Lumber handling and cutting apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11731307-B2
Application number	US-202016855498-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2020
Priority date	Apr 26, 2019
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lumber handling and cutting apparatus, including an incoming material conveyor assembly, a material infeed assembly adjacent to the incoming material conveyor assembly, a cutting assembly adjacent to the material infeed assembly, a material outfeed assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly, an outgoing material conveyor assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly, and a printer assembly adjacent to the incoming material conveyor assembly and the material infeed assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A lumber handling and cutting apparatus comprising:
a material infeed assembly;
a cutting assembly adjacent to the material infeed assembly;
an outgoing material conveyor assembly; and
a material outfeed assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly and adjacent to the outgoing material conveyor assembly, the material outfeed assembly including:
an outfeed conveyor adjacent to the cutting assembly;
an outfeed orientation member positioned on either side of the outfeed conveyor; and
an outfeed orienter defined on the outfeed orientation member, wherein the outfeed orienter is configured to cause a lumber board to be oriented on a desired side of the lumber board as the lumber board is fed out of the material outfeed assembly to the outgoing material conveyor assembly;
wherein the outfeed orienter includes an incline portion configured to cause the lumber board to rearwardly rotate about a top of an outfeed conveyor dog at an angle that is past a center of gravity for the lumber board; and
wherein the outfeed orientation member includes a slide portion positioned to enable the rearwardly rotated lumber board to slide downwardly on the slide portion toward the outgoing material conveyor assembly.

2. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , which includes an outfeed slide portion defined on the outfeed orientation member.

3. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material outfeed assembly is configured to cause a lifting of an edge of the lumber board after the lumber board comes out of the cutting assembly.

4. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , which includes an outfeed slide portion defined on the orientation member, and wherein the material outfeed assembly is configured to cause a rotation of the lumber board to cause the lumber board to land on a specific side of the lumber board, such that the lumber board lands on the outfeed slide portion.

5. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outfeed conveyor is configured to push the lumber board to the outfeed orienter.

6. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outfeed conveyor is configured to push the lumber board to the outfeed orienter to cause the lumber board to engage the outfeed orienter to cause the lumber board to rotate about a top portion of an outfeed conveyor dog before the lumber board is released to the outgoing material conveyor assembly.

7. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outfeed orienter includes an incline portion facing the cutting assembly.

8. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outfeed orienter is configured to re-orient the lumber board such that a printed lumber surface of the lumber board is face up.

9. A lumber handling and cutting apparatus:
a material infeed assembly;
a cutting assembly adjacent to the material infeed assembly;
an outgoing material conveyor assembly; and
a material outfeed assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly and adjacent to the outgoing material conveyor assembly, the material outfeed assembly including:
a first outfeed conveyor adjacent to the cutting assembly;
a first outfeed orientation member positioned on either side of the first outfeed conveyor;
a first outfeed orienter defined on the first outfeed orientation member;
a second outfeed conveyor adjacent to the cutting assembly;
a second outfeed orientation member positioned on either side of the second outfeed conveyor; and
a second outfeed orienter defined on the first outfeed orientation member,
wherein the second outfeed conveyor, the second outfeed orientation member, and the second outfeed orienter, are spaced apart from the first outfeed conveyor, the first outfeed orientation member, and first outfeed orienter, and
wherein the first and second outfeed orienters are configured to cause a lumber board to be oriented on a desired side of the lumber board as the lumber board is fed out from the material outfeed assembly to the outgoing material conveyor assembly.

10. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and second outfeed orientation members are attached to respective opposite sides of the first and second outfeed conveyors.

11. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 9 , which includes a first outfeed slide portion defined on the first orientation member, and which includes a second outfeed slide portion defined on the second orientation member.

12. The lumber handling and cutting apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the material outfeed assembly is configured to cause a rotation of the lumber board to cause the lumber board to fall in a controlled manner onto a specific side of the lumber board on one of the first and second outfeed slide portions.

13. A lumber handling and cutting apparatus comprising:
a material infeed assembly;
a cutting assembly adjacent to the material infeed assembly;
an outgoing material conveyor assembly; and
a material outfeed assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly and adjacent to the outgoing material conveyor assembly, the material outfeed assembly including:
an outfeed conveyor adjacent to the cutting assembly;
an outfeed orientation member positioned on either side of the outfeed conveyor; and
an outfeed orienter defined on the outfeed orientation member, wherein the outfeed orienter is configured to cause a lumber board to be oriented on a desired side of the lumber board as the lumber board is fed out of the material outfeed assembly to the outgoing material conveyor assembly,
wherein the outfeed conveyor is configured to push the lumber board to the outfeed orienter to cause the lumber board to engage the outfeed orienter to cause the lumber board to rotate about a top portion of an outfeed conveyor dog before the lumber board is released to the outgoing material conveyor assembly.

14. A lumber handling and cutting apparatus comprising:
a material infeed assembly;
a cutting assembly adjacent to the material infeed assembly;
an outgoing material conveyor assembly; and
a material outfeed assembly adjacent to the cutting assembly and adjacent to the outgoing material conveyor assembly, the material outfeed assembly including:
an outfeed conveyor adjacent to the cutting assembly;
an outfeed orientation member positioned on either side of the outfeed conveyor; and
an outfeed orienter defined on the outfeed orientation member, wherein the outfeed orienter is configured to cause a lumber board to be oriented on a desired side of the lumber board as the lumber board is fed out of the material outfeed assembly to the outgoing material conveyor assembly, wherein the outfeed orienter includes an incline portion configured to cause the lumber board to rearwardly rotate about a top of an outfeed conveyor dog at an angle that is past a center of gravity for the lumber board.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Findley Ronald E
• Gipson Mark K

Classifications

• B27M1/08

  by multi-step processes · CPC title

• B27B31/06 Primary

  Adjusting equipment, e.g. using optical projection {(see also B27L5/022)} · CPC title

• B27B31/003

  with rollers · CPC title

• B27B31/006

  with chains or belts · CPC title

• B27B31/00 Primary

  Arrangements for conveying, loading, turning, adjusting, or discharging the log or timber, specially designed for saw mills or sawing machines (B27B29/00 takes precedence {; arrangements for raising or lowering the feed rollers of gang saw mills B27B3/14; driving mechanisms for the feed rollers of gang saw mills B27B3/16}) · CPC title