Automated glass article bundling and palletizing apparatuses and methods
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsMarty Eric Hess, Kevin Robert Kaelin, Patrick Aaron Parks, Evan Marshall Rathbun, Gregory James Tenbus
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Abstract
An apparatus that forms bundles of glass articles includes a glass article infeed station including an infeed conveyor that continuously transports individual glass articles to a layer separating conveyor. The layer separating conveyor includes a conveyor belt that forms a layer of side-by-side glass articles. A robotic lift assembly is configured to place the layer of side-by-side glass articles together on a layer separation insert. The layer separation insert has side-by-side slots that each receive a single glass article of the layer of side-by-side glass articles.
Claims20
An apparatus that forms bundles of glass articles, the apparatus comprising:
- a glass article infeed station comprising an infeed conveyor that continuously transports individual glass articles to a layer separating conveyor, the layer separating conveyor comprising a conveyor belt that forms a layer of side-by-side glass articles;
- a robotic lift assembly configured to place the layer of side-by-side glass articles together on a layer separation insert, the layer separation insert having side-by-side slots that each receive a single glass article of the layer of side-by-side glass articles;
- and
- a re-pitch station comprising adjustable article retaining regions that adjust position automatically to decrease a distance between adjacent side-by-side glass articles of the layer before the robotic lift assembly places the layer of side-by-side articles together on the layer separation insert.
A method of handling glass articles to form bundles of the glass articles, the method comprising:
- continuously transporting individual glass articles in the form of glass tubes or rods having a first outer diameter to a layer separating conveyor and forming a first layer of side-by-side glass articles on the layer separating conveyor;
- and
- using a robotic lift assembly, placing the first layer of side-by-side glass articles together on a layer separation insert, the layer separation insert having side-by-side slots that each receive a single glass article of the first layer of side-by-side glass articles;
- and
- automatically decreasing a distance between adjacent side-by-side glass articles of the first layer at a re-pitch station before the step of placing the first layer of side-by-side articles together on the layer separation insert.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.