Patent ID: 7530444

Claim:
A transfer unit for transferring elongated articles, the unit ( 2 ) comprising a first, a second, and a third rotary drum ( 4 , 7 , 13 ), the second drum ( 7 ) being tangent to the first and to the third drum ( 4 , 13 ) at a first and a second transfer station ( 6 , 10 ) respectively; the first drum ( 4 ) having a number of peripheral first seats ( 5 ) equally spaced with a first spacing at the first transfer station ( 6 ) and for feeding a uniform succession of elongated articles ( 3 ) to the first transfer station ( 6 ); the third drum ( 13 ) having a number of first pairs ( 11 ) of contiguous peripheral second seats ( 12 ), said first pairs ( 11 ) being spaced with a second spacing equal to twice said first spacing; the second drum ( 7 ) comprising a number of pickup heads ( 29 , 31 ) having respective peripheral third seats ( 30 , 35 ) for respective elongated articles ( 3 ); said number of pickup heads ( 29 , 31 ) comprises first pickup heads ( 29 ) integral with the second drum ( 7 ) and spaced about the second drum ( 7 ) with said second spacing, second pickup heads ( 31 ) alternating with the first pickup heads ( 29 ) and movable with respect to the first pickup heads ( 29 ), and said number of pickup heads ( 29 , 31 ) further comprises actuating means ( 38 , 39 ) connected to each second pickup head ( 31 ) to move the second pickup head ( 31 ) between the two first pickup heads ( 29 ) adjacent to it, so that the relative third seat ( 35 ) assumes a centred position centred with respect to the third seats ( 30 ) of the adjacent said two first pickup heads ( 29 ) at the first transfer station ( 6 ), and a contiguous position contiguous to the third seat ( 30 ) of one of the adjacent said two first pickup heads ( 29 ) at the second transfer station ( 10 ), to form a second pair of side by side third seats ( 30 , 35 ).