Patent ID: 7198593

Claim:
A cutting unit for cutting blanks for collars of rigid cigarette packets, comprising a cutting station ( 14 ); a feed line ( 15 ) for feeding a continuous strip ( 12 ) of packing material in a given direction ( 13 ) along a given feed path (P) extending through the cutting station ( 14 ); and a cutting device ( 16 ) located at the cutting station ( 14 ) to cut the strip ( 12 ) into a succession of blanks ( 3 ); the cutting device ( 16 ) comprising a fixed cutting block ( 17 ) having a counterblade ( 22 ); a knife ( 18 ) mounted to rotate about a fixed axis ( 29 ) of rotation crosswise to said direction ( 13 ), and having a blade ( 30 ) cooperating with the counterblade ( 22 ); and actuating means ( 19 ) connected to the knife ( 18 ) to oscillate the knife ( 18 ), about said axis ( 29 ) of rotation, between a first position in which the knife ( 18 ) and the cutting block ( 17 ) are located on opposite sides of the feed path (P), and a second position in which the blade ( 30 ) and the counterblade ( 22 ) are located on the same side of the feed path (P); the unit ( 1 ) being characterized in that the cutting block ( 17 ) comprises a contact surface ( 21 ) located along the feed path (P) upstream from the counterblade ( 22 ); and the knife ( 18 ) comprises an incision member ( 31 ) integral with the blade ( 30 ) and facing the contact surface ( 21 ) to press the strip ( 12 ) against the contact surface ( 21 ) when the knife ( 18 ) is in the second position.