Cutting and transporting a sheet workpiece

摘要

An apparatus for cutting sheets from an elongated workpiece is operated by first closing a pair of grippers on a workpiece leading end in an upper station and then cutting off the leading end of the workpiece to leave a sheet held in the grippers. The grippers holding the sheet are then moved downward and in an output direction to align the sheet with an output plane and pass the sheet to an output conveyor. The grippers are opened to release the cut-off sheet to the output conveyor for displacement of the sheet away in the output direction. Then the upper gripper is moved downstream in the output direction until it is out from underneath the input station and the lower gripper is moved oppositely upstream in the output direction until it is out from underneath the released sheet on the output conveyor. The upper gripper is moved upward to immediately above the upper plane and the lower gripper upward to immediately below the upper plane. Finally the upper gripper is moved upstream in the output direction until it is above the input station and the lower gripper is moved downstream in the output direction until it is underneath the input station. After the sheet has been moved out of the input station the leading end of the workpiece is advanced on the input plane into the input station so the cycle can be repeated.