Assembly station with rotatable turret which forms and unloads a completed stack of articles
US7371041B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 26, 2002 |
| Grant date | May 13, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 7, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG11B17/038
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Method and apparatus for forming and unloading a completed stack of articles. An assembly station includes a rotatable turret from which at least one stacker arm projects. The turret rotates to each of a number of article loading positions to sequentially load articles onto the arm in a desired order. The turret is then advanced to allow the articles to be concurrently unloaded from the stacker arm at an unloading position. In an automated disc drive manufacturing environment, the articles comprise respective numbers of magnetic recording discs and intervening disc spacers which are arranged into a disc/spacer stack as the stacker arm is advanced to a number of disc feeder and spacer feeder stations. The completed disc/spacer stack is then unloaded onto a spindle motor hub. Additional arms preferably project from the turret so that, as the turret rotates, multiple stacks are simultaneously formed and sequentially unloaded.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.