Sheet handling apparatus with automatic removal of separating foil and method thereof
AssigneeAstes4 SA
InventorRoberto Zaffaroni
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and relative sheet handling apparatus apt to pick up sheets from a pack of sheets to be delivered to a cut-ting centre and for removing a separating foil between the sheets is described, including: a lifting and removing unit for a top sheet equipped with upper gripping heads; an air flow generating unit generating an air flow above the pack of sheets; and a control unit of the lifting unit, suitable for arranging the top sheet at a stasis height of up to 70 mm above the pack of sheet to define a suction chamber for the air flow generator.
Claims20
A sheet handling apparatus for picking up sheets from a pack of sheets and removing a separating foil (C) between said sheets, comprising:
- lifting means for lifting a top sheet (L1) from said pack of sheets, equipped with upper gripping heads (7);
- air flow generating means (8, 9, 10) for generating an air flow above said pack of sheets;
- and
- control means configured to control said lifting means according to a stasis height and a stasis time, whereby said lifting means are controlled such that said top sheet (L1) is lifted up to the stasis height, and then held at the stasis height above said pack of sheets for said stasis time to form during said stasis time a tunnel chamber delimited by said top sheet (L1) and said pack of sheets, said stasis height being at most 70 mm, and said air flow generating means (8, 9, 10) being operative at least during said stasis time to generate an air flow through the tunnel chamber.
A sheet handling apparatus for picking up sheets from a pack of sheets and removing a separating foil (C) between said sheets, comprising:
- lifting means for a top sheet (L1) equipped with upper gripping heads (7);
- air flow generating means (8, 9, 10) for generating an air flow above said pack of sheets, comprising at least one convergent duct (8) of a suction machine (10) having a slot-shaped mouthpiece (8a) arranged close to a first side of said pack of sheets;
- and
- at least one pair of boundary plates (11, 12), flanked to second sides of said pack of sheets and extending at a height greater than said pack of sheets.
A method for picking up sheets from a pack of sheets and removing a separating foil (C) between said sheets, the method comprising:
- gripping and lifting, by gripping heads (7), a top sheet (L1) of said pack of sheets up to a stasis height above said pack of sheets, said stasis height being at most 70 mm;
- holding said top sheet (L1) by the gripping heads (7) at the stasis height for a stasis time so as to define a suction chamber between said top sheet (L1) and said pack of sheets during said stasis time;
- and
- during said stasis time, generating an air flow in the suction chamber between said pack of sheets and said top sheet (L1) by air flow generating means (8, 9, 10) arranged close to said pack of sheets, thereby dragging said separating foil (C) towards a first side of said pack of sheets.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.