Patent ID: 7695655

Claim:
A method for cutting a ceramic molded body, comprising: cutting an extrusion-molded pillar-shaped ceramic molded body to a predetermined length by using a molded body cutting apparatus, wherein said molded body cutting apparatus comprises: a first conveyer member that conveys an extrusion-molded uncut pillar-shaped ceramic molded body; a cutting member that moves in a direction parallel to a movement direction of said first conveyer member while moving also in a vertical direction, and cuts said ceramic molded body to a predetermined length by passing through the interior of said ceramic molded body; and a second conveyer member that conveys a ceramic molded body cut to a predetermined length by said cutting member, a conveyance speed of said first conveyer member, a conveyance speed of said second conveyer member, and a movement speed of said cutting member in said parallel direction being almost the same, before said ceramic molded body is cut, and each of the conveyance speed of said first conveyer member, the movement speed of said cutting member in said parallel direction, and a conveyance speed of said second conveyer member becoming faster toward the latter, after said ceramic molded body is cut, and wherein said molded body cutting apparatus further comprises a passage sensor, a cutting control device, and a conveyance control device, said passage sensor detects a passage of said extrusion-molded pillar-shaped ceramic molded body and transmits a ‘passage start signal’ to said cutting control device, and a receipt of said passage start signal by said cutting control device causes the start of an operation of said cutting member, at a point in time which the cutting of said ceramic molded body by said cutting member has been completed, said cutting member transmits a ‘cutting completion signal’ to said conveyance control device and a receipt of said cutting completion signal by said conveyance control device changes the conveyance speed of the second conveyer member to be faster than the conveyance speed of said first conveyer member, and at a point where said passage sensor ceases to detect the presence of the ceramic molded body, said passage sensor transmits a ‘passage complete signal’ to said conveyance control device and a receipt of said passage complete signal by said conveyance control device changes the conveyance speed of the second conveyer member to be almost same as the conveyance speed of the first conveyer member.