Conveyor for lamellar material

In a conveyor system for a train of fragile slabs of lamellar material requiring drying, comprising a slab sorting section, a slab distributing section, a slab drying section, and a slab removal section, in that order, the improvement wherein:

• said slab sorting section comprises first suction-box means positioned above and adjacent the upper face of each successive slab in said train for supporting it from above, means acting on the upper surfaces of said slabs to move them onward to said distributing section, and means for controlledly reducing the suction applied to said slab by said first suction-box means to a level for which said slab will fall from said train when it is desired to remove it from said train;
• said slab distributing section comprises second suction-box means positioned above and adjacent the upper face of said each slab for supporting it from above, means for controlledly reducing the suction applied to said each slab by said second suction-box means to a level for which said each slab is released by said second suction-box means, a distributing table beneath said slabs, means for providing relative lateral motion between said table and said suction-box means to receive said slabs at different lateral positions thereon when said slabs are released by said second suction-box means, first blower-box means acting upwardly through said table to support and cushion said slabs received by said table, and means for urging said received slabs into said drying section;
• and
• said drying section comprises second blower-box means acting upwardly from beneath said slabs to support them on air from said second blower-box means, and means for moving said dried slabs from said drying section to said removal section.