Top vacuum corrugation feeder

In a top sheet feeding apparatus comprising a sheet stack support tray, feedhead means including a vacuum chamber positioned over the front of a stack of sheets when sheets are placed in the tray with the vacuum chamber having a negative pressure applied thereto at all times during a feed cycle, said vacuum chamber having a sheet corrugation means mounted in about the center of its bottom surface and perforated knurled feed belts associated with said vacuum chamber to transport the sheets acquired by said vacuum chamber in a forward direction out of the stack support tray;

• air knife means positioned immediately adjacent the front of said stack of sheets for applying a positive pressure to the sheet stack in order to separate the upper-most sheet from the rest of the stack, said air knife means including trapezoidal shaped pre-separation fluffer jets, converging slot jets, and fang gate means adapted to prevent multifeeding of sheets from the sheet stack, rotational damper means for controlling leakage from the stack sides in order to minimize sheet flutter and improve curled sheet feeding;
• the improvement characterized by belt coast control means for controlling the precise stopping position of said vacuum belt means in order to minimize multifeeding of sheets from the stack;
• and wherein said vacuum chamber includes static electricity dissipation means.