14
USING THE AUTO FEEDER (IF FITTED)
The automated sheet feeder fitted to your HIPAK consists of a free-standing board
support, as well as the gates, guides and roller assembly on the front table-top.
To operate the feeder, first cut the blanks to size and set up the machine guide and
moving blade as described in the previous pages.
Take one blank, place it against the left-hand guide and set the right-hand guide
approximately 1 or 2mm from it and lock in position with the handle on the front.
It is important to set the right-hand guide loosely to allow the blanks to slide freely into
the machine.
Next, set the gates, (or one gate if making a small box) by sliding the blank under it and
lowering the gate by turning the black plastic knob on the top.
When set correctly the blank should slide forward freely under the gate but there should
be a resistance when pulled back. This shows that the blank is being firmly gripped.
When this has been correctly set, the board support can be pushed into place so that,
when the stack of blanks is placed between the guides and is butted up against the gates,
the end of the stack rests on the lower edge of the angled support.
For larger blanks, an adjustable roller is provided to support the stack and prevent the
blanks from bending. If needed, this should be set so that it is just barely supporting the
stack but not taking all the weight.
When this is done, and the display shows the ‘Ready’ screen, the Auto Feeder ‘Start’
button should be pressed to start it running. Pressing the ‘Stop’ key will stop the feeder.
If the feeder has been set up correctly, each board will be pulled from under the stack,
the back end will immediately fall off the edge of the angled support and it will be fed
into the machine.
There is a safety switch fitted into the tabletop that will stop the feeder if the stack of
board runs out. To start again, replenish the stack and press the 'Start' switch again.
If the automatic feeder is not required, i.e. for a short run, then the two gates can be slid
off the rail to the left and the machine can be used manually.
The number of blanks to be stacked on the feeder will be determined by size and weight
as the bottom blank is pulled out from below. If the stack is too heavy, the boards will
jam and a few should be removed from the top of the stack.
Warped or damaged board may jam in the feeder and should, therefore, be avoided.
