System for handling partly finished workpieces
AssigneeHusky Injection Molding Systems Ltd.
InventorsRobert D. Schad, Herbert Rees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In an integrated system, plastic articles are produced in a pressure-molding machine and transferred therefrom to pallets at a receiving station. These pallets are entrained by a first branch of a conveyor which carries them through a temperature-conditioning station to an aftertreatment station in which a finishing operation such as blow-molding is performed upon the articles by a mold with which each pallet is temporarily consolidated. The pallets subsequently carry the finished articles to a discharge station and, upon their removal, are returned empty by a second conveyor branch to the receiving station.
Claims20
A system for handling partly finished workpieces periodically arriving at a receiving station for transportation to a finishing station, comprising:
- presentation means at said receiving station for making the arriving workpieces available;
- conveyor means moving from said receiving station to said finishing station;
- a multiplicity of pallets successively entrainable by said conveyor means between said receiving and finishing stations, each of said pallets being provided with holding means for releasably retaining a workpiece available at said presentation means and being further provided with locating means for temporarily consolidating the respective pallet with an operative part of said finishing station to ensure the proper positioning of said workpiece with reference thereto;
- and
- unloading means disposed along the path of said conveyor means for removing the finished workpieces from said pallets.
A system for handling partly finished workpieces periodically arriving at a receiving station for transportation to a finishing station, comprising:
- conveyor means including a first branch moving from said receiving station to said finishing station and a second branch moving from said finishing station to said receiving station;
- a multiplicity of pallets engageable by said conveyor means for entrainment between said receiving and finishing stations, each of said pallets having holding means for temporarily retaining at least one workpiece arriving at said receiving station;
- first transfer means synchronized with said conveyor means for moving said pallets from a downstream part of said second branch to an upstream part of said first branch by way of said receiving station, with loading of each passing pallet in said receiving station by at least one newly arrived workpiece;
- and
- second transfer means synchronized with said conveyor means for moving said pallets from a downstream part of said first branch to an upstream part of said second branch by way of said finishing station, with unloading of each passing pallet ahead of said second branch.
A pallet for transporting partly finished workpieces from a receiving station to a finishing station, comprising:
- a body engageable by conveyor means moving from said receiving station to said finishing station;
- holding means on said body for releasably retaining a workpiece available at said receiving station;
- and
- locating means on said body for temporarily consolidating said body with an operative part of said finishing station to ensure the proper positioning of said workpiece with reference thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.