A wear resistant funnel sheet element for a material guide chute includes first and second edges located at a tapered angle from each other. Interlinking fastening features are provided in order to mate the respective edges of at least one of the wear resistant funnel sheets to form a funnel element. The sheet element may be a molded flat piece of a rubber material, which serves as an interchangeable wear part on a material guide chute.

A transport chute is suitable for use as a store for articles that are able to be laid one on top of another, in particular packages and items of luggage. The chute contains a chute portion which has an inclined chute surface with a dropping direction along the chute surface. The chute portion is interrupted by an interruption such that the chute surface is subdivided into at least an upper chute surface and lower chute surface. The interruption is configured to make it easier to form at least two layers of articles lying one on top of another below the interruption. The lower chute surface has a driver, which is drivable and actuable counter to the dropping direction, for transporting the articles, the articles of the bottommost layer being able to rest at least in part on the driver in order to be transported.

Device for merging at least two piece goods streams arranged at different heights, with an upper feed channel for receiving packages from an upper piece goods stream, and a lower feed channel for receiving packages from a lower piece goods stream, the feed channels extending between a first vertical plane and a parallel second vertical plane, whose distance from each other corresponds to a total channel width, the upper feed channel having a first conveying surface between a first side panel running in the first vertical plane, and a second side panel, the second side panel running in the second vertical plane at least on an upstream-side final section, and a second conveying surface, which downstream joins the first conveying surface adjacent to a third side panel running in the first vertical plane and has a width, which is less than half the total channel width, wherein the second conveying surface loosely ends on a side panel running parallel to the first vertical plane at a vertical distance above the lower feed channel, the lower feed channel having a third conveying surface, which is bordered by a fourth side panel running in the second vertical plane and by a fifth side panel, wherein a width of the third conveying surface at a downstream-side end of the lower feed channel corresponds to the total channel width less the width of the second conveying surface.

An apparatus for vertical transfer of whole nuts from a first elevation to a second, lower elevation includes a run extending between an entrance and an exit, and having a plurality of alternatingly arranged conveying panels between the entrance and the exit. Each conveying panel is inclined at approximately 30 degrees to horizontal and has a variable effective conveying width. The apparatus further includes arcuate turn-arounds disposed between respective conveying panels to facilitate transferring the nuts from one conveying panel to the next lower conveying panel. The variable effective conveying width is selected based on a predetermined mass flow rate of nuts such that whole nuts move along the run in a continuous stream without tumbling, and wherein each nut is in contact with adjacent nuts in its respective layer.

As an electronic component conveyance device in which an electronic component is unlikely to jam in a conveyance path. A first magnetic force generation unit is provided lateral to a first sidewall in a midstream part. A second magnetic force generation unit is provided downstream of the first magnetic force generation unit and lateral to a second sidewall in the midstream part. The midstream part includes a first transition part connected with an upstream part and a second transition part connected with a downstream part. The first sidewall is parallel to a conveyance direction in the first transition part. The second sidewall extends in a direction different from the conveyance direction in the first transition part. The second sidewall is parallel to the conveyance direction in the second transition part. The first sidewall extends in a direction different from the conveyance direction in the second transition part.

A bulk material dispensing system including a dispensing apparatus suspended from a fixed surface that is configured to receive bulk material from a tank. A metering device feeds the bulk material from the tank to the dispensing apparatus, and a weigh scale is located between the dispensing apparatus and the fixed surface. A controller is in communication with each of the weigh scale and the metering device such that, based on a signal received from the weigh scale that is indicative of the amount of the bulk material that has been fed to the dispensing apparatus by the metering device, the controller controls a rate at which the metering device feeds the bulk material to the dispensing apparatus to ensure that an accurate amount of the bulk material is received by the dispensing apparatus.

A debris disposal chute includes a plurality of tubes having rectangular cross sections of a decreasing size attached together. Flaccid members are connected between hangers pivotably mounted to a casing and the first tube and between the flaccid members of the upper tube and the next lower tube. The casing is pivotably mounted to a receptacle about an axis perpendicular to the hanger axis and the center line of the chute. A header is removably connected to the receptacle by attachment bars and includes a surface inclined towards the open entry. Weight basins are removably connected to the header by leverage connectors on opposite sides of the open entry and the attachment bars.

A method of feeding rod-shaped consumer goods to a packing apparatus is provided, including providing a plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods to an upstream end of a stacking channel, and feeding the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods along the stacking channel to a downstream end of the stacking channel. The upstream end of the stacking channel is higher than the downstream end in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the stacking channel extends at an angle of between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The method further includes receiving the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods into a hopper from the downstream end of the stacking channel, and distributing the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods from the hopper into a packing apparatus.

A method of feeding rod-shaped consumer goods to a packing apparatus is provided, including providing a plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods to an upstream end of a stacking channel, and feeding the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods along the stacking channel to a downstream end of the stacking channel. The upstream end of the stacking channel is higher than the downstream end in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the stacking channel extends at an angle of between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The method further includes receiving the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods into a hopper from the downstream end of the stacking channel, and distributing the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods from the hopper into a packing apparatus.

A flow rack assembly includes a support structure. A supply track assembly supported by the support structure extends in a longitudinal direction. The supply track assembly declines in elevation from a component supply location to a component pick location. A return track assembly is supported by the support structure that extends in the longitudinal direction. The return track assembly declines in elevation from the component pick location to a tray storage location. A transition support shelf is rotatably connected to the support structure at a pivot location. The transition support shelf is rotatable about the pivot location due to gravity between a component pick configuration that receives component trays from the supply track assembly and a tray transition configuration that delivers component trays to the return track assembly.