A feed mechanism for pocketed spring strands is provided with at least one index wheel having a plurality of blades. The feed mechanism is provided with a motor. The at least one index wheel includes a first support member which is rotatable about a first rotation axis and carries a first support element which supports a shaft element of the blade to be tiltable about a tilt axis extending in parallel to the first rotation axis. The at least one index wheel includes a second support member which is rotatable about a second rotation axis which extends in parallel to the first rotation axis and carries a second support element which is slidable along the shaft element of the blade and supports the shaft element to be tiltable about the tilt axis.

A feed mechanism for pocketed spring strands is provided with at least one index wheel having a plurality of blades. The feed mechanism is provided with a motor. The at least one index wheel includes a first support member which is rotatable about a first rotation axis and carries a first support element which supports a shaft element of the blade to be tiltable about a tilt axis extending in parallel to the first rotation axis. The at least one index wheel includes a second support member which is rotatable about a second rotation axis which extends in parallel to the first rotation axis and carries a second support element which is slidable along the shaft element of the blade and supports the shaft element to be tiltable about the tilt axis.

A filling station includes a transport tray having a plurality of transfer receptacles, an optical detection device configured to generate one or more images of transfer receptacles having drug portions arranged therein and a control device coupled to the optical detection device. The control device causes display of a filling template of which transfer receptacles are to be filled with one or more drug portions and compares an actual filling of the transfer receptacles based on the one or more images of the transfer receptacles generated by the optical detection device to ta target filling. The control device also determines if no deviation exists between the actual filling and the target filling and releases the transport tray for transferring the drug portions to a secondary tray.

A filling station includes a transport tray having a plurality of transfer receptacles, an optical detection device configured to generate one or more images of transfer receptacles having drug portions arranged therein and a control device coupled to the optical detection device. The control device causes display of a filling template of which transfer receptacles are to be filled with one or more drug portions and compares an actual filling of the transfer receptacles based on the one or more images of the transfer receptacles generated by the optical detection device to ta target filling. The control device also determines if no deviation exists between the actual filling and the target filling and releases the transport tray for transferring the drug portions to a secondary tray.

A system for transferring a group of components of electronic cigarettes from a first to a second operating station includes a conveyor extends from a feeding zone to a disengagement zone and has a plurality of seats. A feeding device receives the components and feeds them into the seats at a first mutual distance. A disengaging and transferring device operates to disengage the components from their seats and transfer the components to a collecting zone. A compacting device operates in the collecting zone to move the components closer together and place them at a second mutual distance that is smaller than the first mutual distance. A tray faces and receives from the collecting zone the group of components which have been placed close together. A pushing device pushes the components from the collecting zone into the tray. A movement device transfers the tray to the second operating station.

A method for filling a package with a group of pairs of packs, comprising supplying a group of pairs of packs simultaneously from a transport device to a package, vertically spacing the two packs of each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs from each other in the package, and horizontally spacing each pair of packs from each other in the package. The method further comprises maintaining a horizontal spacing between each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs while supplying the group of pairs of packs to the package by guiding the pairs of packs of the group of pairs of packs along space bars provided in the transport device.

A method for filling a package with a group of pairs of packs, comprising supplying a group of pairs of packs simultaneously from a transport device to a package, vertically spacing the two packs of each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs from each other in the package, and horizontally spacing each pair of packs from each other in the package. The method further comprises maintaining a horizontal spacing between each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs while supplying the group of pairs of packs to the package by guiding the pairs of packs of the group of pairs of packs along space bars provided in the transport device.

Instead of a loading line consisting only consisting of conventional belt conveyors or strap conveyors, the invention uses—in addition to a conventional feed conveyor unit (10)—a large number of vehicles (F) which move independently of one another, freely on a driving surface (3″), and are driven from below the driving surface (3″), which each carry a packaging element (V) such as a tray, which—loaded with a single slice (S) or a portion—very flexibly permit the specific assembly of portions (P), but also the buffering of partial portions.

The buffer possibility can be supplemented by a (known) buffer (17) in the form of a vertical buffer with a vertically movable storage rack (17).

Instead of a loading line consisting only consisting of conventional belt conveyors or strap conveyors, the invention uses—in addition to a conventional feed conveyor unit (10)—a large number of vehicles (F) which move independently of one another, freely on a driving surface (3″), and are driven from below the driving surface (3″), which each carry a packaging element (V) such as a tray, which—loaded with a single slice (S) or a portion—very flexibly permit the specific assembly of portions (P), but also the buffering of partial portions.

The buffer possibility can be supplemented by a (known) buffer (17) in the form of a vertical buffer with a vertically movable storage rack (17).

A machine for packaging soft products, including a conveyor defining a ring-shaped path having an active linear lower branch facing a feed plane and a non-active linear upper branch Each of a plurality of carriages supports a tooth, projecting towards the feed plane during the passage on the lower branch. A transfer device moves one group of products at a time, with a corresponding sheet of wrapping material folded around the group, towards the feed plane and to a receiving compartment defined by a first and a second tooth, along a second direction transversal to a first direction. Along the lower linear branch there are a number of teeth equal to the number of groups positioned or arrived on the feed plane. Each tooth is configured to define simultaneously a pushing tooth and a tooth containment when the tooth is interposed between two groups along the feed plane.