Support bed for sheet material cut by a fluid jet

Claim 2

In combination in a cutting apparatus having a high velocity fluid cutting jet issuing from a nozzle translated in parallel relationship relative to and above sheet material in a cutting operation, an improved bed for supporting sheet material under the jet comprising: a laminated structure penetrable by the jet and having: an upper layer defining a support surface on which the sheet material is spread; a lower layer spaced from and underlying the upper layer; and an intermediate layer between the upper and lower layers and formed from a severable and self-healing material, the upper and lower layers being formed from a barrier material for holding the self-healing material of the intermediate layer in place between the upper and lower layers; and means disposed below the laminated structure and defining a fluid collection chamber for receiving the spent fluid from the jet.

Claim 3

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein: the upper layer and the lower layer of the laminated structure are more rigid than the intermediate layer.

Claim 4

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein: the intermediate layer of the laminated structure is formed from a material more plastic than the material of the upper or lower layers.

Claim 5

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein: the intermediate layer of the laminated structure is formed from a fusible material.

Claim 6

A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein the fusible material is tar.

Claim 7

A combination as defined in claim 4 wherein the fusible material is a viscous, semi-fluid material.

Claim 8

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper layer of the laminated structure is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of paper, tagboard and hardened plastic sheet material.

Claim 9

A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the lower layer of the laminated structure is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of paper, tagboard and hardened plastic.

Claim 10

A combination as defined in claim 1 further including: a fluid permeable, mechanical support means underlying the lower layer of the laminated structure for holding the laminated structure in a predetermined support plane above the fluid collection chamber.

Claim 11

A combination as defined in claim 9 wherein: the mechanical support means includes a honeycomb structure having parallel cells extending upwardly toward the lower layer and having the ends of the cells adjacent the lower layer open.

Claim 12

A combination as defined in claim 10 wherein the means defining the fluid collection chamber further includes: a base underlying the honeycomb structure and covering the ends of the cells opposite the open ends.

Claim 13

A combination as defined in claim 9 wherein: the mechanical support means and the means defining the fluid collection chamber inClude a base and an array of elongated members extending upwardly from the base toward the lower layer of the laminated structure, the upper ends of the members being free and lying substantially in a common plane.

Claim 14

A combination as defined in claim 12 wherein the elongated members are metal pins.

Claim 15

In combination in a cutting machine having a jet nozzle which moves relative to sheet material and produces a high velocity fluid cutting jet for penetrating the sheet material along predefined cutting paths in a cutting operation, an improved bed for supporting the sheet material as the material is cut by the high velocity fluid cutting jet comprising: a base having a hard, reflective surface for reflecting an impinging fluid cutting jet; and a penetrable, laminated, planar structure supported in spaced and generally parallel relationship from the reflective surface of the base to define a collecting chamber between the reflective surface and the confronting surface of the planar structure, and defining a support surface for the sheet material to be cut by the jet on the side of the planar structure opposite said confronting surface, the structure being comprised of two outer layers and at least one interposed intermediate layer, the intermediate layer being comprised of a self-healing, plastic and viscous material and each of the outer layers being a layer of material more rigid than the viscous material for capturing and holding the viscous material between the outer layers whereby the fluid cutting jet may cut through sheet material on the support surface and penetrate through the laminated structure into the collecting chamber, and the self-healing material in the laminated structure closes the cut made by the jet as the jet is moved along the predefined cutting paths.

Claim 16

In combination in a cutting machine having a jet nozzle which moves relative to sheet material and produces a high velocity fluid cutting jet for penetrating the sheet material along predefined cutting paths in a cutting operation, an improved bed for supporting the sheet material as the material is cut by the high velocity fluid cutting jet comprising: a base having a hard, reflective surface for reflecting an impinging fluid cutting jet; and a penetrable, laminated, planar structure supported in spaced and generally parallel relationship from the reflective surface of the base to define a collecting chamber between the reflective surface and the confronting surface of the planar structure, and defining a support surface for the sheet material to be cut by the jet on the side of the planar structure opposite said confronting surface, the structure being comprised of two outer layers and at least one interposed intermediate layer, the intermediate layer being comprised of a self-healing, plastic and viscous material and each of the outer layers being a layer of material more rigid than the viscous material for capturing and holding the viscous material between the outer layers whereby the fluid cutting jet may cut through sheet material on the support surface and penetrate through the laminated structure into the collecting chamber, and the self-healing material in the laminated structure closes the cut made by the jet as the jet is moved along the predefined cutting paths.

Claim 17

A combination as defined in claim 14 wherein the outer layers of the planar structure are formed from a material selected from the group consisting of paper, tagboard and hardened plastic.