Roll cutting apparatus
A method for cutting an industrial-size roll of paper or other sheet material into two or more rolls is disclosed. The method enables sections to be cut from the roll, without first having to remove a previously cut section from the roll. The roll is supported on two parallel rollers. A circular saw is mounted in a saw frame that travels along a carriage and positions the saw blade at any desired cutting position on the roll. The saw blade has a radius large enough to cut through such a roll in a single cut, leaving press-ready rolls that require no finish-trimming on the ends.
1. A method of cutting a roll of material having a roll axis, a roll diameter, and a roll width, the method comprising the steps of:
a) rotatably supporting the roll of material in a horizontal plane on a support system that includes two parallel support rollers, wherein the parallel support rollers are long rollers having a length at least as long as the roll width, and, when placed on the support system, the roll axis of the roll of material is aligned parallel with the parallel support rollers;
b) providing a saw in a re-positionable tower, such that the saw is re-positionable relative to the support system;
c) selectively moving the saw to a desired location of cut on the roll, wherein the desired location of cut is selectable at any location along the roll width, and wherein the saw has a circular saw blade with a radius sufficiently large to cut through the roll;
d) cutting through the roll of material in a single-pass cutting operation at the desired location of cut without having to remove cut material during the cutting, thereby providing a press-ready roll having a finished cut end at the desired location of cut.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of
e) selectively re-positioning the saw at one or more subsequent desired locations; and
f) cutting through the roll at each of the subsequent desired locations, without re-positioning the roll and without having to remove previously cut material.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support system has a longitudinal axis that is parallel to and equidistant from the parallel rollers, the method further comprising the step of
g) providing a longitudinal positioning means for maintaining a desired longitudinal alignment of the roll on the parallel rollers relative to the longitudinal axis.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the roll of material has a core and the longitudinal positioning means includes a positioning assembly that is coupled with the core.