GB929480A - Glass sheet handling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

929,480. Laminating glass sheets. LIBBEY-OWENS-FORD GLASS CO. Feb. 13, 1962, No. 5423/62. Class 140. [Also in Group XXIII] To invert a glass sheet travelling on a conveyer in a substantially horizontal position, the leading edge of the sheet is intercepted and raised upwardly about the trailing edge as the trailing edge moves onwardly and in the raised position, the leading edge is engaged and the sheet lowered in inverted position as the trailing edge continues to move forwardly. As shown, pairs of sheets A, B on endless conveyer belts 20 supported on slats 19 are passed under a spray booth 11, where they are sprayed with a parting material, under the inverting mechanism 12, 13, where the first sheet A is inverted to lie on top of the second sheet B, and thence to an aligning station 14 which aligns the sheets ready for passing to a bending mould. At the edgelifting station 12, a pair of adjustable flexible straps 34 with lateral fingers 35 are mounted on legs 32 extending downwardly from brackets 29 mounted adjustably on a cross-member 25 between uprights 24, the lower part of legs 32 acting as stops for the straps 34. The straps 34 are adjusted so that the fingers 35 lie below the belts 20 and are engaged by the leading edge of sheet A which pivots upwardly to the vertical position. As the straps 34 are freed from the sheet A, they swing down against stop legs 32, clearing sheet B and remaining in position to raise the next sheet A. In the raised position of sheet A, at station 13, the leading edge is engaged by sets of rollers 53 on a pair of shafts 52 mounted on downwardly bent portions 51 of arms 48 pivotally and adjustably mounted on a pintle 46 and with counterweights 54. Pintle 46 is mounted adjustably by arms 43 on a cross-member 39 between uprights 17. The arms 48 are maintained horizontal by engagement of counterweight 54 with stop-members 57 and, as the arms pivot downwardly with sheet A, movement is limited by a cross-member 50 engaging a stop 56 so that the sheet A slides off the rollers and falls the short distance on to sheet B, cushioned by the air between. At the aligning station 14, rollers 64 to engage sheet A are mounted on lever 62 pivoted at 63 and held by springs 68 against a stop member 70. Sheet A is held thereby until aligned with sheet B, when their combined force overcomes the springs 68 and lever 62 pivots out of the way of the aligned sheets.