GB1275573A - Ferromagnetic metal sheet destacker and feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

1275573 Feeding sheets BUDD CO 10 Oct 1969 [15 Oct 1968] 49937/69 Heading B8R In a destacker and feeder for ferromagnetic sheets the top sheet 30a of a stack 30 is picked up by suction pads 52 and lifted on to sets of magnetic rollers 58a, 58b ; these rollers are driven to move sheets to a reject shoot 62 if a double ‹ thickness is sensed by a detector 60, e.g. of the eddy current type, but single sheets are delivered to upper or lower supply stations 64, 66, from whence the sheets are fed alternately, again by magnetic rollers, to an idle station 82 associated with a production line or the like, the sheet contacting a second thickness detector 94, e.g. of the differential transformer type, that automatically stops the line if a double thickness is detected. The stack 30 is supported on a platform 26 which is automatically raised by lifters 32 as the sheets are removed one at a time until a predetermined number of sheets remain, when supports 46 are automatically extended to support the remaining sheets. The loading platform 26 can then be lowered to allow a new stack of sheets to be moved into the destacking position. The remaining sheets from the previous stack are deposited on the new stack by removal of the supports 46, thus ensuring a continuous supply of sheets at the pick-up station. A known magnetic separator 48 associated with air jets 50 help separate the sheets at the top of the stack.