Apparatus for loading and replacing piece goods, capable of being coupled to spreading machines

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a vertically extending magazine, of the carousel type, bearing the piece goods to be supplied which are supported on suitable mandrels, and which piece goods are discharged, according to a programmable sequence, on a provided loading device. The latter comprises a first carriage pair which, by firmly engaging the ends of the piece bearing mandrels, transfer the piece goods, in a co-ordinated way, from the mentioned magazine to the spreading machine turret. A second carriage pair, on the other hand, is operative to displace the mandrels discharged by the spreading machine to the vertical magazine. The apparatus according to the invention, in particular, is capable of locating, selecting and preparing the piece good on the vertical magazine, for loading the piece good on the spreading machine and, moreover, it is capable of loading the piece good and discharging the mandrel from the spreading machine, according to the order in which the piece good has been previously loaded on the vertically extending magazine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.