Installation for manufacture of ceramic products

Installation for handling ceramic products of the type incorporating a track for carriages including a closed circuit passing through at least one of a drying furnace and a baking furnace and crossing a zone comprising a station for picking up baked products and unstacking their supports, followed by a station for stacking supports with raw or green products, comprising:

• a first conveyor transverse to said track on which are placed empty supports which are then loaded with raw products as the empty supports pass before a loading station and which terminates at a stacking station for stacking the supports loaded with raw products on a carriage which is on said track,
• a second conveyor, likewise transverse to said track, running side by side with the first conveyor and in the opposite direction to the first conveyor, from an unstacking station for picking up on supports the baked products to a station for picking up these baked products for packaging,
• a third conveyor placed beside the second conveyor, running from said unstacking station where the empty supports are unstacked to a conveyor for transfer of said supports,
• a first set of grasping means designed for raw products, which moves vertically and parallel to said track between a position situated above the first conveyor and a position above a carriage located on the track in stacking position at said stacking station,
• a second set of grasping means designed for baked products, which moves vertically and parallel to said track between the second and third conveyors,
• stepwise drive means for the various conveyors linked with the operations of loading supports, loading raw products, stacking supports loaded with raw products, picking up baked products, unstacking empty supports, and storing and transferring empty supports.