Three layer stacking station for forming a pile of items from the three layers

A station for forming a pile of items arranged in layers, the station comprising:

• a receiving surface for receiving items arranged in layers and coming from a feeding station situated upstream;
• a first support plane, coplanar with and situated after said receiving surface, from which said first support plane is spaced apart for delimiting a window having a dimension sufficient for said items arranged in layers to pass freely through said window;
• first driving means for conveying the items in layers along the receiving surface and the first support plane in a feeding direction;
• a second support plane, placed below said first support plane and being parallel therewith;
• a third support plane, placed below said second support plane and being parallel with said first support plane and second support plane;
• a descending ramp situated below said window, said descending ramp having a first end joined with said receiving surface and a second end movable only between a first position in which the second end is joined with the second support plane and a second position in which the second end is joined with said third support plane;
• an additional conveyor locatable in a position corresponding to and below said window for selectively either conveying said items in layers from the receiving surface to the first support surface, due to the action of said first driving means, or being movable to allow said items in layers, coming from the receiving surface to pass through the window and be received by the descending ramp;
• second driving means situated along said descending ramp and operated in step relation with said additional conveyor for pushing said items in layers passed through said window, the items in layers sliding on the descending ramp, to convey said items in layers to said second or third support planes;
• third driving mean situated along said second support plane and operated in step relation with said first driving means for pushing said items in layers on said second or third support planes in synchrony with another layer of items moving on said first support plane, as pushed by said first driving means, to move the two or three of the layers of items out of the station in unison and thereby form a stack of two or three layers of items.