Apparatus for separating and lifting the uppermost ply of fabric from a stack of fabric plies to sequentially remove and transfer plies one at a time to a conveying means or work station comprising:
- (a) a base frame;
- (b) a rotatable carousel member mounted on said base frame and having a plurality of fabric bins mounted thereon in spaced arrangement around the periphery thereof, said bins being sequentially arranged in an unloading position one at a time, motor means associated with said base frame for rotating said carousel to move a full fabric bin into said unloading position responsive to completion of the unloading of another said bins;
- (c) elevator means associated with each of said fabric bins for incrementally raising said stack of fabric plies as the uppermost of said plies is removed, whereby the uppermost ply is positioned at a prescribed level in preparation for each removal operation therefrom;
- (d) an aerodynamic lift means for generating a sheet of lifting air currents, said sheet extending across a substantial portion of the entire width of and adjacent to the upper surface of the uppermost fabric ply on either side of the longitudinal center line thereof and being directed toward a front edge thereof, said aerodynamic lift means comprising an air jet manifold adjacent the upper surface of said uppermost ply for directing a thin sheet of air currents between said upper surface and a curved air foil positioned in the path of said sheet of air, said air foil comprising a planar plate portion extending generally parallel to and spaced from the uppermost ply and an upwardly curved front end with said air jet manifold attached to and suspended form said planar plate portion, said plate portion serving to confine said sheet of air between the upper fabric ply and said planar portion and force said sheet of air toward said upwardly curved front end, whereby the sheet of air tends to separate the front end of said upper ply and lift it into contact with said air foil;
- (e) means for moving said aerodynamic lift means in an arcuate path from a pick-up position to a delivery position in which the front edge of said fabric ply is presented to a gripping means;
- (f) said gripping means including a stationary support block having a planar face forming a first stationary clamping jaw and a second clamping jaw movable relative to said first jaw between an open receiving position and a closed clamping position in which one edge of at least one fabric ply is held therebetween;
- (g) an electronic test means associated with said stationary jaw and generating a magnetic filed for determining the distance between said movable jaw and said stationary jaw in the gripping position responsive to the strength of said magnetic field, said magnetic field strength being indicative of the number of plies being held between said clamping jaws;
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- (h) transfer means associated with said gripping means for moving said gripping means between a receiving position atop said unloading station and a discharge position adjacent said conveying means, whereupon said second clamping jaw is moved to said open position to release said fabric ply.