Steve P Lux

US Patent:

20110024051, Feb 3, 2011

Filed:

Mar 18, 2010

Appl. No.:

12/661474

Inventors:

Kyle L. Sanford - Pine Bluff AR, US
David B. Wood - White Hall AR, US
Ronald J. Stahara - Pine Bluff AR, US
Kenneth W. White - Cabot AR, US
Steve P. Lux - Hot Springs Village AR, US
Todd F. Bartelt - Lenexa KS, US
Donald A. Gilmore - Kansas City MO, US
Nathaniel W. Maholland - Gardner KS, US
Eric Rolf - Kansas City MO, US
Richard A. Sizemore - Lenexa KS, US
Kevin Smith - Shawnee KS, US

International Classification:

B32B 38/04
B25J 15/08

US Classification:

156355, 901 31

Abstract:

An automated steel lamination stacking system for a transformer core. A computer controlled robot arm with a machine vision system locates each of a series of laminations formed by a core former. A hand with a pair of fingers disposed on the end of the robot arm sequentially grasps each of the laminations and transfers each lamination to a forming table which receives and shapes each lamination into a stack to form the desired transformer core. As the empty hand returns to retrieve the next lamination, an extended arm is activated to square the stack. If the preset number of laminations has been stacked and a desired weight has been reached, then the process is complete. Otherwise the stacking process continues. Because the laminations grow in size as the core is built, the stacking system adjusts the position of the fingers to grasp each lamination.