Jwi Ltd.

Daniel DeHaan

John A VerBerkmoes

Nelson H Tansey

Joel D DeHaan

Sherwood Steketee

Michael J Brinks

A filter press plate shifter assembly provided with a shifter housing having a center part which passes over the filter plates and housing parts positioned adjacent opposite side rails. The housing parts are rollingly supported on rods which extend along the side rails. One housing part mounts a rotary pneumatic motor and a drive roller which drivingly engages the rod. Each housing part mounts a plate shifter unit having a pneumatic shift cylinder which is provided with relatively fixed and movable plate shifting blades. A pneumatic lift cylinder pivots the shift cylinder upwardly so that the blades project between handles of adjacent filter plates, following which the shift cylinder is energized so that the movable blade engages and shifts the endmost plate toward the open press head. A pressure sensor retracts the shift cylinder and lowers the lift cylinder, and a further pressure signal activates the drive motor to advance the housing to the next position for engagement with the next plate to begin the next plate shifting cycle.

Plate shifter for filter press

An apparatus for effecting separation of filter plates within a filter press, which apparatus includes first and second filter plate engaging pawls pivotally mounted on a carrier which is supported for generally linear back and forth movement longitudinally of the filter press. The pawls have adjacent free ends which define thereon generally opposed abutment surfaces adapted for engaging opposite sides of a filter plate. One pawl is spring urged into a raised position, and this one pawl has an upper camming surface adapted for contact with a bottom surface on the filter plate to urge the first pawl into a lowered position. The other pawl is pivotally mounted in a manner free of springs, and has an upwardly projecting cam lug which defines the respective abutment surface on one side, and a camming surface on the other side. The pawls each have a stop which projects outwardly beyond the respective abutment surface, and the stop on the other lever is positioned above the stop on the one lever so that upward swinging of the one lever causes corresponding upward swinging of the other lever.

Growing community of inventors

Zeeland, MI, United States of America

Daniel DeHaan