Patent ID: 7341246

Claim:
A nail plate pressing machine for use in manufacturing timber trusses and adapted to travel in a horizontal plane to a selected machine position, the machine including: locating means for locating two or more truss members to be connected in respective predetermined design positions; a press head adapted for movement to a range of pressing positions for pressing a nail plate into engagement with the two or more juxtaposed truss members in a predetermined securing position to secure them in their respective predetermined design positions; a controller for controlling movement of said press head to a selected pressing position, said controller including means for receiving design data for a truss being manufactured, means for receiving design data for a selected nail plate and means for determining the position of the outside edge of one of the juxtaposed truss members, and means for processing the design data received for the truss, the design data received for the nail plate and the position of the outside edge of the truss member determined so as to select a pressing position of said press head within said range of pressing positions; and drive means for driving said press head to the selected pressing position.