Abstract: An automatic palletizer for newspaper bundles is disclosed. Bundles arriving on an infeed conveyor are oriented according to a predetermined stacking pattern. A row staging area receives the oriented bundles, and a row sweep moves completed bundles into a layer staging area. A reciprocating layer sweep has a blade that can be raised or lowered to move completed layers from the layer staging area onto a retractable floor which then opens to drop the bundles onto a pallet below. Each layer is compacted before being dropped and guide means control the movement of the bundles as they drop onto the pallet. The palletizer forms either complete layers or partial layers, the layer sweep having a shorter stroke when moving partial layers. An upstream group of rollers in the layer staging area can be selectively driven or braked to form a gap at either of the two starting positions of the layer sweep into which gap the blade may be lowered. A mechanism accurately locates the pallet below the retractable floor.

Abstract: A separator sheet for disposition between layers of newspaper bundles on a movable pallet, for stabilizing the newspaper bundles as the pallet is moved. The separator sheet has a central portion and an outer portion circumscribing the central portion. The outer portion includes inclined sections extending at acute angles to, and in both directions from, the central portion. The inclined sections engage, and exert pressure against the peripheral edges of the layers of newspaper bundles both above and below the separator sheet for stabilizing the layers of newspaper bundles on the pallet. The separator sheet is preferably a unitary structure, formed of a resilient plastic material.