Support roller and workpiece conveying system

摘要

A support and conveying roller and system utilizing the same for supporting and conveying a workpiece such that the workpiece is maintained in a substantially horizontal plane even though the workpiece includes members projecting therefrom toward the support roller. The support and conveying roller includes an axle with a mandrel mounted thereon such that the mandrel is capable of rotational movement about the axle and lateral movement along the axle. There is a brush helicaly wound about the mandrel and attached only at the ends thereof such that individual coils of the brush are capable of movement relative to adjacent coils of that same brush. The brush has a fiber density sufficient to generally support the workpiece in the substantially horizontal working plane while simultaneously allowing the portions of the workpiece extending angularly from the bottom surface of the workpiece to infiltrate between the fibers. The support and conveying rollers are mounted on a frame at substantially the same elevation. A hydraulic lift system may be incorporated into the frame to allow the support and conveyor rollers to be simultaneously raised or lowered.