         [0015]    Further, the inventive apparatus and process provides some degree of self-alignment, or at least self-centering, of the window fold scores with the carton fold scores—this by virtue of the fact that the adhesive does not immediately dry and so the window may ‘nest’ or shift in the carton folding/gluing process to a position that allows the folding/gluing process to continue without a “jam” or “jam-up,” as such interruptions are often referred to in the art. 
         [0016]    The following features of the present invention provide improved performance in the application of rigid windows to a folding carton in terms of increased reliability, higher speeds, monitor-free operation, roll film compatibility, improved waste ejection and removal, reduced material costs, immediate positioning accuracy feedback and simplified design.
       In-line conversion of roll format rigid film which eliminates off line step of pre-die cutting, scoring, collecting and storing window blanks. Also eliminates the need to constantly monitor and refill the hopper of a ‘sheet’-fed window applicator.   Rotary die cutting of window film rather than flat bed die cutting. This allows continuous die cutting for better compatibility with roll format film and high speed production.   One embodiment&#39;s use of die cutter&#39;s anvil cylinder as a feed roll to assist in pulling the material off the roll and serving as a buffer between stop-and-go feeding and cutting of the Vista® applicator. This also eliminates the need for a separate, additional servo-driven pull-roil axis. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US 2008/0202300 A1 dated Aug. 28, 2008 discloses various servo-driven feeding techniques.   Locating the die cut station upstream of the accumulator also allows die cutting to proceed at a relatively steady rotational speed, overcoming potential problems with slippage of film relative to rotary die cutting cylinder. The relatively steady speed eliminates die wear problems caused by relative motion (slippage) between the die and the window material that would otherwise occur during intervals or rapid acceleration or deceleration. Further, the relatively steady speed allows more time for waste ejection (of notches). Otherwise, in cases of rapid acceleration in stop-and-go motion of a die cylinder, the waste notch may pass through an ejection device in a very short time interval. A longer time interval is desirable because it allows an air blast and/or an applied vacuum more time to dislodge the waste notch from the window material web.   Potential of window material savings because the roll of window material can have a width equal to the net width of the window blank. Thus, the length of the window blank is crush cut by the Vista® applicator, with no perimeter of waste film as with many flatbed die cut processes. Thus, the only film waste is at the reliefs cut in conjunction with a fold score. This reduces and simplifies waste collection and disposal.   Waste notches are removed from the web by means of an applied vacuum. The vacuum chamber is novel in comparison to existing methods that rely on an air jet impinging on the window film, and/or a vacuum chute in some proximity to the other side of the web to collect dislodged waste notches. In the inventive apparatus, the web passes through a vacuum chamber, where the window film serves as at least one side of the chamber, i.e., the window film seals the vacuum chamber. This increases the effectiveness of the vacuum chamber and to an extent reduces the vacuum airflow required to remove and collect the waste notches—a potential for energy saving.   In cases where a panoramic window is folded as part of the folding/gluing process after application of the window patch, feedback as to the accuracy of the alignment between window score and carton score is immediate. In many cases, the freshly applied glue is still uncured so that, to an extent, the window score will self-align with the carton score.   The die cut operation is essentially continuous (without stopping) and the feeding, gluing and cutting in the Vista® applicator after the die cut are essentially stop-and-go. These two very different operating conditions are buffered by an accumulator. Registration of the feed, glue, and cut operations with the die cut is achieved by scanning a die cut feature in the window material after it is die cut. Scanning can be done with an optical scanner such as those provided by Keyence Corporation of America of Woodcliff Lake, N.J.   The die cut operations include cutting (to define portions of the perimeter of the rigid window patch, sometimes referred to as notching) and scoring (or providing lines of weakness to define a subsequent fold). Rather than combining cutting and scoring in one die cylinder, the cutting and scoring operations may be separated. In one embodiment, the scoring is accomplished by a scoring, or slitting, wheel in a continuous and unregistered manner. Thus, the rotary die cylinder is no longer continuously engaged with the rigid window material and the die cutting of notches could then be accomplished by a rotary die cylinder that could be rotated in a stop-and go, or cyclic, continuous manner. This would allow the timing of the die cutting operation to be adjusted to stay in register with printed or other markings (visible to the eye or sensed by other sensors such as infrared or radio frequency sensors). Separating the scoring and notching operations also offers economies in tooling. For example, the scoring can be done with relatively small and simple scoring wheels such as those provided by Rotometrics of Eureka, Mo. and the die cutting, while using a larger and more costly die cutting cylinder, also provided by Rotometrics, may be suitable for other die cutting jobs at different window repeats. For example, to provide a longer repeat than the nominal die cylinder circumference, the die cylinder, which is typically servo-driven, may be driven in a cyclic manner so that the portion of the die cylinder cutting the notches is rotated to match the speed of the window material. But between the notched portions, the die cylinder rotation may be slowed to allow more window material to pass by before the next notched portion engages the window material.       
 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0026]    The appended claims set forth those novel features which characterize the invention. However, the invention itself, as well as further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters identify like elements throughout the various figures, in which: 
           [0027]      FIG. 1  is a schematic side view of a rigid window applicator in accordance with the principles of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a web incorporating cut lines, scores and notches as provided by the rigid window applicator of the present invention; 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a folding carton to which is applied a rigid window patch having adhesive applied thereto in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of a scoring and cutting station which includes a splicing system for use with two rolls of rigid window material for use in one embodiment of the present invention; and 
           [0031]      FIG. 5  is a schematic side view of a die cut station including a notch waste removal arrangement for use in the rigid window applicator of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0032]      FIG. 1  is a schematic side view of a prior art Tamarack Vista® window applicator  100  installed on a carton folding/gluing machine which has been modified to provide rigid windows by adding a die cutting station in accordance with the present invention. Window applicator  100  is a device that supplies window patches  101  onto folding carton blanks  102 . The carton blanks  102  are conveyed by transport, or carrier belt  103  of a carton folder gluer such as provided by Bobst of Lausanne, Switzerland. The lead edge or other feature on a folding carton blank  102  is sensed by a scanner  104  such as provided by Keyence of Osaka, Japan. The scanner signal is transmitted to a servo control system  105  which processes the signal and communicates with servo axes for the feeding roller  106 , the die cut cylinders  107 ,  108 , the gluing cylinders  109 ,  110 , and the cutting cylinder  111 . The control system  105 , such as EcoDrive or IndraDrive supplied by Bosch Rexroth of Erbach, Germany and programmed using Visual Motion software, commands the various axes to rotate a specific amount and at varying speeds to provide a cut window patch  101  with a pattern of adhesive (not shown), said adhesive patterns serving to adhere the window patch  101  onto the carton blank  102 . The window patch  101  is transported on a vacuum belt cartridge  112 . The vacuum belt cartridge  112  is powered by a separate servo axis, also commanded by control unit  105 . In normal operation the vacuum belt moves at a relatively constant speed, essentially matching the speed of transport belt  103 . In some cases, slight amounts of speed mismatch may be desirable to reduce wrinkling of the window patch  101  as it is applied to the carton blank  102 . 
         [0033]    The window patch material is supplied from a roll  113 . Window material unwinds from roll  113  to provide a web  114  of window material. For the rigid windows of the instant invention, a relatively thick and stiff window material such as 7 mil (0.007″, 180 micron) polyester such as supplied by Plastic Suppliers of Columbus, Ohio or 8 mil polyester from Klöckner-Pentaplast of America Inc. of Gordonsville, Va. is supplied in roll  113  and unwinds to provide web  114  to an accumulator  115 . 
         [0034]    Webs  114  and  114   a  shown in  FIG. 1  are the same web, but they have different speed characteristics. Web  114  moves in a continuous manner at a generally fixed velocity. Web  114   a  typically moves in a stop-and-go manner, with high accelerations and decelerations. Since the carton blanks  102  are delivered at a variable pitch P, control unit  105  adjusts its commands to the servos driving the feed roller  106 , gluing cylinders  109 ,  110  and cutting cylinders  111  so that in most modes of operation, each of these cylinders is driven in a stop-and-go manner. Accumulator  115  is provided to isolate or cushion the stop-and-go motion of web  114   a  downstream of the accumulator from the continuous rotation of roll  113 . Accumulator  115  temporarily stores web  114  in a festooned shape, or configuration, in providing a transition motion between its continuous motion and its stop-and-go motion. Thus, web  114   a  upstream from accumulator  115  moves at a steadier rate and, in turn, this allows the relatively high-inertia roll  113  to rotate at a relatively constant rate and reduces the cyclic peaks of tension caused by the stop-and-go motion of web  114   a.    
         [0035]    A rotary die cutting station  116  including an anvil cylinder  107  and die cylinder  108  is driven by one servo motor (when the cylinders  107  and  108  are geared together) or by a servo motor driving each of the cylinders commanded by control unit  105 . Die cutting station  116  is located upstream of the accumulator  115 . This upstream position is advantageous for rotary die cutting because of the steadier speed of web  114 . If the rotary die cut station  116  were located downstream of accumulator  115 , the rapid accelerations and decelerations of both the web  114   a  and the die cutting cylinders  107  and  108  would have to perfectly match because the die cut cylinders engage the web for substantial portions, and in many cases 360° of rotation. Any inevitable speed mismatch could create slack in some portions of web  114   a  that would almost certainly cause lateral tracking problems, distort the web  114   a , or cause deterioration (from scuffing, tearing or shearing) of the die cut pattern. 
         [0036]    Web  114  may be wrapped around a significant portion of anvil cylinder  107  by routing the web via idler  119  or gripping the web  114  against the anvil cylinder  107  with a gripper roller or gripper wheels (not shown) as is known in the art. This allows the anvil cylinder  107  to also act as a feed roller and better assure that the speed of the web  114  more closely matches the speed of the die cutting cylinders  107  and  108 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a section of web  114   a  which includes a notch  201  and a score, or perforation,  202 . Score  202  will align with a corresponding score or fold line on the carton blank  102 . Cut line  203  denotes where the web  114   a  will be cut by cutting cylinder  111  to separate the web  114   a  into individual window patches  101 . 
         [0038]    The notch  201  is die cut with the die cut cylinders  107 ,  108  and the material within the notch is removed from web  114  in known ways, e.g., by gravity, routing the web through a turn, and/or air jets impinging on the web. The removed material may be collected by a chute  117  which is connected to a removal system (not shown) that conveys waste material away via air flow in a hose or pipe. Notch  201  permits easier folding of carton  102  by reducing shear forces at the fold. The timing or location of notch  201  relative to cut line  203  is adjusted and maintained by control unit  105 . An optical scanner  120  provides a timing signal when an edge of notch  201  is detected. The timing signal from scanner  120  is transmitted to control unit  105 . In the embodiment in  FIG. 1 , control unit  105  processes the data and sends signals to servo motor rotating feed cylinders  106  to provide the desired registration between notch  201  and cutline  203 . An additional scanner, not shown, may be used to provide a timing signal to control unit  105  in the event that web  104  has printed or other graphic features that must be registered relative to the notches  201 . 
         [0039]    The score, or perforation,  202  may also be applied by die cutting cylinders  107 ,  108 . Alternatively, the score  202  may be applied at a separate scoring station  118 . Scoring station  118  may consist of a scoring wheel or wheels and a separate anvil cylinder, or the scoring wheel, or wheels, may act against die cut anvil cylinder  107 , which is not shown in  FIG. 1  for simplicity. In this latter embodiment, the scores  202  are not made by the die cylinder  108 . This provides an advantage in operation whereby the die cylinder  108  is no longer in 360° contact with web  114 . This allows for intentional registration adjustments of die cylinder  108  and relief of inadvertent mismatches of speed of the die cylinder  108  and web  114  between the notches  201 . It also allows for the use of heat scoring which is often used, but is not readily compatible on a rotary die cylinder. The score allows a fold to initiate more easily in the rigid window material of web  114 . 
         [0040]    A scoring station  118  separate from die cutting station  116  also provides another embodiment of the invention, wherein the die cylinder  108  may accommodate repeats other than its circumferential dimension. This is accomplished by rotating die cylinder  108  at a continuous but varying rate, a technique known in the art as profiling or camming. For example, if the die cylinder  108  has a circumference of 10″ and the die pattern for the notches is not in 360° rotational contact with the web  114 , the die cylinder may be sped up between the notches to deliver a pattern of notches shorter than the 10″ circumference of the cylinder  108 . In this embodiment, and where the die cutting and anvil cylinders  108 ,  107  are geared together to permit driving with a single servo axis, the web  114  would not be wrapped around the circumference of anvil cylinder  107  and web  114  would be free to slip on anvil cylinder  107  during the rotational increase in speed. 
         [0041]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of a window patch  101  attached to a carton  102 . The window patch  101  is cut from web  114   a  by the cutter cylinder  111  at the cut lines  203 . The window patch score line  202  aligns with score line  301  of the carton blank  102 . The notches  201  serve to reduce shearing forces when carton  102  is folded along score line  301  because the carton remains a single layer at the carton score line  301  as opposed to adding a layer of relatively thick, stiff window material to the thickness of the carton  102 . Adhesive pattern  302  is applied by gluing cylinder  109  on the window patch  101  and adheres the window patch  101  onto the carton blank  102 . The adhesive is typically a water-based, resin-emulsion, polyvinyl acrylic such as R77115 from Capital Adhesive of Mooresville, Ind. A wide selection of alternative water based adhesives are suitable as well as hot melt adhesives such as rubber-based pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA), polyolefins, or polyurethane reactive (PUR) adhesives which may be substituted in extrusion coating equipment such as ITW Dynatec (of Hendersonville, Tenn.). Apex extruders are used to supplement the water based adhesive. 
         [0042]      FIG. 4  is a schematic side view of another embodiment of the invention incorporating a splicing system  401  incorporating a rotary die cut station  402  and accumulator  403  suitable for use with a Tamarack Vista® window applicator (as shown to the right of section line A-A in  FIG. 1  and previously described herein). Locating the die cut station within the splicer system  410  has the advantage of die cutting the web  114  at a relatively steady, continuous speed compared to the stop-and-go motion of web  114   a  in the Vista® window applicator (also previously disclosed herein). 
         [0043]    The web of window material  114  is supplied from either roll  404  or  405 . Splicing head  406  allows a new roll to be spliced to an expiring roll without stopping web  114  (known as a flying splice). Accumulator  403  modulates tension in film web  114  by controlling the spindle brakes for rolls  404  and  405 . Accumulator  403  also accommodates brief tension variations that may occur during a splice so the web  114  may be supplied out of accumulator  403  at a relatively constant, continuous speed. Pull roller  407  is servo driven and commanded by control  105  to drive web  114  at a relatively continuous rate that is essentially the average speed of the stop-and-go web  114   a  in the Vista® window applicator. Accumulator  412  isolates the varying or even stop-and-go consumption of web  114   a  as it is consumed by the Vista® window applicating machine (see  100  in  FIG. 1 ). The movable, lower carriage in the accumulator  412  moves up as web  114   a  is demanded and feed roller  407  increases its rotating speed to supply more of web  114  into accumulator to return the lower carriage to a desired position or set point. The large web storage capacity of large accumulator  412  allows replenishing of web  114  into accumulator  412  by feed roll  407  at a relatively steady rate, with low accelerations and decelerations while web  114   a  may be withdrawn from the accumulator at varying rates, even relatively high accelerations and decelerations of, for example, 90 ft/sec 2  at frequencies of approximately 600 cycles/minute. 
         [0044]    Splicing system  401  may be used in various positions relative to the Vista® applicator, for example, on the front or rear side of the Vista®, and parallel or perpendicular to the Vista®. One or more turn bars, such as the turn bar assembly  408 , may be located between the Vista® and the splicing system  401  to maneuver the web  114  through the required 90° turns as is known in the art. The drag of the turn bars may serve to undesirably add tension to the web, however control system  105  may be used to advantageously adjust the speeds of feed rollers  106  and  407  so that tension remains desirably low and nearly constant through any such turn bars. This reduces scratching of the window material and reduces variation in lateral tracking of the web  114 . 
         [0045]    A scanner  409  is used to detect the position of the die cut notches  201  and the scanner output is transmitted to control system  105  and processed to command adjustments for feed cylinder  106  rotation in relation to the cutter cylinder  111  to register the position of the notch  201  relative to the position of the cut line  203 . 
         [0046]    As described previously herein, it may be advantageous to separate the diecutting and scoring operations by adding a scoring station  410 . 
         [0047]    A conventional web guide  411  is provided to control the lateral position of the web as it enters the scoring and slitting station. 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  is a schematic side view detailing the features of a notch waste removal and collection chute  117 . 
         [0049]    Web  114  is routed through the die cut station  116  where die cylinder  108  has a raised cutting edge shaped to define notch  201  of  FIG. 2  when web  114  is pinched between the cutting edge on die cylinder  108  and anvil cylinder  107 , using known die cutting techniques. The chute assembly  117  assists in the removal and collection of notch waste  201   a . Notch waste  201   a  is within the perimeter of notch  201  of  FIG. 2 . As seen in  FIG. 5 , an air jet  501  is provided in die cutting cylinder  108  and fed with a compressed air source via central drilling  502 . An air jet may be provided in other known ways such as a small pipe directed to a similar area. The integral air jet  501  has the advantage of acting on the notch waste  201   a  as soon as it is die cut, to help direct it into the chute  117 . Chute  117  is equipped with a vacuum supply  503  via known methods such as a flexible hose attached to collection chamber and blower such as a wood worker&#39;s dust collection unit supplied by Jet of Taiwan, with U.S. offices in LaVergne, Tenn. The vacuum force acting on notch waste  201   a  is combined with the air jet from drilling  501  help dislodge the notch waste  201   a  from web  114 . Once free of web  114 , notch waste  201   a  is collected in the notch collection chute  117  and conveyed to a collection system (not shown). The notch collection chute  117  is equipped with a bottom plate  504 , a back plate  505 , side baffles  506  and a top plate  507  to define the chute  117 . A portion of web  114  defines the remaining portion of chute  117 , effectively (but not perfectly) sealing the chute to assure a vacuum therein which adds to the force of the air jet  501  and assists in removal of the notch waste  201   a . Top plate  507  is equipped with a roller  508 , or the like, to reduce the frictional force acting on web  114  as it is pulled against the roller by vacuum from within the notch collection chute  117 . Top plate  507  may be adjusted to the left or right (in the orientation shown in  FIG. 5 ) to accommodate the unsupported span of web  114 . The adjustment allows for accommodation of different vacuum levels and web stiffnesses. Idler  509  is located advantageously to insure that web  114  is routed as desired including into contact with roller  508 . 
         [0050]    While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the relevant arts that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects. Therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only and not as a limitation. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective based on the prior art.