Fmc Corporation

James W Krueger

Jeffrey L Ross

Donald C Crawford

A light contact feeder for receiving randomly spaced articles, lightly abutting the articles and delivering single articles or paired articles to individual flights of a flighted conveyor. A first feeder conveyor lightly abuts articles from a supply conveyor and delivers the abutted articles to a second feeder conveyor which times the articles relative to the flights of the flighted conveyor. A third feeder conveyor matches article speed to flighted conveyor speed and a fourth feeder conveyor phases individual articles for placement between the flights of the flighted conveyor. The fourth conveyor can also group articles in pairs and phase the pairs for placement between the flights of the flighted conveyor.

Computer controlled light contact feeder employing four independently

A non-contact article feeder takes randomly spaced articles and places these articles in proper spacing and timing for transfer to a wrapping machine without the use of tie downs or guide rails. A plurality of flat belt conveyors connected in series open or close gaps between adjacent articles and deliver the articles at proper phase and proper velocity to flights of a conveyor of a wrapping machine. A computer monitors the articles to provide synchronization of individual conveyor belts and between the feeder and the wrapping machine.

Computer controlled non-contact feeder with space-control device

A light contact feeder uses a pair of individually controlled conveyor belts to receive randomly spaced articles and to deliver the articles in a lightly abutted arrangement. The feeder uses a trio of accumulator scanners above an accumulator belt to control belt speed and deliver lightly abutted articles to a metering belt. The metering belt delivers the articles at proper speed and phase to an article processing machine.

Growing community of inventors

Green Bay, WI, United States of America

James W Krueger