Feeder for feeding sheets having a recessed profile end edge
AssigneeMetal Box Limited
InventorsJozef Tadeusz Franek, Paul Porucznik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A sheet feeder for feeding sheets accurately in correct orientation, especially to a press for blanking pieces from the sheet, has an intermittent sheet-advancing action in which not only the movement of the sheet, but also its orientation with respect to the path of travel and its transverse position, are determined solely by pusher dogs without any need for side guides. The pusher dogs fit in recesses in the rear edge of the sheet in such a way that the transverse position of the sheet is determined accurately by an abrupt discontinuity of the recess or recesses engaging a pusher dog.
Claims7
Sheet feeding apparatus comprising fixed support means defining a sheet path for supporting in its own plane along said path a sheet of material having an end edge with a recessed profile defined by at least one abrupt discontinuity intermediate between the ends of the end edge;
- sheet-advancing means adjacent said support means and having a main pusher element;
- means for moving said sheet-advancing means along said path, said main pusher element having a profile adapted to engage in a recess of the sheet edge;
- means restraining said main pusher element laterally whereby to prevent lateral movement of the sheet;
- and top restraint means overlying said path for engaging the top surface of the sheet to restrict movement thereof to movement in said plane, said sheet-advancing means having steadying means for engaging the sheet end edge so that, by virtue only of said steadying means engaging the sheet end edge, the sheet is prevented from slewing away at an angle with said path in said plane, said steadying means comprising an auxiliary pusher element spaced from said main pusher element in a direction having a component transverse to said path, said auxiliary pusher element having a transverse sheet-engaging face but being free of any non-transverse sheet engaging face, whereby the sheet is located transversely of said path by said main pusher element only, said sheet-advancing means further comprising means for moving said main and auxiliary pusher elements simultaneously and in parallel paths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.