Card stacker

A card stacker assembly for use with a card production device and configured to deliver a card substrate to a bottom of a stack of card substrates, the card stacker assembly including a plurality of card stackers each card stacker comprising:

• a stack support having a top side configured to hold the stack of card substrates;
• a card lift mechanism configured to drive a card substrate from a lowered position on a bottom side of the stack support that is opposite the top side to a raised position, in which the card substrate is positioned at the bottom of the stack of card substrates and is supported by the top side of the stack support;
• and
• a card feed mechanism comprising first and second pinch roller pairs respectively configured to receive or discharge individual card substrates along a card path through first and second ports positioned on opposing sides of the card lift mechanism;
• wherein:
• the plurality of card stackers is positioned in a side-by-side arrangement;
• and
• a card substrate discharged through the second port of one of the card stackers is received through the first port of an adjoining card stacker.

A method of adding a card substrate to a bottom of a stack of card substrates supported on a top side of a stack support of a card stacker, the method comprising:

• receiving the card substrate with a card feed mechanism of the card stacker, the card feed mechanism including a transport roller;
• supporting the card substrate in a lowered position on a bottom side of the stack support including engaging a top surface of the card substrate that faces the bottom side of the stack support with the transport roller in a feed position;
• raising the card substrate from the lowered position to a raised position, in which the card substrate is positioned on the bottom of the stack of card substrates and supported on the top side of the stack support, using a card lift mechanism of the card stacker;
• and
• during raising the card substrate, moving the transport roller from the feed position to a retracted position, in which the transport roller is displaced from a lifting path of the card substrate defined between the lowered and raised positions.