Production line banding system
First Claim
1. A production line banding system comprising:
- a support;
a strapping machine mounted to said support in a fixed position for dispensing a band, for retrieving said band and for tightening said band around product to be banded;
a guide element mounted to said support and movable between a first position where said guide element guides a dispensed band around a product and back to said strapping machine and a second position where said guide element is separated from said dispensed band; and
a delivering mechanism mounted to said support for moving product to be banded toward a position adjacent to said strapping machine and for moving banded product away from said strapping machine.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and a method for banding fence posts are disclosed. The apparatus includes a pair of vertically disposed conveyor systems with U-shaped cradles for delivering the fence posts in a horizontal disposition to a pair of stationary strapping machines. Opposite the strapping machines are horizontally movable guide elements for directing banding material dispensed from the strapping machines around the fence posts. The strapping machines tighten the bands and connect the bands to themselves. The vertically disposed conveyor systems then move the banded fence posts to an exiting horizontally disposed conveyor system. The method includes providing the bands, the strapping machines, the guide elements and the vertical conveyor systems, maintaining the strapping machines in a stationary position, moving the fence posts to the strapping machines, moving the guide elements to straddle the fence posts, dispensing the bands, retrieving the bands, moving the guide elements away from the strapping machines and depositing the banded fence posts on a horizontal conveyor system to move the banded fence posts to a stacking station.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A production line banding system comprising:
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a support;
a strapping machine mounted to said support in a fixed position for dispensing a band, for retrieving said band and for tightening said band around product to be banded;
a guide element mounted to said support and movable between a first position where said guide element guides a dispensed band around a product and back to said strapping machine and a second position where said guide element is separated from said dispensed band; and
a delivering mechanism mounted to said support for moving product to be banded toward a position adjacent to said strapping machine and for moving banded product away from said strapping machine. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification