Stick laying apparatus and stick distributing unit for laying a plurality of spacer sticks over a board layer

A method of laying a spacer stick over a board layer using a stick-distributing unit of a stick-laying mechanism, the stick-distributing unit retaining a plurality of spacer sticks in a stack from below within a stick-receiving area, the method comprising the steps of:

• i. receiving the plurality of spacer sticks in a vertical stack via the stick-receiving area of a frame of the stick-distributing unit, wherein the stick-receiving area has an open bottom end, wherein a hold-and-release mechanism of the stick-distributing unit is configured to dispense each stick of the vertical stack one-by-one from the open bottom end of the stick-receiving area, wherein the hold-and-release mechanism includes at least one lower holding member and at least one upper holding member, wherein the at least one lower holding member is operable between a lower holding position and a lower release position, wherein the at least one lower holding member is adapted to hold a bottommost spacer stick of the vertical stack in the lower holding position, wherein the at least one upper holding member is operable between an upper holding position and an upper release position, wherein the at least one upper holding member is adapted to hold a penultimate spacer stick of the vertical stack in the upper holding position;
• ii. retaining the stack of spacer sticks within the stick-receiving area such that the penultimate spacer stick becomes a new bottommost spacer stick, when the bottommost spacer stick is released, by:
• setting the at least one lower holding member in the lower holding position;
• and
• setting the at least one upper holding member in the upper release position;
• iii. positioning the stick-laying mechanism over the board layer;
• iv. releasing the bottommost spacer stick through the open bottom end of the stick-receiving area and to the stick-laying mechanism of the stick-distributing unit by:
• setting the at least one upper holding member to the upper holding position to support the vertical stack from the penultimate spacer stick in the stick-receiving area;
• and
• setting the at least one lower holding member to the lower release position;
• v. knocking on the penultimate spacer stick, via the hold-and-release mechanism, by quickly releasing and re-engaging the at least one upper holding member of the hold-and-release mechanism with the penultimate spacer stick, wherein the at least one upper holding member is adapted to release the penultimate spacer stick;
• receiving, via the stick-laying mechanism, the bottommost spacer stick upon release by the at least one lower holding member;
• vi. laying the bottommost spacer stick on the board layer via the stick-laying mechanism.

A stick distributing unit for use in a stick laying apparatus for laying a plurality of spacer sticks over a board layer, comprising:

• a frame defining a stick-receiving area adapted to receive the plurality of spacer sticks in a stack and defining a release path to dispense the plurality of spacer sticks thereof;
• a hold-and-release mechanism operatively coupled to the frame, the hold-and-release mechanism being adapted to selectively dispense the spacer sticks from the stick-receiving area one at a time along the release path, the hold-and-release mechanism comprising:
• a first holding member operable to selectively hold and release a bottommost stick of the stack;
• a second holding member operable to selectively hold and release a penultimate stick of the stack;
• and
• a controller configured to define a stick dispensing routine comprising the steps of:
• a) operating the first holding member to engage and hold the bottommost stick;
• b) operating the second holding member to engage and hold the penultimate stick;
• c) operating the first holding member to disengage the bottommost stick to release the bottommost stick from the stick-receiving area;
• d) quickly releasing and re-engaging the second holding member with the penultimate stick, thereby creating a knock on the penultimate stick;
• and
• e) cyclically repeating steps a) to c) with remaining sticks from the plurality of spacer sticks;
• a stick-laying mechanism configured to receive the bottommost stick from the hold-and-release mechanism and deposit the same over the board layer.