Device for producing and withdrawing stacks of plastic bags, especially bags for automatic machines

An apparatus for producing bags and delivering bags in stacks, said apparatus comprising:

• a bag-making machine having a crosscut-welding station for welding seams in a double-layer plastic foil web and separating plastic bags therefrom, and a stamping station for producing stacking holes in said plastic bags;
• a pin stacking conveyor having a pin stacking chain movable in steps along said bag-making machine whereby stacks of said bags are formed on respective pairs of pins of said chain and said stacks are carried by said chain to an end of said pin stacking conveyor;
• a single six-axis robot located at said end of said pin stacking conveyor and having a program-controlled multifunctional gripper hand and controlled as a function of movements of said pin stacking chain for all manipulations of each bag stack at said end of said conveyor;
• and
• a bracket-fixing and bracket-straightening device located within a range of motion of said hand for orienting wire brackets adapted to engage in holes of said bags, said gripper hand engaging said stacks and inserting the brackets into holes of said stacks and removing said stacks from said conveyor for subsequent packaging of said stacks with respective brackets engaged therein.