LUMBER TRANSFER SYSTEM

摘要

The lumber transfer system is for transferring parallel lumbers from a feeding conveyor to an outfeed conveyor and regularly spacing the lumbers thereon. The lumber transfer system comprises a loader comprising a plurality of carrying disks provided with a plurality of grasping means. Each grasping means comprises a tooth provided on an outer edge of the disk, a lumber grasping arm and a rotary actuator for rotatably mounting one end of the arm aside and parallel to the disk. The rotary actuator is rotating alternately the arm towards a closed position near the tooth and is acting as pliers therewith for grasping and holding a lumber lying at a delivering end of the feeding conveyor and towards an open position so that the lumber is not held by it. The operations of the rotary actuators are synchronized in function of the rotation speed of the disk so that each lumber arriving at the delivering end of the feeding conveyor is stopped, released to be transferred by one tooth provided on each disk and then grasped by the corresponding arms as they are rotated towards their closed position. The lumber is then transferred to the outfeed conveyor and laid on a loading end thereof as the arms are rotated towards their open position. The lumbers transferred on the outfeed conveyor are regularlyspaced apart. Advantageously, the lumber transfer system according to the present invention allows the handling and transfer of different sizes and shapes of lumbers. It also allows to increase the feeding speed rate.