US1957621A - Veneer handling machine - Google Patents

Description

May 8, 1934.

G F. sTYRoN 1,957,621

VENEER HANDLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19. 1931 4 sheetssheet 1 I T l( [4 (inforum,

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VENEER HANDLING MACHINE Filed Aug. 19. 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Lummnn IDIEDIIIUUJUIUJEDW' Jg l '(55) 55 d La-1 mmml Patented May 8, 1934 STTES PATE OFFICE VENEER HANDLING MACHINE George Frank Styrcn, Goldsboro, N. C., assignor of forty per cent to Manley Guion Lee,

Goldsboro, N. C.

Application August 19, 1931, Serial No. 558,166

Claims.

lVly invention relates to the production of wood veneer. In producing wood veneer the logs are placed in a veneer lathe which cuts the logs into continuous thin sheets or strips which, when 5 passed from the machine, are placed on a piling table by an attendant, while another attendent severs the strip into required lengths as it issues from the lathe. This makes necessary the einployment of at least two attendants on the out- 19 going side of the lathe.

My invention has for an object to provide a means, as an adjunct to the lathe, which will take the veneer as it issues from the lathe, convey it therefrom to a stacking table, sever the continuous sheet into desired length and deposit those lengths one on top of another on the stacking table from which the pile of sheets may be removed as desired.

Further, it is an object to provide an endless conveyor with suction cups for lifting and conveying the veneer strips from the cutter to the stacking table.

Further, it is an object to provide means automatically to break the vacuum in the cups to release and drop the sheet at the proper place and time.

Further, it is an object to provide an endless belt to hold the veneer as it comes from the lathe in a position to be acted upon by the vacuum cup conveyor, the belt having provisions to prevent action of the vacuum cups thereon, when no veneer strip is passing through the machine.

Further, it is an object of the invention to provide means, governed by the movement of the veneer, for eecting operation of the cutter before the severed section is dropped onto the stacking table.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be rst fully described in the following detailed description, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail cross section on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2. v

Figure 5 is a detail view of the telescoping receiving table showing how the leaves are connected.

Figure 6 is a detail view largely diagrammatic of a modified receiving table for use with low '60 machines.

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail view showing the manner of operating the cam shaft which releases the vacuum in the vacuum cups.

Figure 8 is a cross section on the line 8 8 of 65 Figure 7.

Figure 9 is a detail elevation of the end bearing of the cam shaft showing the manner of maintaining proper position of said cam shaft.

Figure 10 is an end elevation of the parts shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a detail view hereinafter referred to.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like numerals in all the figures, 1 represents the lathe, 2 the veneer sheet issuing 75 from the lathe, 3 the frame of the receiving table and 4 the telescopic receiving table top leaves.

Mounted in the main frame 5 and an auxiliary frame 6 are the shafts which carry the sprockets of the main conveyor and of the pump operating drum. Y

7 designates the drum shaft bearings in which the drum shaft 8 is journalled, the drum shaft having sprockets 10 at the ends of the drum 9. Adjustable bearings 11 are provided in which the shaft 12 of a belt roller is journalled. An endless belt takes over the belt roller on the shaft 12 and over the drum 9, as clearly shown in Figure 1. Mounted in the sub-frame 6 (which subframe consists simply of a pair of supports spaced a suitable distance apart) is an idler shaft 14 carrying sprockets l5 spaced a suitable distance apart.

There is another idler shaft 16 carried by adjustable bearings 17 in the main frame 6, which idler shaft 16 also has sprockets 18 corresponding to the sprockets 15 and 10. Endless chains 19 take over the sprockets 15 and 18 and under the sprockets 10.

The endless chains 19 are cross-connected at intervals by slats 47, hereinafter again referred 100 to, and constitute an endless conveyor.

Bearings 20, 21, 22, are provided in the main frame 5 for the shafts of the perforated belt carrying rollers. This consists of a master roller 23 and two idler or guide rollers 24 around which the perforated belt 25 passes.

The purpose of perforating the belt 25 is to prevent the suction cups from sticking to the apron when no veneer sheet is passing.

Bearings 26, 27, 28 are also provided in the frame 5 for the shafts of the rollers of the gangbelt conveyor. These rollers consist of the master roller 29 and the auxiliary rollers 30 over which the gang of narrow belts 31 pass.

On the master roller 29, and passed between a pair of belts 31, is a sprocket 32 around which, and a sprocket 35, takes the cutter driving chain 33, the sprocket 35 being mounted on the cutter crank shaft 34.

The cutter includes a xed cutting table 36 having a furcated edge, the fingers of which pass between the gang of belts 31 so that they will not catch the oncoming edge of the veneer strip and will prevent that strip from curling down between the cutting table 36 and the adjacent roller 30.

The cutting mechanism further includes a vertically reciprocally mounted cutting blade 38 held in slide bearings 39 which are provided with cushioning springs 40 (see Figure 11). The cutting blade 38 is reciprocated by means of connecting rods 42 with the cranks 41 on the crank shaft 34.

There is a clutch 43 on the crank shaft 34 cooperating with the driving pulley on that shaft, the clutch being numbered 43 in the drawings. It is shifted into clutching position by means of a clutch shifter rod and lever train 44, the vertical rod of which includes an abutment 45 to cooperate with the cutter operating cams 46 on the endless chains 19.

Each vacuum cup carrying slat 47 has a set of cylinders 48 in which are pistons 49 and which are covered by covers 50 having piston rod bearings 51 for the piston rods 52, the latter having button heads 53. The cylinder covers 50 are vented at 54 and piston return springs 55 are provided in each cylinder between the pistons 49 and the heads of the cylinders. Extending from the cylinder is a tubular vacuum cup carrier 56 on which is clamped at 58 a vacuum cup 57.

Each cylinder 48 is also provided with a relief vent 59 having a bracket 6D to support the lever 62 that carries the relief valve 61 and is provided with a heel 63 to cooperate with the cam fingers 68 on the cam shafts 66 which are mounted in stationary cam shaft supports 65. Springs 64 serve normally to hold the valve 61 seated to close the relief vents 59.

The cam shafts 66 carry cam levers 69 which are actuated by cam trips 70 mounted on certain of the slats 47.

Suitable tracks 71 are provided on which the supporting wheels or rollers 72 of the conveyor chain 19 may run at the lower and horizontal flight of the conveyor.

73a: indicate longitudinal side supporting beams connecting the frames 5 and 6.

74 is a driving belt and pulley connection (or it may be sprocket and chain) between the shafts 8 and 26. 73 indicates a similar driving connection between the shaft 8 and the shaft 20, there being a driving pulley 77 on the shaft 8 to which the driving power may be applied.

78 is the stacking table which is usually provided with a slatted conveyor 79 to assist in running off the stack of veneer sheets.

Instead of having the telescopic blade receiving top disclosed in Figure 1, a modification of the receiving table may be used (see Figure 6) by reference to which it will be seen that there is provided a set of stationary pulleys 80 and a set of sliding pulleys 81, there being a gang of belts 82 passed over the pulleys in proper combinations,

there being also provided floating pulleys 83 which are connected to the sliding pulleys by driving sprockets and chains 84. Driving sprockets and chains 85 connect the pulleys 89 with adjacent pulleys 8356 while driving sprockets and chains 86 connect pulleys 83x with the adjacent pulleys 83.

87 designates a stack of veneer sheets on the table 78.

The end brackets 65 each have a recess 88 to cooperate with a pin 89 on the shaft 66 to limit the rotational movement of the shaft and in order to maintain the proper position of the cam shaft 66 a torsion spring 76 has one end 90 anchored to the shaft 66 and its other end 91 anchored to the bearing in which the end of the shaft is mounted.

So far as described, the manner in which my invention operates is as follows:

As the continuous length of veneer sheet comes from the lathe it passes onto the receiving table 4 and from thence onto the gang of belts 31 which assist in passing the veneer strip through the cutting mechanism onto the perforated belt 25 beneath the endless vacuum cup chain and the drum 10. As the slats carrying the vacuum cups pass downwardly from the left hand end of the machine toward the drum the plungers 52 will be forced inwardly by engagement of the button heads 53 with the belt 13 thereby forcing the pistons 49 toward the heads of the cylinders 48 and expelling the air 'through 'the short pipe lengths 56. As the vacuum cups 57 come in Contact with the upper face of the veneer strip beneath the roller 9 and pass out from under the roller the springs 55 will tend to force the pistons 49 outwardiy thereby creating suction in the vacuum cups 57 and causing them to stick to the veneer sheet so that as the veneer sheet passes olf of the belt 25 it will be suspended beneath the endless conveyor 19 on its lower horizontal fiight and carried to a position over the stacking table. Just before the advance end of the veneer strip reaches the right hand end of the stacking table a cam 46 on the conveyor 19 will engage the cam abutment 45 and actuate the cutting mechanism one stroke, thereby severing the advance portion of the veneer strip from the remainder. As soon as this severed portion has advanced to a position fully over the stacking table the cams 79 engage the camming levers 69 and should rock the cam shafts 66 and cause the cam fingers 68 to depress the heel end of the levers 62 of all relief valves 61 of the Vacuum pumps which are active on the veneer strip and thereby relieve the vacuum within the pumps, causing the vacuum cups to let go and drop the severed strip of veneer onto the stacking table, thus completing a cycle of operation of the machine. A

It is to be observed that the telescopic table top 135 4 extends slightly over the receiving part of the gang of belts 31 so that the advance edge of the veneer will not curl under.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation and advantages of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art to which it appertains, and I desire it understood that changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. An adjunct to veneer cutting lathes which comprises a receiving table onto which the lathe 150 delivers a strip of veneer, an apron on which the strip is delivered, and suction means to lift the strip from the apron and convey it to and over a delivery place, and means to release the strip when over the delivery place.

2. An adjunct to veneer cutting lathes which comprises a receiving table onto which the lathe delivers a strip of veneer, an apron on which the strip is delivered, suction means to lift the strip from the apron and convey it to and over a delivery place, means to release the strip when over the delivery place, and means preventing said suction means from taking hold of said apron.

3. An adjunct to veneer cutting lathes which comprises a receiving table onto which the lathe delivers a strip of veneer, an apron on which the strip is delivered from the cutter, suction means to lift the strip from the apron and convey it to and over a delivery place, means to release the strip when over the delivery place, said apron being perforated for the purposes specified.

4. In a veneer handling machine, a framework, an endless chain conveyor having a series 0I slats, pumps with vacuum cups actuated thereby carried by said slats, a trackway guiding said conveyor over a determined part of its course, means delivering a strip of veneer beneath said conveyor to be carried thereby along said trackway, means to actuate said pumps for creating a vacuum in said cups to cause them to take hold of the veneer strip, and means to release the vacuum in the cups holding a strip at a predetermined place.

5. In a veneer handling machine, a framework, an endless chain conveyor having a series of slats, pumps with vacuum cups actuated thereby carried by said slats, a trackway guiding said coneyor over a determined part of its course, means delivering a strip of veneer beneath said conveyor to be carried thereby along said trackway, means to actuate said pumps for creating a vacuum in said cups to cause them to take hold oi the veneer strip, means to release the vacuum in the cups holding a strip at a predetermined place, each of said pumps comprising a cylinder and a piston, said pump actuating means including a roller device to press said piston inwardly to expel air from the cylinders and cups, and a return spring in each cylinder for operating its piston to cause suction in the cups.

6. In a veneer handling machine, a lframework, an endless chain conveyor having a series of slats, pumps with vacuum cups actuated thereby carried by said slats, a trackway guiding said conveyor over a determined part of its course, means delivering a strip of veneer beneath said conveyor to be carried thereby along said trackway, means to actuate said pumps for creating a vacuum in said cups to cause them to take hold of the veneer strip, means to release the vacuum in the cups holding a strip at a predetermined place, each of said pumps comprising a cylinder and a piston, said pump actuating means including a roller device to press said piston inwardly to expel air from the cylinders and cups, a return spring in each cylinder for operating its piston to cause suction in the cups, and said vacuum relieving means including a relief valve for each pump cylinder, a cam mechanism for opening all of said relief valves of the active cups holding a severed strip.

7. An endless conveyor to receive veneer strips from a lathe and convey same to a place for delivery, said conveyor including vacuum cups beneath which the veneer strip is delivered and by which the veneer strips are held to the conveyor in transit, means for breaking the vacuum in the cups and causing them to let go of the strips at the place of delivery, and means activating the vacuum cups prior to their engaging with the veneer strips.

8. An endless conveyor to receive the veneer strips from a lathe and convey same to a place for delivery, said conveyor including vacuum cups beneath which the veneer strips are delivered and by which the veneer strips are held to the conveyor in transit, means for breaking the vacuum in the cups and causing them to let go of the strips at the place of delivery, means activating the vacuum cups prior to their engaging with the veneer strips, said activating means comprising cylinders, pistons and piston springs for expelling air from the cups and creating a negative pressure therein.

9. An endless conveyor to receive veneer strips from a lathe and convey same to a place for delivery, said conveyor including vacuum cups baneath which the veneer strips are delivered and by which the veneer strips are held to the conveyor in transit, means for breaking the vacuum in the cups and causing them to let go of the strips at the piace of delivery, and means activating the vacuum cups prior to their engaging with the veneer strips.

l0. An endless conveyor to receive veneer strips from a lathe and convey same to a place for delivery, said conveyor including vacuum cups beneath which the veneer strips are delivered and by which the veneer strips are held to the conveyor in transit, means for breaking the vacuum in the cups and causing them to let go of the strips at the place of delivery, means activating the vacuum cups prior to their engaging with the veneer strips, said activating means comprising cylinders, pistons and piston springs for expelling air from the cups and creating a negative pressure therein.

GEORGE FRANK STYRON.

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