A combination weighing apparatus includes a retaining hopper that retains an article and supplies the retained article onto a transport path. The retaining hopper has a coupling portion adapted to be inserted in along the support rails and pulled off from support rails disposed in a pair. The retaining hopper is thus supportable by the support rails and is readily mounted to and dismounted from the apparatus without using any tool for cleaning and other purposes.

A receiving bin for a sorting machine is movable between an operative configuration and an inoperative configuration. In the operative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for receiving a rejected product from the sorting machine. In an inoperative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for servicing and maintenance. The receiving bin has an inlet chute, a transfer chute, and, optionally, a mechanism of altering the configuration connects the inlet chute and the transfer chute. In one arrangement, the inlet chute and the transfer chute are sufficiently exposed to a waterjet during a cleaning event, for maintaining aseptic conditions and a hygienic environment. This is especially useful the sorting machine is commissioned in a production plant where food items such as meat, fish, or dairy products are processed and packaged.

A receiving bin for a sorting machine is movable between an operative configuration and an inoperative configuration. In the operative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for receiving a rejected product from the sorting machine. In an inoperative configuration, the receiving bin is configurable for servicing and maintenance. The receiving bin has an inlet chute, a transfer chute, and, optionally, a mechanism of altering the configuration connects the inlet chute and the transfer chute. In one arrangement, the inlet chute and the transfer chute are sufficiently exposed to a waterjet during a cleaning event, for maintaining aseptic conditions and a hygienic environment. This is especially useful the sorting machine is commissioned in a production plant where food items such as meat, fish, or dairy products are processed and packaged.

A compact modular mobile aggregate processing system configured with no stand-alone inter-plant conveyors for decreasing the footprint of the system and an infinitely adjustable flow diverter(s) for increasing the control of and variation of output characteristics of the system; the system further including specialized folding conveyors.

A doser assembly includes a hopper assembly configured to receive filler material, a vibration transmission assembly coupled to the hopper assembly, and a paddle in a hopper opening that extends through the hopper assembly. The vibration transmission assembly includes a shaft that is configured to rotate around a central rotation axis, an eccentric that is fixed to the shaft and has a center that is radially offset from the central rotation axis, a connecting rod that is pivotably connected to the center of the eccentric, and a bracket that is pivotably connected to the connecting rod. A first end of the paddle is pivotably coupled to the hopper assembly at a paddle pivot joint. The paddle is fixed to the bracket of the vibration transmission assembly separately from the hopper assembly. The vibration transmission assembly is configured to cause the paddle to reciprocatingly pivot around the paddle pivot joint.

A system for handling particulate material includes a chute. The chute includes a main conduit and first and second branch conduits that extend from the main conduit. The chute includes a flow adjuster configured to alter a flow distribution of the particulate material between the first and second branch conduits. In an example operation, first and second containers are placed onto a shuttle on a transfer conveyor. The transfer conveyor moves the shuttle with the first and second containers beneath the chute to place the first container under the first branch conduit and the second container under the second branch conduit. The containers are loaded with particulate material distributed through the chute. Then the containers are moved away from the chute.

A chute tube for facilitating particle transfer and distribution. The chute tube for transferring particles has a charging chute tube with a charge inlet of particles, a discharging chute tube and an intermediate chute tube slantingly connected between the charging chute tube and the discharging chute tube. The intermediate chute tube includes a groove without steps formed by a combination of a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the groove is of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to two adjacent sides of a triangle.

A chute tube for facilitating particle transfer and distribution. The chute tube for transferring particles has a charging chute tube with a charge inlet of particles, a discharging chute tube and an intermediate chute tube slantingly connected between the charging chute tube and the discharging chute tube. The intermediate chute tube includes a groove without steps formed by a combination of a first inclined surface and a second inclined surface, and the groove is of a cross-sectional shape corresponding to two adjacent sides of a triangle.

A distribution device can be used to distribute items in a container. The items can fall off of a chute into the interior of the container. Some of the items may contact the distribution device. The items that contact the distribution can have their trajectories changed prior to falling into the container. The distribution device can more evenly distribute the items in the container than in the absence of the distribution device.

An apparatus and system include an upper stepped chute having a substantially downward sloped configuration; a lower stepped chute having a substantially downward sloped configuration; and an intermediate conveyor section separating the upper stepped chute from the lower stepped chute. The intermediate conveyor section has a slope that is different from the slope of the upper stepped chute and the lower stepped chute.