Air table conveyor

A conveyor comprising:

• a frame;
• a first platform mounted on the frame and having an upper surface, the upper surface having a plurality of first holes, each of the plurality of first holes being in fluid communication with at least one air passage inside the first platform;
• a first belt having an upper run supported by the upper surface of the first platform and a lower run extending beneath the first platform, the first belt having a plurality of through openings overlying the first holes such that pressurized air exiting the at least one air passage through the first holes passes through the through openings in the first belt,
• a drive for selectively causing the upper run of the first belt to travel along the upper surface of the first platform in a first direction, and
• a blower in fluid communication with the at least one air passage and configured to blow air into the at least one air passage to maintain a pressure in the at least one air passage at a level above an ambient atmospheric pressure,
• wherein the drive comprises a drive shaft having a plurality of wheels or sprockets in contact with the lower run of the first belt and at least one driven shaft having a plurality of wheels or sprockets in contact with the lower run of the first belt.

A conveyor comprising:

• a frame;
• a first platform mounted on the frame and having an upper surface, the upper surface having a plurality of first holes, each of the plurality of first holes being in fluid communication with at least one air passage inside the first platform;
• a first belt having an upper run supported by the upper surface of the first platform and a lower run extending beneath the first platform, the first belt having a plurality of through openings overlying the first holes such that pressurized air exiting the at least one air passage through the first holes passes through the through openings in the first belt,
• a drive for selectively causing the upper run of the first belt to travel along the upper surface of the first platform in a first direction,
• a blower in fluid communication with the at least one air passage and configured to blow air into the at least one air passage to maintain a pressure in the at least one air passage at a level above an ambient atmospheric pressure, and
• a second platform mounted at an end of the first platform for pivotable movement relative to the first platform, the second platform having an upper surface.

A method comprising:

• providing a conveyor comprising:
• a frame;
• a first platform mounted on the frame and having an upper surface, the upper surface having a plurality of first holes, each of the plurality of first holes being in fluid communication with at least one air passage inside the first platform;
• a first belt having an upper run supported by the upper surface of the first platform and a lower run extending beneath the first platform, the first belt having a plurality of through openings overlying the first holes such that pressurized air exiting the at least one air passage through the first holes passes through the through openings in the first belt;
• a drive for selectively causing the upper run of the first belt to travel along the upper surface of the first platform in a first direction;
• and
• a blower in fluid communication with the at least one air passage and configured to blow air into the at least one air passage to maintain a pressure in the at least one air passage at a level above an ambient atmospheric pressure,
• operating the blower to blow air into the at least one air passage to maintain the pressure in the at least one air passage at the level above the ambient atmospheric pressure and cause air to exit the at least one air passage through the plurality of first holes and pass through the first through-openings in the first belt, and
• operating the drive to cause the upper run of the first belt to travel along the upper surface of the first platform in the first direction while air exits the at least one air passage through the plurality of first holes and passes through the first through-openings in the first belt,
• placing an object having a weight and a substantially flat bottom on the upper run of the first belt, and
• operating the blower to maintain the pressure in the at least one air passage to create an airflow rate through the plurality of through-openings in the first belt sufficient to reduce a proportion of the weight of the object supported by the first belt by at least 50%.