A method and apparatus for inverting planate articles, such as door and window assemblies, which are supported from below in the horizontal plane, such as at a workstation for carrying out fabrication procedures from above the article. The article is tilted to a near vertical position at a tilting station, moved horizontally away to provide clearance from the tilting station, rotated a half turn about its vertical axis, returned to the tilting station and tilted back to the horizontal attitude with the original underside now on top. A tilt table that rotates around a transverse axis intermediate its length supports the article at the horizontal and tilts it to the near vertical attitude. A carriage receives the tilted article from the tilt conveyer and supports it at the near vertical by a turntable on the carriage having supports that engages the leading end and back side of the article. The carriage is movable to and from a location a distance from the tilt table for rotating the turntable a half turn at that location. The carriage is returned to the tilt table location for transfer back to the tilt table for tilting back to the horizontal in the inverted mode.
An intermediate guide member is provided attachable and removable between a head portion and a supporting frame of a stocker for printing plates. A number of intermediate guide members is an element to set a time of starting downward movement of hooks supporting a leading end of a printing plate. Three conditions in accordance with lengths of non-detection times are set for detecting the printing plate to judge authenticity of the detection. When the hooks reach vicinities of stoppers provided at supporting bars of a reversal unit, the hooks swing, are pulled-in from above the slope, and transfer the printing plate to the stoppers. Thereafter, by rotating the supporting bars and the stoppers integrally around a shaft, the printing plate is pivoted over toward a back plate, and a lower end of the printing plate is transferred from the stoppers to a receiving plate without damaging the printing plate.
Manipulators for safe, 360 degree rotation along at least two axes and horizontal and vertical translation of large, heavy objects are disclosed. Manipulators of the present invention include a support structure or open framework, a carriage, and an inner framework assembly. In some embodiments of the present invention, the inner framework assembly can be oriented substantially horizontally or substantially vertically. The inner framework assembly engages the work piece through the use of a support member that has one or more extension arms attached to its bottom surface which have one of more part grips at its ends. The extension arms further include a pair of rotating shafts that allow the work piece to rotate 360 degrees preferably along the central axis of the part grips. The inner framework assembly is capable of rotating 360 degrees about the axis of the central shaft. The carriage of the manipulator of the present invention comprises a handle and a hoist that enables horizontal and vertical translation of the inner frame assembly and work piece attached thereto.
