Patent GB-918611-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for handling and conveying sheet material
IPC: B65G39/00
Filed: 1960-04-19
Abstract: 918,611. Delivering sheets. BUCCICONI ENGINEERING CO. Inc. April 19, 1960 [May 25, 1959], No. 13618/60. Class 100 (1). [Also in Group XXX] A metal sheet stacking device has end supports 11, 12 between which are disposed two conveyer units 10. Metal sheets 5 are fed from a cutting or other device into the stacker by a conveyer 13 and are subsequently stacked on a removable trolley 76. Each conveyer unit 10 comprises a longitudinal channel member 23 to which are secured magnetic assemblies 25. Each magnetic assembly 25 comprises a bracket 26 carrying bearings in which is journalled a member 30 which forms the armature of an electromagnetic coil 29 also carried by the bracket 26. Wheel-like extensions 36 are secured to the ends of the member 30 and have rubber or like covers 38 on their rims to avoid scratching the plates S. The channel members 23 are secured by brackets 41, 42 to tubes 43 which are journalled at their ends in brackets 44, 54. Each of the brackets 44 is mounted on a carriage 45 slidably arranged on a rail 46 mounted on the support 11. Each bracket 54 is secured to a nut 55 carried by a threaded shaft 56 and guided in a housing 57; the thread on the shaft 56 is divided into right- and left-hand portions so that when the shaft is rotated by a hand wheel (not shown) the brackets 54, and hence the conveyer units 10, move either towards or away from each other. Each tube 43 has a rod 61 rotatably mounted therein which has pinions 62, 63 secured to its ends. The pinions 62, 63 mesh with racks 64, 65 respectively so that lateral movement of one end of a conveyer unit 10 is reproduced by the other end thereof. A shaft 51 is journalled in ears 50 mounted on top of the brackets 44 and carries worms 52 which mesh with gears 53 mounted on the tubes 43. Rotation of the shaft 51 by a hand-wheel 67 varies the angle of inclination of each of the conveyer units to the horizontal. The shaft 51 is in two parts joined by a telescopic connection 66. The members 30 of the two assemblies 25 adjacent to the conveyer 13 in each of the conveyer units 10 are driven by an electric motor 80 and the coils 29 of all the assemblies are connected to a source of current through a switch 95. A stop device 70 carrying a rubber buffer 75 is mounted in a longitudinally adjustable manner on a bar 72 mounted at its ends on the supports 11, 12. Sheets S are picked off the conveyer 13 by the magnetic assemblies 25, the driven assemblies moving the sheets in the direction of the stop 70. When the trailing edge of a sheet passes over the switch 95 the latter is opened so that the sheet falls from the assemblies 25 but is carried by its momentum into abutment with the buffer 75, after which it settles on top of the stack of sheets on the trolley 76. When gripped by the conveyer units 10 the sheets S are bent longitudinally owing to the inclination of the units, see Fig. 3, and such bending allows the sheets to present a firmer edge to the buffer 75 and to resist lengthwise buckling. In a modification (Figs. 7, 8, not shown) three conveyer units 10 are used, the middle one being maintained in a horizontal position, and guide rollers urge the sheets into contact with the conveyer units as they leave the conveyer 13. The magnetic conveyer units may be replaced by pneumatic units of the type described in Specification 893,120. Specification 875,206 and U.S.A. Specifications 2,600,475 and 2,761,682 also are referred to.