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US 4,900,329 AGranted
Method for making pallets
AssigneeThe Salk Institute for Biological Studies
InventorJoseph Richardelli
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for manufacturing wooden pallets including a vertically-reciprocating nailing head for nailing deckboards to stringers and a limit switch arrangement for adjusting the stroke length of the nailing head individually for each deckboard, so that in each deckboard, all of the nails will be driven to a uniform vertical position. A gripper carriage effects horizontal movement of pallets at various stages of completion. Hydraulic drive means are provided for both the nailing head and the gripper carriage.
Claims3
A method of manufacturing wooden pallets comprising the steps of:
- (a) placing a plurality of stringers in parallel with one another at predetermined spacing on a stringer loading station;
- (b) gripping forward ends of the stringers with a plurality of grippers disposed on a gripper carriage;
- (c) pulling the stringers forward longitudinally to a deckboard installation station and positioning the stringers in a predetermined position for receiving a first deckboard;
- (d) positioning a deckboard transversely on said stringers;
- (e) lowering a transversely-oriented chuck assembly to said deckboard so that said chuck assembly abuts the upper surface of that deckboard without contacting any others;
- (f) feeding a plurality of nails into said chuck assembly;
- (g) lowering a plurality of punches into contact with said nails to drive said nails through said deckboards and into said stringer, with said nails being guided by said chuck assembly;
- (h) sensing when said punches reach a predetermined position with respect to the upper surface of said deckboard;
- (i) reversing said punches upon said punches reaching said predetermined position with respect to said upper surface of said deckboard, thereby determining a lower end of each stroke individually for each deckboard so that said nails are driven reliably to a predetermined depth in each deckboard;
- (k) advancing said stringers to additional predetermined positions and attaching additional transversely-oriented deckboards thereto by repetition of steps d-j to produce a half-pellet;
- (l) advancing said half-pellet forwardly, then reversing the direction thereof to invert said half-pallet through the use of a turnover assembly which rotates said half-pallet about a transverse axis;
- (m) pulling said half-pallet back through said deckboard installation station to a predetermined position rearwardly thereof;
- (n) advancing said half-pallet through said deckboard installation station for installation of a second set of deckboards in accordance with steps c-k to produce a completed pallet;
- and
- (o) advancing the completed pallet to a delivery station.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.