GB895026A - Transfer mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

895,026. Buffing tyres. GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER CO. March 7, 1960 [April 23, 1959], No. 7929/60. Class 31 (1). [Also in Groups XXIII and XXX] Apparatus for transferring an annular article from an initial position to a terminal position comprises transfer means adjacent the initial position and terminal position and pivotally-mounted with respect thereto, means mounted on the transfer means to engage the article at a predetermined time about the interior of the annulus formed thereby and adapted to disengage the article at a predetermined time, means responsive to the position of the transfer means with respect to the initial and terminal positions to actuate the means mounted on the transfer means to engage an article at the initial position and disengage the article at the terminal position, and means to pivot the transfer means between the initial and terminal positions to move an article engaged on the transfer means from the initial position to the terminal position. A tyre is fed into an infeed conveyer table 1, Fig. 1, the rollers 15 of which are driven by an electric motor 14. The tyre rides forward on the rollers until it contacts stops 16 and assumes the position indicated by the dotted circle 17. The stops 16 are provided with limit switches 42. The table 1 is raised by fluid-operated piston and cylinder means until the tyre is positioned with a chuck 3 on a transfer arm 2 within the annulus formed by the tyre beads. Tyre grippers 18 are then moved radially outwardly from the chuck by fluid-operated piston and cylinder means 71 to grip the tyre at spaced points about its inner bead surface. The movement of the grippers 18 actuates limit switches 19. The arm 2 is moved pivotally about a column 31, Fig. 2, by means of a fluid-operated rack-and-pinion drive 20 to carry the tyre into position over the lower portion of the chuck 5 of the tyre burning- machine described in Specification 843,530. At the end of the pivotal movement of the arm 2, the grippers 18 are retracted and the tyre 43 drops on to the lower portion of the chuck 5. The arm 2 is then moved back to its position shown in Fig. 1 and the tyre buffing machine enters its cycle. At the end of the buffing cycle, a take-away conveyer table 4 is raised by fluid-pressure operated piston and cylinder means and lifts the tyre off the lower portion of the chuck 5 which has dropped at the end of the buffing operation as described in the prior Specification. At the same time, the rollers 21 of table 4 are driven by motor 45 to remove the tyre in the direction of the arrow 22. As the tyre traverses the table 4, it actuates a limit switch 52. The various limit switches are arranged in an electric circuit, Fig. 7 (not shown), which controls the operation of the various piston-and-cylinder means.