Gripper for handling and storing products in roll form

Abstract

A gripper for handling printed product rolls and empty roll cores is used for intermittently storing printed products wound on roll cores. The gripper has a central piece (10), which is fixed to a conveying or transporting device and which carries a gripper arm star or spider (20). On the gripper arm star (20) is a substantially circular array of radially movable roll clamping devices (30) for clamping a roll or rolls (W) from the periphery thereof and core supports (40) for engaging and supporting a rosette-shaped arrangement of juxtaposed roll cores (WK). The core supports (40) are pivotable so that, in a core handling configuration of the gripper, they are positioned within the circle formed by the roll clamping devices and in a roll handling configuration of the gripper they are moved out of that circle. The movements of the gripper parts are driven by linear drives and monitored by sensors, so that the gripper can operate in a fully automated manner.