Method and apparatus for fabricating modular building floor assemblies

In a building component fabricating apparatus including framing means for forming a workpiece from a plurality of transverse frame members secured at selected intervals between a pair of laterally spaced apart longitudinal frame members and further including workpiece guide means extending downstream therefrom, that improvement which comprises:

• (a) A glue-applying station disposed over the workpiece guide means downstream of the framing means and including a laterally movable nozzle for applying glue to an upper surface of each transverse frame member and a pair of stationary nozzles for applying glue to upper surfaces of the longitudinal frame members;
• (b) A sheet-placing station disposed generally over the workpiece guide means downstream of the glue-applying station and including a hoist for depositing a sheet of covering material onto the workpiece and alignment means for positioning said sheet on the workpiece disposed therebelow;
• (c) Reciprocative frame indexing means for positioning the workpiece under the sheet-placing station;
• (d) A sheet-fastening station disposed downstream of the sheet-placing station and including stop means mounted in a base portion of said sheet-fastening station for releasably holding a selected transverse frame member, clamp means mounted on a table portion of said sheet-fastening station for releasably holding the workpiece therebetween and a plurality of nailing assemblies mounted in an upper portion of said sheet-fastening station and provided with at least one vertically reciprocative nailing chuck disposed to press the sheet material against the selected frame member disposed therebelow and to guide a nail into said sheet and frame members;
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• (e) Reciprocative assembly indexing means for advancing the selected transverse frame member to and for releasably holding said selected frame member against the stop means of the sheet-fastening station.

Building component fabricating apparatus whereby a workpiece is assembled from plurality of longitudinal and transverse frame members and at least one sheet of covering material as said workpiece moves downstream, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) First infeed means for positioning and moving the longitudinal frame members;
• (b) Second infeed means for positioning and moving the transverse frame members;
• (c) A frame assembly table disposed downstream of the first and second infeed means for and provided with means for positioning and holding a transverse frame member between a pair of laterally spaced apart, longitudinal frame members;
• (d) Frame fastening means disposed on opposite sides of the frame assembly table;
• (e) Stop means disposed downstream of the frame fastening means for releasably engaging a leading edge of the workpiece to insure proper positioning of at least one selected transverse frame member;
• (f) Elongate guide means extending downstream from and on opposite sides of the frame assembly table for supporting and guiding the longitudinal frame members of the workpiece;
• (g) Drive means for moving the workpiece along the guide means;
• (h) Glue-applying means disposed downstream of the frame assembly table;
• (i) Hoist means disposed downstream of the glue-applying means for placing a sheet of covering material onto the workpiece;
• (j) First reciprocative indexing means for positioning the workpiece relative to the hoist means;
• (k) Sheet-fastening means disposed downstream of the hoist means;
• (l) Second reciprocative indexing means for positioning the workpiece relative to the sheet-fastening means;
• (m) Power transmitting means connecting a plurality of the aforesaid means to at least one source of power;
• (n) Monitoring means for generating a plurality of workpiece location signals;
• (o) Control means for receiving and processing the workpiece location signals and for generating a plurality of command signals;
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• (p) Switch means for receiving the command signals and for opening and closing portions of the power transmitting means.

In a method of forming a building component, said method including forming a workpiece at a framing station by securing a plurality of transverse frame members at selected intervals between a pair of laterally spaced apart, longitudinal frame members and guiding the workpiece downstream from the framing station, that improvement which comprises:

• advancing the workpiece from the framing station to a generally precise position under a sheet-placing station by means of a reciprocative frame indexing carriage;
• placing a sheet of covering material on a portion of the workpiece;
• advancing a selected transverse frame member of the workpiece to and releasably holding said selected frame member against stop means mounted on a sheet fastening station by means of a reciprocative assembly indexing carriage;
• and securing an edge portion of the covering material to said selected frame member with a fastener-positioning chuck disposed on said sheet-fastening station above the stop means.