High speed article feeding apparatus

Claim 1

Feed apparatus for successively presenting articles to a work station for the performance of an operation thereon by a tool, said apparatus comprising: (a) feeding means for conveying an article; (b) first holding means including a fluid operated first actuator movable from a clamping position to an unclamping position to selectively clamp the article to the feeding means while it is being conveyed thereby and to subsequently release the article therefrom; (c) second holding means including a fluid operated second actuator movable from a clamping position to an unclamping position to selectively hold the article in position at the work station while the operation is being performed thereon and subsequently release the article therefrom; (d) said feeding means and said first and second holding means operable by a pressurized fluid control circuit, said circuit including a first directional control valve operatively connected to each of said first and said second holding means by first and second main flow conduits, respectively, to alternately operative the same, and a second directional control valve to operate said feeding means, said second directional control valve interconnected with said first and second main flow conduits of said first directional control valve by first and second pilot conduits, respectively, each said pilot conduit having a smaller flow area than the flow area of the respective main flow conduit, said second directional control valve operable thereby to cause said feeding means to execute a feeding stroke and a return stroke only after one of said first and second holding means, has been made operable and the other is made inoperable.