Other

Ameco Corporation

Heinz H Schmeisser

James A Franz

Lawrence A Johnson

Jack Ryan

An apparatus for collecting strips of metal into stacks and transfering the stacks to a hopper of a press includes a stack accumulating and blocking pocket at an output of a cut-off shear, a stack lift, rotate and turn-over mechanism to reorient the stack prior to input to the hopper, and a gripper head on a transfer gantry to move the stack from the lift, rotate and turn-over mechanism to the hopper. The gripper head is movable to an angle in alignment with the feed angle of the hopper to deposit the stack on the top strip in the hopper in alignment therewith.

Scroll strip stack transfer device

A multi-station press is provided with a press transfer device that engages articles at the press stations after processing and transfers the articles to the next station before the press performs its next press cycle. The press transfer device includes a pair of elongated transfer bars extending along the transfer directions of the press, and grippers or other article engaging elements mounted along the transfer bars to engage the articles for transfer. The transfer bars are moved together by a grip moving unit to engage the articles, the transfer bars are lifted by a lifter, the transfer bars are then moved endwise by an endwise moving unit to the next press station. The lifter then lowers the bars and the grip moving unit moves the bars apart to disengage the articles, thereby leaving the articles at the next station. The grip moving unit ensures that the transfer bars are moved far enough apart so as not to interfere with the press during the next press cycle.

Press transfer apparatus

An apparatus for accumulating blanks into stacks and transferring the stacks into a welder hopper of a can former/welder includes an arrangement of side-by-side blank accumulating pockets at an output of a slitter. The side-by-side arrangement is movable to adjacent an indexing and storage station and a pusher to push the stacks from the side-by-side arrangement to the indexing and storage station is provided. The indexing and storage station moves in an indexed fashion to align each stack individually with a single stack receiving station, where single stacks are received from the indexing and storage station. The stack in the single stack receiving station is blocked, lifted and rotated for engagement by an overhead gripper of a gantry assembly which moves the stack to the welder hopper when needed.

Can blank handling apparatus

An apparatus and method for transferring can blanks from a steel slitting machine to a welder includes a two stage chain conveyor feeding stacker pockets on a dial indexer or turntable for holding a predetermined number of stacks. A gripper assembly mounted at the end of a vertical drive assembly on a horizontally movable carriage moves along a horizontal overhead beam to transfer stacked blanks from the turntable into the welder hopper.

Method and apparatus for transporting can blanks and the like

A robotic case packing system arranges a row of articles entering on a conveyor into an arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of articles to be packaged, where an end effector of a robotic arm engages the individual articles and lifts them for placement into waiting cases. The end effector of a first embodiment includes opposed pairs of stationary and pivoting gripper elements for engaging each of the articles. The pivoting gripper elements are provided through the action of cylinders operating through a linkage connected to a lever for rotating a cam shaft on which is mounted a cam for engaging a cam follower on the pivoting gripper element. A second embodiment includes suction cups for engaging smooth tops of articles. To ensure that the cases to be packed are square and that the flaps are open, a box squaring mechanism engages and squares the cases, while the robotic arm is controlled to use the engaged articles to push the flaps of the cases to an open position using a zig-zag motion before inserting the articles.

Growing community of inventors

Greenfield, WI, United States of America

Heinz H Schmeisser