Apparatus for drying and stacking treated workpieces

Apparatus for drying and stacking printed drinkware comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a drinkware carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the drinkware through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said drinkware carrying assembly including an endless chain trained around a plurality of sprockets, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said chain for supporting and carrying drinkware along said predetermined travel path;
• a drinkware removal assembly for removing drinkware from said pins including a ramp disposed in said travel path and formed with an abutment surface and a slot formed therein through which said pins can pass, said ramp presenting said abutment surface to engage drinkware being carried on said pins wherein a respective drinkware unit is forced off its respective pin as said respective pin advances through said slot;
• and
• a drinkware collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving drinkware removed from said pins.

Apparatus for drying and stacking treated workpieces comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a workpiece carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the workpieces through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said workpiece carrying assembly including an endless strand trained around a plurality of wheels, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said strand for supporting and carrying workpieces along said predetermined travel path;
• a workpiece removal assembly for removing workpieces from said pins;
• a workpiece collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving workpieces removed from said pins, with said travel path being generally vertically oriented and said pins being generally horizontally oriented wherein workpieces fall into said workpiece collection arrangement;
• and
• a workpiece ejector assembly in mechanical communication with said workpiece collection arrangement including a movable ram to selectively eject workpieces from said workpiece collection arrangement.

Apparatus for drying and stacking treated drinkware comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a drinkware carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the drinkware through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said drinkware carrying assembly including an endless strand trained around a plurality of wheels, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said strand for supporting and carrying drinkware along said predetermined travel path;
• a drinkware removal assembly for removing drinkware from said pins;
• a drinkware collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving drinkware removed from said pins, with said travel path being generally vertically oriented and said pins being generally horizontally oriented wherein drinkware removed from said pins falls into said drinkware collection arrangement;
• and
• a drinkware ejector assembly in mechanical communication with said drinkware collection arrangement including a movable ram to selectively eject drinkware from said drinkware collection arrangement.

Apparatus for drying and stacking treated workpieces comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a workpiece carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the workpieces through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said workpiece carrying assembly including an endless strand trained around a plurality of wheels, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said strand for supporting and carrying workpieces along said predetermined travel path;
• a workpiece removal assembly for removing workpieces from said pins including a ramp disposed in said travel path and formed with an abutment surface and a slot formed therein through which said pins can pass, said ramp presenting said abutment surface to engage workpieces being carried on said pins wherein each workpiece is forced off its respective pin as said respective pin advances through said slot;
• a workpiece collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving workpieces removed from said pins, with said travel path being generally vertically oriented and said pins being generally horizontally oriented wherein workpieces fall into said workpiece collection arrangement;
• and
• a workpiece ejector assembly in mechanical communication with said workpiece collection arrangement including a movable ram to selectively eject workpieces from said workpiece collection arrangement.

Apparatus for drying and stacking treated drinkware comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a drinkware carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the drinkware through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said drinkware carrying assembly including an endless strand trained around a plurality of wheels, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said strand for supporting and carrying drinkware along said predetermined travel path;
• a drinkware removal assembly for removing drinkware from said pins including a ramp disposed in said travel path and formed with an abutment surface and a slot formed therein through which said pins can pass, said ramp presenting said abutment surface to engage drinkware being carried on said pins wherein a respective drinkware unit is forced off its respective pin as said respective pin advances through said slot;
• a drinkware collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving drinkware removed from said pins, with said travel path being generally vertically oriented and said pins being generally horizontally oriented wherein drinkware removed from said pins falls into said drinkware collection arrangement;
• and
• a drinkware ejector assembly in mechanical communication with said drinkware collection arrangement including a movable ram to selectively eject drinkware from said drinkware collection arrangement.

Apparatus for drying and stacking treated drinkware comprising:

• a housing defining a drying chamber;
• a drinkware carrying assembly mounted to said housing for moving the drinkware through a predetermined travel path through said drying chamber, said drinkware carrying assembly including an endless strand trained around a plurality of wheels, and a plurality of pins spaced along and projecting outwardly from said strand for supporting and carrying drinkware along said predetermined travel path;
• a drinkware removal assembly for removing drinkware from said pins including a ramp disposed in said travel path and formed with an abutment surface and a slot formed therein through which said pins can pass, said ramp presenting said abutment surface to engage drinkware being carried on said pins wherein a respective drinkware unit is forced off its respective pin as said respective pin advances through said slot;
• a drinkware collection arrangement mounted to said housing for receiving drinkware removed from said pins, with said travel path being generally vertically oriented and said pins being generally horizontally oriented wherein drinkware removed from said pins falls into said drinkware collection arrangement, said drinkware collection arrangement including a generally horizontally oriented platform for receiving drinkware from said drinkware removal assembly and a pair of generally vertically oriented, laterally movably adjustable walls disposed adjacent said travel path to reduce non-vertical movement of the drinkware as the drinkware removed from said pins falls to said platform and a generally vertically oriented pivotable support arm to support drinkware in said workpiece collection assembly;
• an assembly for selectively holding and releasing said walls to facilitate adjustment thereof;
• a counter assembly for counting drinkware carried on said pins;
• and
• a drinkware ejector assembly in mechanical communication with said drinkware collection arrangement includes a movable ram to selectively eject a drinkware stack from said drinkware collection arrangement responsive to a signal from said counter assembly when a predetermined amount of drinkware has been carried on said pins.