System for feeding glass sheets to at least one sheet processing line and production plant comprising this system

Abstract

A system for feeding glass sheets to at least one sheet processing line has a sheet withdrawal station, in which are housed stands for supporting packs of sheets and a loading machine mobile in a rectilinear transfer direction to withdraw the sheets from the stands and transfer them to the processing line; the stands being arranged along the transfer direction on opposite sides of the loading machine and having first and, respectively, second inclined side resting surfaces of the respective sheet pack facing the loading machine and converging one towards the other and downwards, and being mobile from and towards the withdrawal station under the thrust of a common transfer unit.

1 . A system for feeding glass sheets to at least one sheet processing line; the system comprising a sheet withdrawal station; the withdrawal station housing support means for the sheets to be withdrawn and a loading machine mobile in a rectilinear transfer direction to withdraw the sheets from the support means and transfer them to the processing line, characterised in that said support means for the sheets comprise at least one first and at least one second mobile stand arranged along said transfer direction on opposite sides of said loading machine; said first and second mobile stand having a first and respectively a second inclined side resting surface of a respective sheet pack; said first and second side resting surfaces facing said loading machine and converging one towards the other and downwards; the system further comprising a storage station for storing mobile stands with sheets thereon and a single transfer unit for transferring said mobile stands between the storage station and said withdrawal station. 
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , characterised in that said storage station comprises at least one first storage area housing a plurality of said first mobile stands, and at least one second storage area housing a plurality of said second mobile stands. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 2 , characterised in that in said first storage area said first mobile stands are arranged with the side resting surfaces thereof parallel to said first side resting surface, while in said second storage area said second stands are arranged with the side resting surfaces thereof parallel to said second side resting surface. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 2 , characterised in that said transfer unit is mobile in opposite directions in a handling direction parallel to said transfer direction, and in that at least one of said storage areas and said loading machine are arranged on opposite side parts of said handling direction. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 3 , characterised in that at least one of said storage areas is arranged along said transfer direction. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 2 , characterised by further comprising an intermediate pack storage unit interposed between said withdrawal station and said transfer unit; in said intermediate storage unit, a portion of said stands having side resting surfaces thereof parallel to said first side resting surface and the remaining portion of said stands having side resting surfaces thereof parallel to said second side resting surface. 
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , characterised in that said first and second side resting surfaces form with a vertical plane orthogonal to said transfer direction respective identical angles. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , characterised in that said loading machine feeds sheets arranged side-by-side to two processing lines having respective sheet inlets adjacent to one another; said first and second side resting surfaces being distanced from one another in said transfer direction so as to be arranged on opposite sides of said inlets. 
     
     
         9 . A production plant for processing glass sheets, the system comprising a plurality of sheet processing lines independent of one another and arranged in a comb-like manner and a system for feeding the sheets to the processing lines; the system being made according to  claim 1  and comprising a single transfer unit for transferring mobile stands, which is common to all of said processing lines.