US2208433A

US2208433A - Sheet stacking and transfer mechanism

Info

Publication number: US2208433A
Application number: US283805A
Authority: US
Inventors: Rudolph R Seft
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1939-07-11
Filing date: 1939-07-11
Publication date: 1940-07-16
Anticipated expiration: 1957-07-16

Description

July 16, 1940. R. R. SEFT SHEET STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1939 July 16, 19%. R R EFT 2,208,433

SHEET STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed July 11, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J2 llIIIIlllI|IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 33 J 01 e Ta \i 5L D] r 1 ZQ/LIT 6 a 2/ I b 2 INVENTOR Patented July 16, 1940 PATENT GFFICE SHEET STACKING AND TRANSFER MECHANISM Rudolph R. Seft,

Brackenridge, Pa.

Application July 11, 1939, Serial No. 283,805

3 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in sheet stackers, more particularly to a stacker for conveying sheet material from a receiving station and transferring the same to a delivery station in a manner to eliminate relative movement between the sheet and its support, thereby preventing marring and scratching of the surface, the invention being particularly useful in the handling of highly polished metal sheets such as stainless steel or chromium plated materials.

The invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a sheet transfer mechanism embodying the principle of this invention;

Fig. 2 a side elevational View thereof;

Fig. 3 an end elevational View taken on line 33, Fig. 2; and

Figs. 4 to '7 inclusive, diagrammatic illustrations of the conveying means in the positions of receiving and delivering the sheet material.

In the several figures of the drawings, the numeral l designates a pair of side frames mounted on a base 2 having an elevated rail 3 bolted thereon by clamping brackets 4 constituting the rail 3 a rigid extension of the side frames. The side frames are connected by

tie rods

5 and 6 bolted at their ends and in between the frames in the manner shown in Fig. 3 so that the assembled frames on their bases 2 constitute a self-sustaining machine unit, which is readily transportable for use to different sections of an industrial plant.

Mounted on the rails 3 is a shuttle frame 1 supported on wheeled axles 8, the wheels 9 of which ride the rail 3 between the rail stops or end abutments I and II. Wheels 9 are flanged wheels as shown in Fig. 1 to prevent displacement of the shuttle frame on its supporting rail when subjected to shuttle movement. The frame 1 is provided with gear teeth I2 along their entire length which constitute the frames 1 gear racks that are engaged by the teeth 13 of gear wheels 14 mounted on a common shaft l having a pinion l6 that is actuated by a rack l1.

Rack H is mounted on a flanged guide wheel l8 which is spaced from pinion I6 a suitable distance to maintain proper contact of the rack teeth with the pinion teeth. Back I! is further provided with an elongated slot l9 in which is disposed a drive shaft that carries a collar 2| to prevent displacement of the rack. The rack is further provided with rollers 22 and. 23 which engage a driver 24 that is mounted to rotate with the shaft 20 to constitute an eccentric drive.

As shown in Fig. l, shaft 20 is driven through gear train 25 by the motor 26 and when the motor is energized the eccentric movement of the ring 24

engaging rollers

22 and 23 causes a reciprocating movement of the rack drive H which subjects the shuttle frame 1 to reciprocating movement on the track 3 within the limits of the stroke of rack l1.

The sheet material to be transferred on the shuttle frame is supported by a plurality of belts 21 that extend over roll shafts 28 and 29, the shafts being journaled on the shuttle frames 1.

Frames 1 are provided with tie rods 30 and 3| to rigidly secure them, and are further provided with tongues disposed in

slots

32 and 33 of the rails 3, Fig. 3, to prevent upward displacement of the rack. The belts 21 pass around a series of flanged pulleys 34 and around a plurality of

pulley shafts

35 and 36 that are journaled on the main frames I.

There are a plurality of belts, a series of five sets of belts being shown, which pass around the pulleys of

shafts

28, 29, 35 and 36, in the manner shown in Figs. 1 and 4 to '7 inclusive.

The pulley shafts are actuated by drive mechanism separate from the shuttle frame drive and consists of a train of gears generally designated by the reference numeral 31, driven from shaft 38 of the motor 26, there being two power shafts extending from a gear transmission which is housed in the end bracket 39 of a motor 26. Only the shaft 36 is driven by the gear train, and

shafts

28, 29 and 35 are actuated by the belt as driven by shaft 36. i

The operation of the sheet transfer and. stacking mechanism is more clearly shown in connection with the diagrammatic illustration of Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive of the drawings and is as follows:

The transfer apparatus is mounted at a receiving station such as cutting shears, roller levels or other apparatus employed for acting upon the sheet material, such as highly polished monel metal or chromium plated sheets in a manner to support the sheet flatwise as it is dropped bodily on the belts 21. The shuttle mechanism is continually operative in its traversing movement across the rails 3 between the abutments I0 and H and is in timed relation with the dropping of the sheet material on the belt, so that when viewed in the drawings the shuttle frame 1 would be in the extreme right hand position of its travel as the sheet is dropped thereon. The shuttle drive is effected through the eccentric ring 24 which actuates the rack I! that in turn rotates gear wheels I3, which by their rack-tooth engagement with the shuttle frame subject the latter to the shuttle or traversing movement on the rails 3.

Simultaneously with the movement of the shuttle frame, the gear drive 31 actuates all of the belts 21 so that the belt movement will be in the same direction as the shuttle movement, and the sheet material, whichis received on the belt when in the extreme right hand position, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the numeral designating the sheet material, will be moving in the same direction as the shuttle, as shown by the arrow, but at a faster rate, so as to traverse the distance between rollers 28 and 29 while the shuttle frame is travelling toward the extreme left hand abutment H.

As the shuttle frame reaches the end of its travel, the sheet 49 will have passed beyond the end of the belt and the tip of the sheet will rest on top of the stack so that upon beginning of the reverse movement of the shuttle and the belt running forward, it will be dropped ofi as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. By this combined movement of the shuttle and belts, there is no relative movement between the sheet material and its support, or any part of the transfer mechanism, thus preventing the marring orscratching of the surface of the sheet, which is laid upon the stack as though placed thereon by hand.

Upon reverse movement of the carriageafter the sheet has been deposited on the, stack, the

top flight of the belt will be substantially stationary or moving slightly in the opposite direc-' tion from the movement of the carriage. If, therefore, a plurality of sheets have been deposited on the top flight in axially spaced relation, the second sheet will remain on the carriage and a second sheet will be deposited thereon when the carriage returns to the receiving station.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the details of construction without departing from the principles.

herein set forth.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for transferring sheet material and the like comprising a supporting base structure, a movable frame supported on parallel rails of said structure, a plurality of pulleys mounted on said frame, and a plurality of pulleys mounted on said supporting structure, conveyor belts looped around said pulleys, means for subjecting said frame to shuttle movement on its support, and independent means for actuating the belt pulleys to subject the belt to movement simultaneously with and in the direction of sheet transferring movement of the shuttle frame.

2. Apparatus for transferring sheet material comprising a plurality of parallel side frames mounted on a base having transverse supports constituting a rigid supporting structure, a plurality of rails on said frame, a carriagelmounted on wheeled axles movable on said rails, said carriage being provided with rack teeth for engagement with gear wheels, a rack arm for actuating the gear wheels, an eccentric drive for said arm to subject the carriage to reciprocating movement on the rails, pulley shafts mounted on the carriage and pulley shafts mounted in the side frames for supporting endless conveyor belts, means for actuating the pulley shafts to drive said belts whereby the belts and carriage simultaneously travel in the same direction during the sheet transfer movement of the carriage.

3. Apparatus for transferring sheet material comprising a plurality of parallel side frames mounted on a base having transverse supports constituting a rigid supporting structure, a plurality ofrails on said irame,a carriage mounted on wheeled axles movable on said rails between a receiving station and a delivery station, a plurality of pulley shafts mounted in said carriage and side frames, endless belts passing around the pulleys of said movable carriage and side frames, means for actuating the belts, and means for actuating the carriage to simultaneously subject the belt pulleys and carriage to movement in the same direction while the carriage is travelling from the receiving station and to maintain the top flights of the'beltsubstantially stationary upon the reverse travel of said carriage.

RUDOLPH R, SEFT.