Hide feeding apparatus in lines for the treatment or working of hides

An apparatus for picking, transporting and releasing flexible laminar elements from a pickup station of the apparatus to a conveyor surface of an element treatment or working line arranged downstream of the apparatus, wherein it comprises:

• said flexible laminar element pickup station, adapted to receive the elements in a superimposed arrangement forming a pile;
• an element release region adapted to face said line conveyor surface and comprising a release plane for the flexible laminar elements;
• lifting and advancement means for singularly lifting said flexible laminar elements from said pickup station, according to an elevation direction orthogonal to said release plane and for making the elements sequentially advance to said release region in an advancement direction (X) parallel to said release plane;
• element unfolding means for singularly unfolding the flexible laminar elements, arranged in said release region and configured to load the flexible laminar elements on said conveyor surface in a substantially planar configuration;
• and programmable control means adapted to control said lifting and advancement means and said element unfolding means.