Blank handling apparatus

Apparatus for handling blanks comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, endless conveyor means for receiving successive lowermost blanks from the stack, said conveyor means including at least one blank pick-up device arranged to receive and convey blanks from the stack, wherein said endless conveyor means comprises a rotary member rotatable about an axis and said pick-up device includes an arm pivoted about an axis parallel to said axis, and control means for controlling the angular position of the arm as said rotary member rotates about said axis, wherein the control means comprises a follower carried by each device and a fixed cam track extending around the axis of said rotary member, and wherein each follower is connected to each arm by means including a pivoted link arrangement.

Apparatus for handling blanks comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, endless conveyor means for receiving successive lowermost blanks from the stack, said conveyor means including at least one blank pick-up device arranged to receive and convey blanks from the stack, and support means carried by the endless conveyor means for at least partly supporting the stack between pick-up operations of said pick-up device, wherein said at least one blank pick-up device includes means defining a peripheral arcuate surface, including a plurality of spaced means each defining at least one suction aperture and at least one intermediate region for supporting a blank, and wherein said spaced regions are arranged in a predetermined pattern disposed so as to correspond with predetermined features of a blank.

Apparatus for handling blanks comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, endless conveyor means for receiving successive lowermost blanks from the stack, said conveyor means including at least one blank pick-up device arranged to receive and convey blanks from the stack, and support means carried by the endless conveyor means for at least partly supporting the stack between pick-up operations of said pick-up device, wherein the means for supporting the stack at the magazine comprises means for supporting opposed edges of the lowermost blank of the stack.

Apparatus for handling blanks comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, endless conveyor means for receiving successive lowermost blanks from the stack, said conveyor means including at least one blank pick-up device arranged to receive and convey blanks from the stack, said supporting means including means for supporting opposed edges of the lowermost blank of the stack including retractable elements respectively at the leading and trailing edges of a lowermost blank, and means for sequentially retracting said elements in synchronism with movement of the pick-up device to receive said lowermost blank.

Apparatus for handling blanks comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, a rotary conveyor member rotatable about an axis, said conveyor member including a plurality of angular spaced pick-up devices each operable to pick-up a sheet from the bottom of said stack and to retain said sheet against the circumference of said conveyor member so that said sheet can be conveyed while held against said circumference from said stack to a release position spaced circumferentially from said stack, and support means carried by the conveyor member for at least partially supporting the stack between pick-up operation.

Apparatus for handling blanks, comprising a magazine for receiving a stack of blanks and including means for supporting the stack, a rotary conveyor member rotatable about an axis, said conveyor member including a plurality of angularly spaced pick-up devices operable to pick-up a sheet from the bottom of said stack, and support means carried by the conveyor member for at least partially supporting the stack between pick-up operations wherein each pick-up device include an arm which is pivotable about an axis parallel to the conveyor axis, a cam follower which follows a cam track extending around the axis of the rotary conveyor member and configured such that when the pick-up device is in the vicinity of the stack the arm is caused to undergo a forward and rearward movement relative to a radius of the conveyor member and during the remainder of its rotation with the conveyor member the arm maintains a substantially fixed radial orientation.