Patent GB-1211964-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to object stackers
IPC: B65G57/00
Filed: 1969-04-30
Abstract: 1,211,964. Stacking articles; conveyers. AMERICAN HOIST & DERRICK CO. 30 April, 1969 [20 Sept., 1968], No. 22120/69. Headings B8A and B8C. An apparatus for stacking objects such as metal ingots comprises a loading unit 16 for receiving objects and moving them to a pick-up location, a holding unit 17 for receiving the objects singly from the pick-up location and collecting a plurality of objects side-by-side, a vertically movable support 18 for receiving and stacking successive collections of objects from the holding unit, and means for moving the stacked collections of objects from the support 18 to a discharge location. As shown, an ingot director 34 guides ingots received from an ingot casting machine conveyer drum 35 on to the loading unit 16 pivotal arms 31 being moved by a ram 33 to a reject position, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4, to direct unwanted ingots into a rejector shoot 36. A carriage 37 reciprocable by an hydraulic cylinder 57 in a pivotally mounted inclined frame 27, carries first and second platforms 43, 45 which are pivotally connected between the sides of the frame and are tiltable by hydraulic rams 48, 51 respectively, the platform 43 transferring an ingot 61 to an inspection station where it is supported upon a pair of first retainer arms 52, 53 which are pivoted to the respective sides of the frame 27 and are spring-urged towards each other to engage beneath the rim of the ingot. The upper platform 45 transfers the ingot, shown at 61A, to a second pair of retainer arms 54, 55, which are mounted in a manner similar the arms 52, 53, defective ingots being dumped laterally into a reject conveyer 56 by tilting the platform 45 by means of the hydraulic cylinder 51. The ingot is received on a pair of flanges 60 secured to an upper frame 22 adjacent the arms 54, 55 and is transferred by a puller 74, which has a pair of downwardly projecting fingers 76 and which is reciprocable by means of an hydraulic cylinder 77, to move each ingot on to a pair of plates 62, 63 which are supported by the frame 22 and are movable horizontally respectively by pairs of hydraulic cylinders 64, 66 and 68, 69. After a layer of five ingots has been collected on to the plates 62, 63 the latter are withdrawn laterally so that the ingots are transferred to the table 81 of the elevator 18 which is vertically movable by means of an hydraulic cylinder 82 and piston 86 provided with guides (89), Fig. 8 (not shown), and which can be sequentially turned, through approximately 90 degrees, so that the axes of ingots in successive layers are at right angles. When the required number of layers of ingots have been placed on to the elevator 18 the hydraulic ram 82 is fully lowered and the stack is pushed by a pair of rams 103 having a pusher 104 on to a stack conveyer 19, the latter and the table having rollers 82, 109 respectively. A fluid control system (111), Fig. 9 (not shown), controls the operation of the stacking apparatus, a master switch (172), Fig. 11A (not shown), selecting automatic, or manual, control and the latter allowing various parts of the stacker apparatus to be selectively operated.