GB937457A - Apparatus for separating blanks from the bottom of a stack - Google Patents

Abstract

937,457. Feeding sheets. UNIVERSAL CORRUGATED BOX MACHINERY CORPORATION. Dec. 19, 1960 [June 10, 1960], No. 43598/60. Class 100 (1). The bottom blank of a stack of blanks S of corrugated board is separated by a perforated conveyer belt 34 arranged to travel over a suction chamber 37, the front portion of the blank being sucked against the belt and moved under an adjustable gauge means 123 to abut a registration stop 86 which is raised by means actuated from an associated printing &c. machine to allow the blank to be removed by the belt. The feeding unit is mounted on a frame 31, and comprises spaced rollers 32, 33 carrying the perforated endless belt 34 which is encompassed by the suction chamber 37, the latter being connected through a duct to a suction unit 39. The major part of the upper run of the belt 34 is supported by a plate 30, and the part adjacent the gauge and stop means is supported by idler rollers 36, whereby only the front portion of the bottom blank can be sucked against the belt. As shown, the stack of blanks 5 is staggered, and only the front part of the stack rests on the belt 34. The rear ends 64 of the blanks rest on rollers 63 carried in units 53 which are adjustably secured to an elongated rectangular member 52 which can be adjusted along the frame 31, by rack and pinion means 41, 46 operated by a hand wheel, to suit the length of blanks. There are three units 53, comprising two end ones which carry guides 65 to hug and register the sides of the stack, and a centre one which, in the case of box blanks, may have a forwardlyprojecting finger which engages in slots in the rear edges of the blanks to assist registration. The front edges 64<SP>1</SP> of the blanks S abut two spaced members 71 supported on two crossrods 66, 67. Each member 71 comprises a triangular frame which can be adjusted vertically by a knob 121, and the lower edge 123 of the frame forms a gauge which allows only one blank to be separated by the belt 34. An endless belt 131 mounted on pulleys is guided along the rear face of the frame so that it can engage the edges of the uppermost blanks; the belt is driven from a shaft 142 in a direction to urge the blanks towards the belt 34. Each member 71 carries a pivotally mounted lever 85 which has a depending stop 86 normally urged into contact with the belt 34 by a spring. The lever 85 and stop 86 is lifted periodically from the belt 34 to allow the passage of a blank, by an air cylinder and piston arrangement 93 which is controlled by a switch 158 operated by a cam 156 mounted on the shift of a printing roller 155<SP>1</SP> associated with the feeder unit. The separated blanks are fed to the printing machine by rollers 154, 155. In a modification (Fig. 11, not shown), the lever 85 and registration stop 86 is lifted by a mechanical linkage operated by a cam which is driven by gearing from the shaft of the printing roller.