Sheet material handling apparatus and method.

摘要

A sheet material handling apparatus (20) includes a container handling assembly (46) which is operable to sequentially position containers (24) at an unloading station. An unloader assembly (28) is operable to remove stacks of sheet material from containers at the unloading station. The unloader assembly includes a lift assembly (404) which is operable to engage a stack of sheet material disposed in a container and to lift the stack of sheet material upwardly through an open lower end portion of an upright hopper (418). Once the stack of sheet material has been moved into the hopper, the hopper and the stack of sheet material are moved to a tilted orientation. As the hopper moves to the tilted orientation, the hopper moves the stack of sheet material along an upwardly inclined ramp (438) into engagement with a sheet material feed assembly (430). The sheet material feed assembly sequentially feeds sheet material from the lower end portion of the tilted stack of sheet material.