Stacking apparatus for elongated elements such as molding strips

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR STACKING ELONGATED WORKPIECES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A STACKING STATION; CONVEYOR MEANS FOR TRANSPORTING WORKPIECES TO SAID STACKING STATION; STACK SUPPORT MEANS AT SAID STACKING STATION ARRANGED TO SUPPORT A STACK COMPRISING SUPERPOSED LAYERS OF WORKPIECES; A CARRIAGE AT SAID STACKING STATION MOUNTED FOR ADJUSTMENT VERTICALLY OF SAID STACK; STACK GUIDE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE FOR SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL RECIPROCATION BETWEEN AN EXTENDED POSITION, IN WHICH SAID GUIDE MEANS EXTENDS ACROSS SAID STACK, AND A RETRACTED POSITION, IN WHICH SAID GUIDE MEANS IS CLEAR OF SAID STACK; SAID STACK GUIDE MEANS, IN THE EXTENDED POSITION, SUPPORTING WORKPIECES DURING FORMATION OF A STACK LAYER; MEANS OPERABLE, RESPONSIVE TO ARRIVAL OF A WORKPIECE AT SAID STACKING STATION, TO MOVE THE WORKPIECE FROM SAID CONVEYOR MEANS ONTO SAID STACK GUIDE MEANS; COUNTING MEANS PULSED RESPONSIVE TO EACH ARRIVAL OF A WORKPIECE AT SAID STACKING STATION; TRIGGERING MEANS OPERABLE BY SAID COUNTING MEANS, RESPONSIVE TO ARRIVAL OF A PRESET NUMBER OF WORKPIECES AT SAID STACKING STATION; CYCLING MEANS ACTIVATED BY OPERATION OF SAID TRIGGERING MEANS TO INITIATE A CYCLE INVOLVING MOVEMENT OF SAID GUIDE MEANS TO THE RETRACTED POSITION, UPWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE TO POSITION SAID GUIDE