Turntable assembly for stretch wrapping machine

A turntable assembly for a stretch wrapping machine, said turntable assembly comprising:

• a frame,
• a hub rotatably mounted to said frame on a shaft, and
• a turntable mounted to said hub for rotation about a generally vertical turntable axis of rotation,
• said frame including hub deflection limiting structure spaced around the turntable axis of rotation at about 0 degrees, at about 90 degrees, and at about 180 degrees, said deflection limiting structure spaced from said hub by an amount such that if said turntable is struck in a direction generally transverse to the turntable axis of rotation causing said hub to bend said shaft, said shaft will elastically deform rather than plastically deform, a portion of said hub deflection limiting structure disposed at about 90 degrees around the turntable axis of rotation and spaced from said hub an amount such that said hub will contact the portion of said hub deflection limiting structure prior to plastic deformation of said shaft.

A turntable assembly for a stretch wrapping machine, said turntable assembly comprising:

• a frame,
• a hub rotatably mounted to said frame on a shaft,
• a turntable mounted to said hub for rotation about a generally vertical turntable axis of rotation, and
• a plurality of rollers rotatably mounted to said frame and defining a generally horizontal supporting plane for supporting said turntable, each of said plurality of rollers having an axis of rotation generally parallel to the supporting plane and generally passing through the turntable axis of rotation,
• said frame constructed of a material and of a geometry so as to elastically deform, upon a load being placed upon said turntable that results in the load not being evenly supported by said rollers, to permit the axis of rotation of at least one roller of said plurality of rollers to tilt relative to the horizontal supporting plane while still passing through the turntable axis of rotation,
• said frame including a generally flat frame member having a generally rectangular cross-section extending in a generally vertical direction with a hole formed therein through a thinnest width of the generally rectangular cross-section and extending along an axis generally parallel to the horizontal supporting plane, said at least one roller being rigidly mounted to said frame member through said hole with said axis of rotation in a generally parallel relationship with the axis of the hole, wherein said frame member is constructed of a material and of a geometry so as to elastically deform in response to a force applied to said at least one roller by the load while maintaining the generally parallel relationship with the axis of the hole to which said at least one roller is rigidly mounted,
• said frame including hub deflection limiting structure spaced around the turntable vertical axis of rotation at about 0 degrees, at about 90 degrees, and at about 180 degrees, said deflection limiting structure spaced from said hub by an amount such that if said turntable is struck in a direction generally transverse to the turntable vertical axis of rotation causing said hub to bend said shaft, said shaft will elastically deform rather than plastically deform.