Patent ID: 6865863

Claim:
A palletizing apparatus for loading a pallet with successive rows of cylindrically shaped container end sticks, comprising pick and place means for grasping a predetermined quantity of the sticks to form a layer of a pallet, one at a time in succession, and maintaining each stick in a predetermined orientation, a pallet loading station including a lift receiving a skid on which a pallet is to be built, said lift including a vertically adjustable lift platform for supporting a skid to form the base of a pallet, control means for moving said platform to and from a lower skid receiving location and through a range of upper loading locations, said control means including means for adjusting the upper surface location of a pallet being built upon the skid to a predetermined elevation at which assembled rows of sticks are added to the top of the pallet, a main table and means for moving said main table between a receiving and assembly station and a loading station over the top of the assembling pallet, said pick and place means having control means for placing the oriented sticks sequentially onto said main table in a side by side row of the predetermined number of oriented sticks, a wrapping supply roll, a moving support for said roll including control means for shifting said roll back and forth to lay the wrapping across the top of each row of sticks added to the assembling pallet, means for attaching a free end of the wrapping supply roll to an empty skid on said lift platform, means for transferring each row of sticks placed on said main table onto the top of a layer of wrapping, means for passing the wrapping over the last placed row, and means for discharging completed pallets from said pallet loading station.