No-Feed-Roll Corrugated Board or Paperboard Sheet Feeder Retrofit Apparatus and Method

A method for supplying sheets from a feeder (200) to a sheet processing host machine (10) having a predetermined nominal required sheet velocity, comprising:

• (a) driving a sheet (2) through a first velocity zone (220) in said feeder;
• (b) controlling the velocity of said sheet in the first velocity zone in a first motion profile having an initial sheet velocity lower than said host machine nominal velocity and a second sheet velocity higher than said host machine nominal velocity;
• (c) driving said sheet through a second velocity zone (230) in said feeder;
• and
• (d) controlling the velocity of said sheet in the second velocity zone in a second motion profile having an adjustable constant sheet velocity equal to said host machine nominal velocity to deliver said sheet to said host machine at said nominal required sheet velocity.

A method for supplying a corrugated board article or a paperboard sheet article from a feeder apparatus for receipt by an article processing host machine, the method comprising:

• (a) feeding the corrugated board article or the paperboard sheet article to a feed end of the feeder apparatus, the feeder apparatus comprising:
• a feed table supporting surface having the feed end and a delivery end;
• feed elements (e.g., wheeled shafts, belts or linear actuators configured to engage and accelerate the lowermost sheet in a stack of sheets (e.g. 2));
• and
• a control surface selectively movable into a first state in which the feed elements are exposed to contact and drive the article along the feed table supporting surface, the control surface further being selectively movable to an angled state;
• (b) selectively moving the control surface into the angled state to selectively angle the control surface to consecutively conceal the respective feed elements from contact with the article as the article moves over the feed elements;
• and
• wherein said feed elements comprise a first plurality of first feed elements and a second plurality of second feed elements, the first plurality of feed elements being positioned in a first velocity zone and arranged in a first plurality of rows which extend transversely to a direction of travel of the article through the feeder apparatus, the second plurality of feed elements being positioned in a second velocity zone positioned adjacent the first velocity zone and arranged in a second plurality of rows which extend transversely to the direction of travel of the article through the feeder apparatus.

An apparatus for supplying a corrugated board article or a paperboard sheet article from a feeder apparatus for receipt by an article processing host machine at a velocity required by the host machine, comprising:

• a feed table supporting surface having the feed end and a delivery end;
• feed elements (e.g., wheeled shafts, belts or linear actuators configured to engage and accelerate the lowermost sheet in a stack of sheets (e.g. 2));
• and
• a control surface selectively movable into a first state in which the feed elements are exposed to contact and drive the article along the feed table supporting surface, the control surface further being selectively movable to an angled state;
• and a first vacuum powered suction section and a second vacuum powered section, the first vacuum powered suction section being located below the feed table supporting surface and corresponding to the first velocity zone for holding the article against the first plurality of first feed elements while being fed thereby, the second vacuum powered suction section being located below the feed table supporting surface and corresponding to the second velocity zone for holding the article against the second plurality of second feed elements while being fed thereby.