Patent ID: 6865800

Claim:
A system for producing a billet of end-to-end connected fans which comprises: at least a pair of primary conveyors sequentially feeding veneer sheets along parallel pathways to a corresponding respective pair of placement conveyors; a corresponding pair of cross conveyors receiving the sheets from the respective pairs of placement conveyors, said placement conveyors and cross conveyors cooperatively operated for building partial fans on the cross conveyors; a billet conveyor conveying a billet of interconnected fans along a direction of billet conveyance, said billet having a defined trailing end; a transfer mechanism sequentially and cooperatively receiving the partial fans and combining the partial fans into a completed fan; said transfer mechanism further conveying the completed fan along the direction of the billet conveyance and placing the completed fan at the trailing end of the billet to extend the billet and thereby define a new trailing end; and detectors and encoders, and a computer responsive to the detectors and encoders which controls the movement of the placement conveyors, cross conveyors and transfer mechanism for cooperative and precision assembly of the sheets into the completed fan, and then assembly of the fan onto the trailing end of the billet.