Fairfield Machine Company, Inc.

Tri-vision International Corporation

Frederick A McLaughlin

Richard M Amendolea

Michael Scott Roote

Duane C Reed

An accumulating conveyor for elongated stock, such as tubes, rods, bars and similar articles. At least three independently operable conveyor banks are arranged for sequentially transferring elongated stock from one bank to the next. Each conveyor bank includes a number of elongated substantially parallel racks which extend in the direction of desired conveyance and each rack has at least two adjacent rows of teeth extending longitudinally along the rack. The teeth of one row of each rack are staggered with respect to the teeth of the other row and a drive is connected to alternately raise one row of teeth above the other whereby elongated stock placed transversely on one end of the racks will be moved to the other end of the racks for offloading or transfer to an adjacent conveyor bank. Sensors are positioned for sensing the presence of elongated stock on each conveyor bank and for energizing and deenergizing selected ones of the conveyer bank drives whereby elongated stock fed into one end of the accumulator conveying apparatus is moved to the other end and elongated stock is accumulated on the intermediate conveyor banks.

Accumulating conveyor for elongated stock

Depleted stock feeder tubes, and feed malfunctions, are detected in bar fed machines such as automatic screw machines, CNC lathes and the like, employing reciprocating feed tubes with flexible feed fingers that grip the stock, with a sensor assembly mounted on a pivoted stock feeding lever or other feeder mechanism. The body of the sensor assembly is positioned to press against a roller or other connecting member extending laterally from the feed tube assembly, and retract the feed tube. A plunger or other reciprocating contact member is mounted in and biased to extend from the body. If a feed tube is stocked when the feed tube is retracted, the force required to retract the feed tube is greater than the biasing force on the plunger, the plunger moves, and a proximity sensor or other detector senses the new position or motion of the plunger. If stock is depleted, the force required to retract the feed tube is less than the biasing force on the plunger, the plunger does not move, and a signal is generated to stop the machine or take other corrective action.

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Columbiana, OH, United States of America

Frederick A McLaughlin