GB1083400A - Improvements in blank feeding devices - Google Patents

Abstract

1,083,400. Feeding sheets. KLIKLOK CORPORATION. Nov. 8, 1965 [Nov. 10, 1964], No. 47315/65. Heading B6B. Box blanks B are fed to folding mechanism from a pile, in which they are supported on edge by rods 11, Fig. 1, by suction nozzles 48 mounted on a carriage reciprocating between an upper position in which the nozzles pick up a blank and a lower position in which the blank is delivered to the folding mechanism, the carriage being guided by tracks 53 which are straight except at their upper parts 55, the latter being curved to cause the nozzles 48 to engage the leading blank as described below. The nozzles 48 are carried by rods 49, 50 attached to a bar 51 connected at its ends by links 58 to a rod 56, the parts 51, 56, 58 constituting the carriage. The rod and bar have rollers 52, 57 at their ends running in the tracks 53. An arm 60 fixed to the bar 51 has a roller 62 running in a vertical track 63, so that when the rollers 52, 57 enter the curved track part 55, the bar 51 is rotated and the nozzles 48 are moved into engagement with the leading blank. During the reverse movement, the bottom of the blank is moved away from the pile, and the blank is moved vertically downwards until its leading edge engages a stop (83, Fig. 2) when the nozzles come to rest and release the blank. The side edges of the blank pass between guide rods 64, 65 as the blank moves downwardly. Rods 59 connect the carriage to an arm (76, Fig. 8) which together with another arm (89) is fixed to a shaft (91). The arm (89) is connected by a link (90) to a lever (88) oscillated by a motordriven crank-pin engaging a slot therein. This arrangement causes the upward inoperative movement of the carriage to be faster than the downward movement. Vacuum is applied to and released from the nozzles 48 through a control valve (73, Fig. 7) having an operating member (74) acted upon by stops (75) on the arm (76). At the lower delivery-position of the nozzles, another vacuum-release valve (67, Fig. 2) near to the nozzles is opened by the action of a bracket (82, Fig. 3) on a valve arm (68, Fig. 2) so as to ensure that the vacuum is cut off at the moment the carriage has reached its lowermost position. The valve arm (68, Fig. 2) can also be actuated by a signal element (79) as described in Specification 987,711, to open the valve (67) and stop the feed of the blanks without stopping the machine. The front of the pile of blanks abuts against washers 13 on the ends of the rods 11, fingers 14, and brackets 15, 16 having shoulders 19 extending into slits 17, 18 in the blanks.