Paul K Mallow

US Patent:

46503900, Mar 17, 1987

Filed:

May 16, 1984

Appl. No.:

6/610690

Inventors:

Thomas Kay - Arlington Heights IL
Richard Overbeek - Addison IL
Paul Mallow - Lake in the Hills IL

Assignee:

Wand Tool Company, Inc. - Wheeling IL

International Classification:

B65G 5706

US Classification:

414 82

Abstract:

A stacker-loader is positioned at the end of a conveyor line for receiving printed circuit boards as they follow each other in series or sequence along the conveyor. The stacker-loader converts the series of boards into a stack of boards, one aligned over the other on a cart which may be removed. The boards are so stacked without any one sliding over another, since the conductive strip lines on confronting boards might catch on each other. The stacker-loader comprises a field of driven rollers for the enabling of the boards to sequentially travel in series one after another when they leave the conveyor. A pair of spaced parallel cantilever arms are positioned to receive, between themselves, each of the printed circuit boards as it is delivered from the field of driven rollers. An aligned plurality of wheels are mounted on and extended from confronting surfaces of the cantilever arms for supporting the boards as they move along the arms. When the boards reach the end of the arms, the wheels are retracted to drop the boards supported thereby onto the cart.