System for separating a bottom plastic card from a stack of plastic cards

Abstract

A system for separating a bottom plastic card includes a loading roller, on which a first end of the bottom plastic card rests, having a groove extending parallel to the axis of said loading roller. A movable assembly is disposed above the loading roller and includes a base and a loading wheel free to rotate. The base is moveable vertically between a contact position and a separated position. A return means constrains the movable assembly in the contact position. The base has an upstream wall upstream of the loading wheel and the bottom end of which is, in the contact position, at a distance from the loading roller less than the thickness of the bottom plastic card. The groove has an opening and a depth sufficient to enable the bottom plastic card's first end to descend in the groove so its first end passes under the upstream wall's bottom end.

1 . System for separating a bottom plastic card from a stack of plastic cards, comprising:
 a loading roller on which a first end of a bottom plastic card rests, and having at least one groove extending parallel to the axis of said loading roller, on its periphery and over its entire length,   a movable assembly disposed above the loading roller and comprising a base and a loading wheel mounted free to rotate on the base, said base being able to move vertically between a contact position in which the loading wheel is in contact with the loading roller and a separated position in which the loading wheel is at a distance from the loading roller, and   a return means designed to constrain said movable assembly in the contact position,   the base having an upstream wall that extends upstream of the loading wheel and the bottom end of which is, in the contact position, at a distance from the loading roller less than the thickness of the bottom plastic card, and   the or each groove an opening and a depth sufficient to enable the first end of the bottom plastic card to descend in said groove so that its first end passes under the bottom end of the upstream wall, the opening and the depth however remaining such that, despite the drop of the first end of the bottom plastic card, the first ends of the other plastic cards remain in abutment behind the upstream wall.   
     
     
         2 . Machine for processing plastic cards, comprising a chassis on which there are mounted a reservoir containing a stack of plastic cards to be processed, at least one processing module intended to process each plastic card, and a separation system according to  claim 1  and disposed between the reservoir and the or one of the processing modules. 
     
     
         3 . Processing machine according to  claim 2 , wherein the second ends of the plastic cards rest on a support of the reservoir that has an inclined slope that advances towards the separation system while descending.