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.

A flume for supplying vegetable pieces in a supply of liquid, the flume extending between a flume inlet and a flume outlet, the flume comprising: a gulley section having an upstream inlet end at the flume inlet and a downstream outlet end, the gulley section having opposed sidewalls and a gulley floor therebetween, and a spreader section having opposed first and second lateral walls and a spreader floor therebetween, the spreader section having an upstream end connected to the downstream outlet end of the gulley section, the spreader section progressively increasing in width between the opposed first and second lateral walls in a downstream direction from the upstream end to a downstream end of the spreader section, wherein the opposed first and second lateral walls are each outwardly inclined away from a longitudinal axis of the spreader section by a respective angle α° for the first lateral wall and β° for the second lateral wall, in respective opposite directions, which extends from the upstream end of the spreader section to the downstream end of the spreader section, wherein the gulley section has a width of the gulley floor at the downstream outlet end of W1, the length of the spreader section between the upstream and downstream ends of the spreader section is N, and the dimensionless ratio N/W1 is within the range of from 2 to 15, and wherein the sum of α° and β° is from 10 to 25°.

A loading device for loading a container with packages, comprising a transport channel for transport of the packages in the direction of the container. The transport channel has an upper inlet to supply packages into the transport channel and a lower outlet to supply packages into the container. At least one upper, and at least one lower, finger position each with at least one finger element are provided in the transport channel. The at least one of the finger elements of the upper and lower finger positions in each case have at least two flexible flank elements extending from one end to the opposing end of the finger element. In each case, the at least two flexible flank elements are flexibly connected via a plurality of webs. The finger elements in each case may be adjusted from at least one curved position into at least one extended position and back.

A pulse cleaning system for disinfecting untreated grains and pulses. The pulse cleaning system comprises an outer body, a top end, a top outer edge, a bottom end, and a conveyor. The pulse cleaning system is useful in cleaning a dry commodity by inserting the dry commodity into the top end, cleaning the dry commodity within the outer body, releasing the dry commodity at the bottom end, and collecting the dry commodity on the conveyor. The outer body comprises a top opening at the top end, and a bottom opening at the bottom end. each among one or more exterior burner assemblies and an interior chamber strip burner is configured to create variable flame according to an end user's preference, or according to amounts of a fuel provided. after treatment by the pulse cleaning system, the dry commodity is referred to as a treated grains and pulses.

In a flange-nut posture control device includes a first opening, a direction controlling portion is constituted by two vertical wall portions extending in a vertical direction such that the vertical wall portions are distanced from each other to face each other via a space with a distance smaller than the diameter of a flange portion of the flange nut. A lower guide portion is provided such that a V-shaped groove having a bottom portion between the vertical wall portions extends to be inclined from a horizontal plane. A second opening is surrounded by at least the vertical wall portions and the lower guide portion and formed such that the flange nut is passed through the second opening. An outlet groove portion is connected to the lower guide portion at an end surface of the second opening and extends with the same inclination as the lower guide portion.

The present application relates to a spherical object falling buffer device including a flow-limiting pipe assembly and a central column assembly; wherein the flow-limiting pipe assembly includes a flow-limiting pipe, a redirecting joint and a sphere outlet pipe; a diameter of the flow-limiting pipe is greater than that of the sphere outlet pipe, and an inner surface of the redirecting joint is a conical surface; the central column assembly includes at least a central column arranged in the flow-limiting pipe; a flow-guiding region is provided between the flow-limiting pipe and the central column, and a plurality of gravity flow guide grooves are provided on an outer peripheral surface of the central column. The spherical object falling buffer device may restrict, guide and buffer spherical objects during falling, and avoids collision damage of the spherical objects or the stock bin due to the excessive falling speed of the spherical objects.

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 method for measuring dustiness of a product. The method can include providing the product onto a ramp. The method further can include allowing gravity to move the product down the ramp, toward a discharging end of the ramp, and to exit the ramp through a dam at the discharging end of the ramp. The dam can be configured to control a mass flow rate of the product exiting the ramp. The method additionally can include measuring, by a sensor, airborne particles to determine the dustiness of the product, wherein the airborne particles are generated by the product exiting the ramp and freely falling onto a support surface. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A rejection chute for a conveyor system, which receives and redirects rejected parcels, includes: a conduit defined by a plurality of side walls; a door; and an actuator operably connected to the door. The conduit includes an enclosed upper portion defining a first opening for receiving parcels into the rejection chute and a lower portion defining a second opening for discharging parcels from the rejection chute. The door is mounted proximate to the first opening and is configured to transition between a first position to cover the first opening and a second position to uncover the first opening. The rejection chute can be integrated into a walking surface alongside of a conveyor to receive and redirect parcels transferred off of the conveyor to a location below the walking surface. An enclosure can be combined with the rejection chute to regulate access and guide parcels into the rejection chute.