LUG LOADER

摘要

Embodiments provide an electric lug loader system. An electric lug loader may include a shaft assembly rotatably mounted to a frame that extends across a flow path. The shaft assembly may have shafts arranged radially around, and parallel to, the rotational axis of the shaft assembly, clamp members arranged along each of the shafts, support members arranged radially around the rotational axis and across the flow path, and electric drives coupled to the shafts. Conveyors may be coupled with the frame and spaced apart across the flow path upstream and/or downstream of the shaft assembly. Additional drives may be coupled with the shaft assembly and the conveyors. A controller may be configured to synchronize the drives to engage successive workpieces between the clamp members and the support members and deposit the workpieces onto a lugged conveyor. Other embodiments provide related methods and systems.

主权项

1. An apparatus for singulating elongate workpieces translating along a flow path in a generally transverse orientation, the apparatus comprising:
a shaft assembly rotatably mounted across the flow path, the shaft assembly further including
a plurality of first shafts arranged radially around the rotational axis of the shaft assembly,a plurality of clamp members arrayed along the first shafts, anda plurality of first drives, each of the first drives independently coupled with a corresponding one of the first shafts, wherein each of the first drives is operable to rotate the corresponding one of the first shafts independently; and a second drive coupled with the shaft assembly and operable to rotate the shaft assembly.