High capacity stacker/separating device

Abstract

A high capacity conveyor assembly is utilizable with pressure sealers or other business forms manufacturing or handling equipment to efficiently handle forms that may be job separated, and provides high capacity outfeed. An infeed conveyor has a first horizontal conveyance surface and feeds forms in a first direction to a pair of nip wheels, with an outfeed conveyor downstream of the wheels for also feeding forms in the first direction and having a second horizontal conveyance surface. The nip wheels are powered and include a top nip wheel and a bottom nip wheel with a nip between them, the bottom nip wheel having a top peripheral surface closer to the outfeed conveyor than is the nip. A transition element (such as a low friction shelf) has a form supporting surface lower than the bottom nip wheel top peripheral surface, and is between the nip wheels and outfeed conveyor. A sensor senses build up of forms on the transition element and through a controller controls operation of the outfeed conveyor (which preferably is a pair of rollers with a number of conveyor tapes or belts wrapped around them) to at spaced time intervals carry forms away. The infeed conveyor has conveyance elements (such as rollers with endless conveyor tapes or belts) mounted on a carriage pivoted at the infeed end for movement about a vertical axis, with the outfeed end is moved generally linearly by a stepper motor with a pin/slot connection to the carriage.