GB1358788A - Apparatus for stacking plastics cups and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

1358788 Stacking apparatus KINGSTON CONVEYORS Ltd 17 May 1973 [18 May 1972] 23414/72 Heading B8C Plastics cups, which are ejected from a cupproducing machine, are individually picked up by a pneumatic jack-actuated, pivotal suction arm 1, transferred to a release position over a pneumatic jack-actuated lifting pad 9, and lifted by the pad into one of plurality of stacking formers, past spring-loaded latching pawls 15, to form a bottom-loaded nested stack. Each former comprises three spaced tubes 11, 12 and 13 carried on a stepwise-rotatable turret 27. The turret is indexed through a ratchet mechanism (not shown) by a jack 35, after a predetermined number of lifting pad strokes and after disengagement of a jack-operated latch 31, Figs. 3 and 4 (not shown), from a latch plate 29 of the turret, in order to locate the next empty stack former over the lifting pad. At each indexing, a spring-loaded lever 39 is moved between the stacking former tubes to check that the former is empty. Should the lever engage cups within the former, it is rocked back to switch off the machine or actuate a visual or audible warning. The suction arm 1 is hollow and has a pick-up port 4 connected via a port 8 in its mounting shaft 5 to a vacuum pump 7. The ports are misaligned when the arm is positioned above the pad so that the vacuum-grip on the cup is released. The arm is interchangeable with other arms, and the stroke of the lifting pad may be varied in order to accommodate various sized cups. Similarly, two of the three tubes of each former are carried on the turret by a pair of pivotal arms 17 and 18, which are spring-urged against adjustable stops 23 and 24 to enable the spacing of the tubes to be varied to suit the particular cup size being stacked.