EP0686127B1 - Device for producing individual stacks of sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP94/00219 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 28, 1995 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 28, 1995 PCT Filed Jan. 27, 1994 PCT Pub. No. WO94/19270 PCT Pub. Date Sep. 1, 1994The invention relates to a device for the non-stop operation of a delivery unit of a rotary printing machine in which sheets in a flow of sheets are collated into individual stacks supported on a stack base with a surface interrupted by grooves and in which auxiliary stacks are borne by grid rods together forming a rack until their transfer to the stack base, the grid rods penetrating into the grooves during transfer. To prevent the stacks from being hampered by their weight, according to the invention a receiving plate catching the auxiliary stack from below is laid upon the grid rods in their reception position.

Description

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1. Such a device is known for example from Japanese utility model disclosure Hei 2-119470 (U). The grooves in the stack support surface prove to be advantageous insofar as the rake can be pulled out after the auxiliary stack has been placed on the stack support surface without having any effect on the auxiliary stack below it. However, this advantage has a disadvantage, which is particularly noticeable in the case of sheets with a low weight based on their area. Said disadvantage is that the load-bearing portion of the stack support surface interrupted by the grooves is pressed into the underside of the stack as the height of the auxiliary stack deposited increases.

In a device known from US-A-3,980,183 for forming stacks from e.g. B. magazines, an auxiliary support device is also provided, which comprises lattice bars combined into a rake. A catch plate is placed on these bars, on which the stack is then formed. For this purpose, stacked catch plates are stored in a magazine. The magazine is assigned an ejection device in the form of a push rod which is connected to a toothed rack which is moved back and forth in the longitudinal direction by means of a gear drive and pushes a lowermost one of the stored catch plates out of the magazine and over the bars during a respective forward movement. In this case, independent drive means are provided for an operationally provided lifting movement of the auxiliary carrying device on the one hand and for loading it with catch plates on the other hand.

In the known device, the catch plates are provided since a respective stack is transferred to a conveying device which does not offer a rigid and in particular no permanent stack support, but rather a stack support in the form of a traveling grate with grate bars arranged transversely to the conveying direction, which, moreover, at a transfer point, at which a respective stack is transferred from the conveying device to a subsequent processing device, so that a respective stack at the transfer point requires support by means of the catch plates.

The problem of an impairment due to the weight of a stack of sheets stacked on top of one another to form a stack of sheets is not addressed in US Pat. No. 3,980,183.

With the invention, a generic device is to be designed in such a way that impairments of sheets stacked one on top of the other to a sheet stack are avoided. This object is achieved with a device specified in claim 1.

In the case of a catch plate provided according to the invention, a lowermost sheet of an auxiliary stack finds a flat, closed contact surface which is in the nature of a plate. This avoids an impairment resulting from the increasing weight of a stack formed from successive sheets, which occurs in known generic devices in that the stack rests on an interrupted stack support surface.

The catch plate can be placed on the bars manually or by means of an automatically operating device. The format of the catch plate is expediently chosen to be somewhat larger than the format of the sheets from which the respective sheet stacks are formed. It can also be advantageous to match the format of the catch plate to the largest format of the sheets to be stacked in the device. For the rest, the dimensioning is matched to the material selected for the catch plate and to the weight of a sheet stack ultimately resting on the catch plate.

A first embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that, after a respective auxiliary stack has been transferred to the stack lifting device, a respective catch plate engaging the auxiliary stack is placed on the stack support surface of an empty stacking pad.

This configuration can be used advantageously in cases in which the sheets of a sheet stack building up on a flat, closed support surface do not interfere with one another with increasing stack height. A corresponding field of application thus arises, for example, for a non-stop stacking device for sheets ejected from a printing press, in which, at a system-related maximum height of a homogeneous sheet stack, there is no mutual impairment due to color deposition.

A further embodiment of a device according to the invention is characterized in that, after a first auxiliary stack has been transferred to the stack lifting device, a first catch plate underpinning the first auxiliary stack is placed on the stack support surface of an empty stacking base, by means of a further subset of the sheets of the sheet stream a first partial stack is formed from the first auxiliary stack placed on the stack support surface, known stack support elements with a height that is superior to the first partial stack are placed on the first catch plate, and a second catch plate undertaking a second auxiliary stack after the second auxiliary stack has been transferred to the stack lifting device the stack support elements is placed.

This embodiment can be used advantageously in cases in which the sheets of a sheet stack building up on a flat, closed support surface interfere with one another from a certain height thereof. A corresponding field of application thus arises, for example, for a non-stop stacking device for sheets ejected from a printing press, in which there is a risk that, from a certain height of a sheet stack formed from these sheets, printing ink will deposit from one sheet on an adjacent sheet. In this case, the second catch plate and possibly further catch plates then serve as hurdle plates for a cantilever of the printing press which operates in the so-called hurdle mode. It proves to be particularly advantageous that additional guides for temporarily holding hurdle plates and thus also means for releasing the hurdle plates from the guides after the hurdle plates have been placed on the support elements can be dispensed with.

In a further development of the subject matter of the invention it is provided that above the lattice bars in the ready position a plurality of stacked catch plates is arranged, from which a lowermost one of the catch plates in the course of a longitudinal displacement of the lattice bars in an insertion direction directed towards the arc current can be removed by means of a driver arrangement provided on the rake and placed on the lattice bars.

In connection with, for example, automatic shifting means known from the above-mentioned publication Hei 2-119 470 (U), which shift the bars in and against the direction of insertion, in this development of the subject matter of the invention the bars together with their shifting means already form active parts of an automatic loading device for loading a stacking device, for example, working in hurdle mode, with hurdle plates.

In an advantageous embodiment of the subject matter of the invention it is provided that the auxiliary support device is adjustable in height.

In particular, this also enables the grille bars to be moved away from a catch plate seated on the stack support elements after an auxiliary stack has been transferred to the stack lifting device, so that the grid bars can be moved from their catch position into their ready position after the said transfer without having any effect on the auxiliary stack.

An advantageous embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is characterized in that a metering opening is provided on a first end face of the store facing the arc stream, which opens a front end face of the bottom catch plate in each case, at least one second opening of the store opposite the metering opening and in a one carrying the catch plates At least one third opening is provided in the bottom of the store and the driver arrangement in the course of the longitudinal displacement of the bars directed towards the arc flow through the second and third openings into the store engages, and that the driver arrangement has at least one perpendicular to the bars, pointing in the direction of insertion, which engages in the course of the longitudinal displacement directed towards the arc flow of the bars on a rear face of the lowest catch plate.

Furthermore, in an advantageous embodiment of the subject matter of the invention, a displacement device which automatically displaces the bars in the longitudinal direction thereof is provided.

A further advantageous embodiment is characterized in that the driver arrangement is equipped with a spring arrangement which tends to keep an upper edge of the stop surface at a first level with respect to the bars, and that a height-adjustable guide device is assigned to the second opening opposite the dispensing opening , by means of which the upper edge of the stop surface can be lowered to a lower second level with respect to the bars.

Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the metering opening can be adjusted to the thickness of the catch plates provided in the memory by means of adjustable metering tongues.

In particular with a view to further processing of the sheet following the formation of a stack of sheets, the detachable connecting means fixed on the stacking base are preferably provided on the stacking base. This measure proves to be advantageous, for example, when the sheets of a sheet stack seated over the catch plate on the stacking base are separated, for example by means of a suction device, and removed from the stack. In this case, the releasable connection means ensure that the catch plate remains in any case on the stacking pad and is not lifted off the suction device.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing of exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 1

Eine schematische Darstellung einer erfindungsgemäßen Einrichtung mit einer selbsttätig arbeitenden Einrichtung zum Auflegen der Fangplatte auf die Gitterstäbe,

Fig. 2

eine Ansicht in Richtung des Pfeils II in Fig. 1 eines im Ausführungsbeispiel verwendeten Speichers für eine Mehrzahl von Fangplatten,

Fig. 3

ein Detail eines Ausführungsbeispiels, welches das Zusammenspiel einer federnden Mitnehmeranordnung mit einer Führungseinrichtung am Speicher veranschaulicht,

Fig. 4

die in Fig. 4 dargestellte Mitnehmeranordnung in einer Draufsicht,

Fig. 5

ein Ausführungsbeispiel für eine mittels lösbarer Verbindungsmittel auf der Stapelunterlage fixierte Fangplatte.

Show here:

Fig. 1

A schematic representation of a device according to the invention with an automatically operating device for placing the catch plate on the bars,

Fig. 2

2 shows a view in the direction of arrow II in FIG. 1 of a memory used in the exemplary embodiment for a plurality of catch plates,

Fig. 3

1 shows a detail of an exemplary embodiment, which illustrates the interaction of a resilient driver arrangement with a guide device on the memory,

Fig. 4

4 a top view of the driver arrangement shown in FIG.

Fig. 5

an embodiment of a catch plate fixed on the stacking base by means of releasable connecting means.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a flat pallet 1.2 suspended from lifting chains 1.1 is provided as the lifting platform 1 of a stacking lifting device, which can be raised to a certain upper level by means of the lifting chain 1.1 and lowered to a certain lower level as needed the displayed representation is at its lowest level. The lifting platform 1 carries one Stacking base 2 in the form of a further flat pallet with a stack support surface 2.1 interrupted by parallel grooves 2.2 (see FIG. 5).

A downward-directed sheet stream, which is to be combined into individual stacks and is formed from essentially horizontally oriented, continuously successive sheets, is emitted, for example, from a chain delivery unit of a sheet-fed rotary printing press. A section of corresponding boom chains 4 is shown in Fig. 1 as a dash-dotted line. Gripper devices 5 carried by such cantilever chains convey in a known manner successive sheets 6 at machine speed, usually via a suction roller 7, in the direction of a leading edge stop 8 and release the respective sheet 6 at a certain distance in front of the leading edge stop 8, so that the respective one Sheet oriented essentially horizontally and braked by the suction roller 7 while falling towards the front edge stop 8 and forms a stack 10, which is built up successively from an auxiliary stack 9.

In Fig. 1, the lifting platform 1 is shown in a removal position in which the flat pallet 1.2 of the lifting platform 1 is at its lowest level. From this removal position, a single stack 10 or partial stacks 10 ′ placed one above the other in a hurdle formation can be removed from the area of the device together with the stacking base 2. After removal has taken place, an empty stacking pad 2 is placed on the flat pallet 1.2 in order to hold a further stack formed from the sheet stream. Such a further stack is picked up after lifting the flat pallet 1.2 and thus the empty stacking base 2 to an upper level, on which the stacking base 2 with an auxiliary carrying device interacts, namely taking over the auxiliary stack 9 carried by the auxiliary carrying device, which during the disposal of the flat pallet 2 occupied by a single stack 10 or a hurdle formation from partial stacks 10 'by lowering and transporting it and while providing an empty stacking base 2 and raising it to said upper level from a subset of the arc current.

The auxiliary support device provided for temporarily carrying the auxiliary stack 9 built up from this subset comprises, in a known manner, parallel lattice bars 12. These are between a standby position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 1 outside the sheet current and a position inside the sheet current, Catch position shown with full lines and displaceable and otherwise designed and arranged so that they can be countersunk in the grooves 2.2 of the stacking base 2 which can be seen in FIG.

While in conventional devices of this type the lowermost sheet of the auxiliary stack 9 is deposited directly on the bars 12, according to the invention a catch plate 13 is provided which rests directly on the bars 12 and underpins the auxiliary stack 9 which is formed successively from the sheets of the sheet current. This catch plate now sits together with a first auxiliary stack 9 on the stacking base 2, at the moment when it is raised to the above-mentioned upper level, at which it interacts with the auxiliary carrying device. This interaction takes place in a known manner in the form that the bars 12 immerse in the grooves 2.2 of the stacking base 2 moving towards the upper level. This immersion takes place in the device according to the invention up to the mutual contact of the stacking pad 2 on the one hand and on the other hand Catch plate 13. With the establishment of this contact, the catch plate 13 is now placed on the stacking pad 2 and the support of the catch plate 13 on the bars 12 is canceled, so that the catch plate 13 only temporarily rests on the bars 12. After mutual contact between the stacking pad 2 and the catch plate 13, the bars 12 are withdrawn into their ready position (position shown in broken lines in FIG. 1).

A single stack 10 in the form of an entire stack or individual stack 10 'in hurdle formation can now be placed on the catch plate 13 transferred to the stacking base 2 in this way, whereby an entire stack would be understood to mean one in which the sheets forming it are stacked on top of one another in particular up to a height are, in which the available space below the bars 12 in the catching position is optimally used.

As can be seen, an embodiment of the subject matter of the invention is shown in FIG. 1 with which the formation of individual sheet stacks 10 ′ takes place in hurdle formation. In this illustration, a first catch plate 13, initially deposited on the lattice bars 12 and underlining a first auxiliary stack 9, is placed directly on the stacking base 2 and carries a partial stack 10 and stack support elements 35 which project above the partial stack 10 ′ in height. A further catch plate 13 is then placed on these stack support elements 35, initially deposited on the lattice bars 12 and underlining a further auxiliary stack 9.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the auxiliary support device comprising the rake 11 is itself height-adjustable. This is shown schematically in the form of a displacement device 14 for the rake 11 load-bearing frame 15, which is similar to the flat pallet 1.2 suspended on other lifting chains 16. This means that the auxiliary stack 9 can also be lowered from its catch position into its ready position to compensate for a continuously increasing stack height during its construction, during placement on the stacking base 2 and during the displacement of the bars 12. In addition, the height adjustability of the auxiliary support device also enables the bars 12 to be returned without hindrance from a position immersed in the grooves 2.2 into the ready position of the bars 12.

The auxiliary support device is also to be attributed to a cross-section 17, which can also be seen in cross-section in FIG. 1 and is also height-adjustable and which supports the free ends of the bars 12 in their catching position. The means known per se for height adjustment of the crossmember 17 are not shown.

The displacement device 14 is indicated in FIG. 1 merely by way of example in the form of a transmission drive which is driven by means of a servomotor 36. An automatic displacement device is thus provided which, together with a memory 18 which is explained below, represents a device which automatically deposits the catch plate 13 onto the bars 12.

The store 18 is arranged above the lattice bars 12 in their ready position and provides a plurality of catch plates 13 stacked therein. In the course of a longitudinal displacement of the bars 12 in one direction of insertion, which is directed toward the arc current, the rake 11 removes a lowermost one of the catch plates 13 from this memory 18 by means of a rake 11 provided on the rake 11. Driver arrangement explained in more detail below, with the removed catch plate 13 being placed on the bars 12.

The store 18 is essentially in the form of a rectangular box with a pair of side walls 19 running along the direction of insertion. The clear dimension between the side walls 19 is expediently chosen such that these guide surfaces represent end faces of the catch plates 13 stored in the store 18 that extend in the direction of insertion . As can best be seen from FIG. 2, the store 18 has a metering opening 21 on a first end face 20 facing the arc stream, which opens a front end side of the lowest catch plate 13 in each case. This feed opening 21 can be adjusted by means of adjustable feed tongues 22 to the thickness of the catch plates 13 provided in the store 18. In the present exemplary embodiment, such an allocation tongue 22 is designed as a tab provided with an elongated hole and screwed to the first end face 20 of the store 18, the height of which can be adjusted via the elongated hole. The dispensing opening 21 is expediently provided with a height which is slightly greater than the thickness of a respective one of the catch plates 13 present in the store 18.

Furthermore, the store 18 has a second opening 23 opposite the feed opening 21 and a third opening 25 in a bottom 24 of the store carrying the catch plates 13. The feed opening 21, the second opening 23 and the third opening 25 form a coherent recess which is at the front can be seen most clearly in FIG. 2. Overall, the entire front end face of the bottom catch plate 13, at least part of its rear end face and at least one part of its underside extending from the front to the rear end face is freely accessible. This free accessibility is provided for an intervention on the above-mentioned on Rake 11 arranged driver arrangement in the interior of the memory 18. The above-mentioned intervention takes place in the course of the longitudinal displacement of the bars 12 directed towards the arc flow. For this purpose, the driver arrangement has at least one stop surface 26 perpendicular to the bars 12 and pointing in the direction of insertion, which in the Course of said longitudinal displacement attacks on the rear end face of the bottom catch plate 13 and pushes it out onto the grid bars 12 through the dispensing opening 21 of the store 18 and into the sheet stream. The lower catch plate 13 can be placed on the bars 12 successively, depending on their position, or can already be provided in the ready position of the bars 12 from the outset. In the latter case, the lattice bars 12 (as shown in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 1) are placed in their ready position on the underside of the lowest catch plate 13. Depending on the type of storage, an upper edge 27 of the stop surface 26 is to be provided at a certain level with respect to the bars 12.

FIG. 3 shows a variant of the driver arrangement and its interaction with a guide device 28 on the memory 18. Here, the driver arrangement is equipped with a spring arrangement 29, which strives to keep the upper edge 27 of the stop surface 26 at a first level 30 with respect to the bars 12. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a corresponding stop surface 26 is molded onto a curved part of a leaf spring, which is connected to a lattice rod 12, for example by spot welding. This driver arrangement works together with the said guide device 28, which is assigned to the second opening 23 of the storage 18 opposite the dispensing opening 21. By means of this guide device 28, the upper edge 27 of the stop surface 26 of the driver arrangement is counter to the effect of the spring arrangement 29 can be lowered from the first level 30 with respect to the lattice bars 12 to a correspondingly lower second level 31, the second level 31 being adjustable relative to the store 18 by a height adjustment of the guide device 28 and expediently located somewhat below an upper side of the respective lowest catch plate 13 . To adjust the height of the guide device 28, it can be connected to the memory 18 in a manner similar to the allocation tongues 22 by means of combinations of an elongated hole on the guide device 28 and a fastening screw penetrating the elongated hole, as shown by way of example in FIG. 3.

The guide device 28 provided has, in particular, a first guide surface 32 which is inclined downwards in the direction of the second opening 23 and slopes down to the second level 31 and which now guides the upper edge 26 of the driver arrangement, which was originally on the first level 30, in the course of the longitudinal displacement in the direction of insertion the bars 12 against the action of the spring assembly 29 to the lower second level 31. In the exemplary embodiment shown, a horizontal second guide surface 33 adjoins the first guide surface 32 at the level of the second level 31, which, however, can be dispensed with if the first guide surface 32 is positioned appropriately with respect to the second opening 23 of the store 18. The combination of such a guide device 28 and of such a driver arrangement equipped with a spring arrangement 29 thus enables the latter to be adapted to different thicknesses of the catch plates 13.

As releasable connecting means 34 for fixing the catch plate 13 placed on the stacking base 2, resilient clips are provided in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5. However, these are only exemplary for releasable connecting means for fixing a plate on a base.

The box-shaped storage 18 is expediently open at the top so that it can be loaded with catch plates 13 from here.

If, as is the basis in the present case, the sheet stream is emitted by the chain delivery of a sheet-fed rotary printing press, the lattice bars 12 in their ready position and thus also the store 18 expediently assume a position in front of the individual stacks to be formed, as seen in the delivery direction of the chain delivery. The store 18 is thus between the bars 12 on the one hand and the lower runs of the jib chain 4 on the other. With a view to improved accessibility of the store 18 for loading it with catch plates 13, it is therefore expedient to arrange the store 18 displaceably transversely to the direction of delivery. The nature and dimensioning of the catch plates 13, in turn, can be adapted to their respective purpose within the scope of the invention, in particular different determinations being given by the use of the catch plates 13 in the formation of individual stacks 10 in the form of the mentioned total stack on the one hand and the mentioned partial stack 10 'on the other hand .

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

1

Lift

1.1

Lifting chain

1.2

Flat pallet

2nd

Stacking pad

2.1

Stacking surface

2.2

Groove

4th

Cantilever chain

5

Gripper device

6

bow

7

Suction roll

8th

Leading edge stop

9

Partial stack

10th

stack

11

rake

12th

Lattice bar

13

Catch plate

14

Displacement device

15

frame

16

Lifting chain

17th

traverse

18th

Storage

19th

Sidewall of memory 18

20th

first end face of the memory 18

21

Allocation opening of the memory 18

22

Alloting tongue

23

Second opening of the memory 18

24th

Bottom of the store 18

25th

third opening of the memory 18

26

Stop surface of the driver arrangement

27

Top edge of the stop surface 26

28

Management facility

29

Spring arrangement

30th

first level of the upper edge 27

31

second level of the upper edge 27

32

first guide surface of the guide device 28

33

second guide surface of the guide device 28

34

releasable lanyards

35

Stack support element

36

Servomotor

Claims (10)

1. Apparatus for forming individual sheet stacks (10) from a downwardly directed stream of sheets made up of essentially horizontally oriented sheets following continuously one after the other, having

   - a stack-lifting device which comprises a lifting platform (1) and a stack base (2) positioned on the lifting platform (1),

   - an auxiliary carrying device which comprises parallel grid bars (12) which are combined to form a rack (11) and can be displaced back and forth between a standby position, provided outside the stream of sheets, and a receiving position, located within the stream of sheets, and

   - a stack-bearing surface (2.1) which is formed on the stack base (2) and has grooves (2.2) running through it, in which grooves the grid bars (12) can be lowered,

   - the auxiliary carrying device, in the receiving position of the grid bars (12), temporarily carrying a sub-quantity of the sheets (6), which sub-quantity originates from the stream of sheets, in the form of an auxiliary stack (9) and, with the grid bars (12) being displaced into their standby position, transferring said auxiliary stack to the stack-lifting device, and

   - further sheets (6) originating from the stream of sheets building up the auxiliary stack (9), transferred onto the stack-lifting device, to form a sheet stack (10),

   characterized in that

   - a charging device is provided, by means of which a horizontally oriented receiving plate (13) which is provided in addition to the stack base (2) and has a planar, continuous sheet-bearing surface can be displaced, independently of the stack base (2), from a position outside the stream of sheets into a receiving position, inside the stream of sheets,

   - the charging device being formed using the auxiliary carrying device, the grid bars (12) of which bear the receiving plate (13) to be displaced until the auxiliary stack (9) has been transferred to the stack-lifting device.
2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that, once a respective auxiliary stack (9) has been transferred to the stack-lifting device, a respective receiving plate (13) which grips beneath the auxiliary stack (9) is set down on the stack-bearing surface (2.1) of an empty stack base (2) which is available.
3. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that

   - once a first auxiliary stack (9) has been transferred to the stack-lifting device, a first receiving plate (13) which grips beneath the first auxiliary stack (9) is set down on the stack-bearing surface (2.1) of an empty stack base (2) which is available,

   - a first sub-stack (10') is formed by means of a further sub-quantity of the sheets (6) of the stream of sheets from the first auxiliary stack (9) set down on the stack-bearing surface (2.1),

   - stack-supporting elements (35) which are known per se and project vertically beyond the first sub-stack (10') are set down on the first receiving plate (13), and

   - once a second auxiliary stack (9) has been transferred to the stack-lifting device, a second receiving plate (13) which grips beneath the second auxiliary stack (9) is set down on the stack-supporting elements (35).
4. Apparatus according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that a store (18) which makes available a plurality of receiving plates (13) which are stacked one on top of the other is arranged above the grid bars (12) located in the standby position, from which store it is possible to remove the respectively lowermost receiving plate (13), by means of a carry-along arrangement provided on the rack (11), during a longitudinal displacement of the grid bars (12) which takes place in an insertion direction and is directed towards the receiving position, the receiving plate being deposited on the grid bars (12) in the process.
5. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the auxiliary carrying device is vertically adjustable.
6. Apparatus according to Claim 4, characterized in that

   - a supply opening (21) is provided on a first end side (20), facing the stream of sheets, of the store (18), and this supply opening releases a front end side of the respectively lowermost receiving plate (13),

   - provision is made for at least one second opening (23), located opposite the supply opening (21), of the store (18), and at least one third opening (25) is provided in a bottom (24), carrying the receiving plates (13), of the store (18), and the carry-along arrangement engages into the store (18), through the second and the third opening (23 and 25), during the longitudinal displacement of the grid bars (12) which is directed towards the receiving position,

   - the carry-along arrangement has at least one stop surface (26) which is perpendicular with respect to the grid bars (12), is oriented in the insertion direction and acts on a rear end side of the respectively lowermost receiving plate (13) during the longitudinal displacement of the grid bars (12) which is directed towards the receiving position.
7. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized by a displacement device (14) which automatically displaces the grid bars (12) in their longitudinal direction.
8. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterized in that

   - the carry-along arrangement is equipped with a spring arrangement (29) which compliantly retains an upper edge (27) of the stop surface (26) on a first level (30) with respect to the grid bars (12),

   - to the second opening (23), located opposite the supply opening (21), is assigned a vertically adjustable guide device (28) by means of which the upper edge (27) of the stop surface (26) can be lowered to a lower, second level (31) with respect to the grid bars (12).
9. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterized in that, by means of adjustable supply tongues (22), the supply opening (21) can be set to the thickness of the receiving plates (13) which are made available in the store (18).
10. Apparatus according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that provision is made for releasable connecting means (34) which fix the receiving plate (13) on the stack base (2) once said receiving plate has been set down thereon.

Images