James L Franz

US Patent:

58880453, Mar 30, 1999

Filed:

Oct 10, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/541342

Inventors:

Heinz Schmeisser - Greenfield WI
James A. Franz - West Bend WI

Assignee:

AMECO Corporation - Menomonee Falls WI

International Classification:

B65G 700

US Classification:

414626

Abstract:

An apparatus for collecting strips of metal into stacks and transfering the stacks to a hopper of a press includes a stack accumulating and blocking pocket at an output of a cut-off shear, a stack lift, rotate and turn-over mechanism to reorient the stack prior to input to the hopper, and a gripper head on a transfer gantry to move the stack from the lift, rotate and turn-over mechanism to the hopper. The gripper head is movable to an angle in alignment with the feed angle of the hopper to deposit the stack on the top strip in the hopper in alignment therewith.

US Patent:

53339851, Aug 2, 1994

Filed:

Nov 13, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/791438

Inventors:

Heinz Schmeisser - Greenfield WI
James A. Franz - West Bend WI

International Classification:

B65G 4726

US Classification:

4147903

Abstract:

An apparatus for accumulating blanks into stacks and transferring the stacks into a welder hopper of a can former/welder includes an arrangement of side-by-side blank accumulating pockets at an output of a slitter. The side-by-side arrangement is movable to adjacent an indexing and storage station and a pusher to push the stacks from the side-by-side arrangement to the indexing and storage station is provided. The indexing and storage station moves in an indexed fashion to align each stack individually with a single stack receiving station, where single stacks are received from the indexing and storage station. The stack in the single stack receiving station is blocked, lifted and rotated for engagement by an overhead gripper of a gantry assembly which moves the stack to the welder hopper when needed.