Patent ID: 8387502

Claim:
A system of elements acting in cooperation as a cutting and ply removal system, the system in combination comprising: a backed ply material having a ply and a backing, the backing being relatively more flexible than the ply; and a cutting assembly having an ultrasonic cutting tool and an anvil, the cutting tool comprising a stylus, the stylus having a tip, the tip having a tip profile; and the anvil comprising: a first surface to support the backed ply material at a first height during a cutting operation for cutting the backed ply material by the cutting tool; a second surface to support the backed ply material at a second height during the cutting operation; and a groove between the first surface and the second surface, the groove being formed in the anvil prior to any cutting operation of the backed ply material, the groove being in cooperative alignment with the tip and being disposed along a path traveled by the tip relative to the anvil during the cutting operation, and the groove having a groove profile that forms a third surface at a third height relatively below the first height and the second height, the ply and the relatively more flexible backing of the backed ply material positioned with respect to the groove such that the backing diverges from the ply at an interface between the groove and the tip, and the backing positioned to be urged into the groove during the cutting operation, the backing positioned in the groove such that the cutting tool cuts the ply without cutting the backing during the cutting operation.