Air flotation assembly table

An air flotation assembly table for presenting successive edges of flat sheet material to a workman, the assembly table having a flat work surface upon which the sheet material can be floated and positioned, a longitudinal slot formed on the flat work surface, a plurality of air holes extending through the work surface, and a blower means for supplying air to impart selective floating action to the sheet material comprising:

• a carriage means for imparting linear reciprocal movement to the sheet material;
• the carriage means including:
• a band cylinder positioned beneath the flat work surface and adjacent the slot;
• a band cylinder carriage slidably mounted upon the band cylinder for linear reciprocal movement within the longitudinal slot, the band cylinder carriage actuated for linear movement by the band cylinder;
• a lifting means for positioning the sheet material on the flat work surface and moving the sheet material to or away from the flat work surface, the lifting means including:
• a selectively rotatable lift shaft mounted to the band cylinder carriage and positioned within the longitudinal slot, the lift shaft adapted for slidable upward movement toward the sheet material and downward movement away from the sheet material;
• a sheet adherence means for adhering to the sheet material disposed on the flat work surface, the sheet adherence means including:
• a rotatable vacuum cup mounted upon the lift shaft and adapted for selective suction adherence to the sheet material;
• a sheet detecting means interactive with the carriage means for actuating the carriage means in order to position and continuously present successive edges of the sheet material to the workman, the sheet detecting means including:
• a pair of advance detectors mounted within the work surface adjacent the slot and aligned with each other, the advance detectors actuating linear movement of the band cylinder carriage and the vacuum cup toward the workman when rotation of the sheet material uncovers and activates the advance detectors as the sheet material is being positioned on the table;
• and
• a pair of in-line retract detectors mounted in the flat work surface parallel with, and located in front of, the advance detectors, the retract detectors actuating linear movement of the band cylinder carriage and the vacuum cup away from the workman when rotation of the sheet material activates the retract detectors.