Patent ID: 7237421

Claim:
A feed mechanism for sheets of sheet metal to feed multiple sheets into and through a working zone wherein the sheets are machined comprising: said feed mechanism having a first and a second sheet feeder ( 10 , 11 ; 20 ) for controlling feeding of the sheets to the working zone (W) to machine each of said sheets accurately positioned in the working zone, each of the sheet feeders having multiple continuous systems adapted to be synchronously driven in a longitudinal direction in each of said sheet feeders, and moveable jointly in a transverse direction (x) in a controlled manner for advancing each of the sheets and also accurately position each of the sheets in the working zone; wherein the first sheet feeder ( 10 , 11 ) is arranged on an input side of the working zone and the second sheet feeder ( 20 ) is provided on an output side of the working zone, the first and second sheet feeders being synchronized with one another in movements thereof (x, y) when feeding each of the sheets ( 1 ) through the working zone; whereby each of the sheets entrained by the synchronous movements is held by the two sheet feeders.