Production line banding system

• US 20040139696A1
• Filed: 01/02/2004
• Published: 07/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHS Acquisition Corp.
• Original Assignee: CHS Acquisition Corp.
• Inventors: Cienkus, William J. Jr., Corral, Bradley R., Zapata, David
• Granted Patent: US 6,941,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/399
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 13/02 Applying and securing binding material around articles or groups of articles, e.g. using strings, wires, strips, bands or tapes
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 13/06 Stationary ducts or channels
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 27/10 Bundling rods, sticks, or like elongated objects

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.

Claims

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.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said guide element has a generally C-shaped configuration wherein an open side of said configuration faces said strapping machine.

3. The systems as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

said guide element includes a pair of spring biased jaws for forming a passageway for said band, said jaws opening when said guide element moves from said first position to said second position.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein:

said delivering mechanism includes two sprockets, a chain mounted to said sprockets and a plurality of cradles mounted to said chain for receiving product in a generally horizontal disposition.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said delivering mechanism includes two sprockets, a chain mounted to said sprockets and a plurality of cradles mounted to said chain for receiving product in a generally horizontal disposition.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said strapping machine dispenses said band in a generally horizontal direction and retrieves said band in a generally horizontal direction.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

said strapping machine heat seals the band around said product.

8. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein:

said strapping machine dispenses said band in a generally horizontal direction and retrieves said band in a generally horizontal direction; and

said strapping machine heat seals the band around said product