A blow molding machine for blow molding a container having an integrally formed handle; said container blow molded from a previously injection molded preform; said preform comprising a body portion and said integrally formed handle; said machine including a preform loading station at which said preform is oriented by a preform orienting apparatus.

Article sorting equipment of the invention comprises a flat conveyor of the chain type having carrier links configured to convey articles towards sorting outlets in a certain conveying direction. The links are mounted to slide on the chain transversely relative to the conveying direction and the sorting outlets are disposed under the links of the chain, one after another in the conveying direction. The links are also arranged to come out from under the articles when they are slid so as to cause the articles to fall into the sorting outlets. A monitoring and control unit for monitoring and controlling the sorting equipment is also configured to cause the links to slide as a function of the sorting outlets into which the articles are to be sorted.

A connecting device (2-2) for connecting a conveying carriage (1-1) to a drive chain (4) has a pivot lever (6-6) that is connected pivotally to the conveying carriage (1-1). A chain fastening (8-8) is connectable to the drive chain (4), and an articulated joint (10-10) connects the pivot lever (6-6) and the chain fastening (8-8). The articulated joint (10-10) has three degrees of rotational freedom between the pivot lever (6-6) and the chain fastening (8-8).

In the case where a transport vehicle has received both a first passage permission and a second passage permission and is to pass through a second passing point, when the travel distance of the transport vehicle from a first stopping point reaches a first set distance, the transport vehicle issues, to a zone control device, a first occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy a first passing point, and when the travel distance of the transport vehicle from the first stopping point reaches a second set distance, the transport vehicle issues, to the zone control device, a second occupation revocation request for revoking permission to occupy the second passing point.

A blow molding machine for blow molding a container having an integrally formed handle; said container blow molded from a previously injection molded preform; said preform comprising a body portion and said integrally formed handle; said machine including a preform loading station at which said preform is oriented by a preform orienting apparatus.

A method for controlling a variable production line using a skid-type variable workbench and an apparatus for the same. According to the method, a process group including multiple variable workbenches may be organized based on a design, each of the multiple variable workbenches may be mounted on an upper part of a skid board, the skid board may be loaded on a powered line that moves at a regular speed in a fixed direction, the skid board may be moved in consideration of a position of a worker responsible for each process and a work state of the process group, and movement of a target variable workbench may be stopped by removing a skid board, on which the target variable workbench corresponding to an unload instruction in the process group is mounted, from the powered line when the unload instruction is input by a worker.

A connecting device (2-2) for connecting a conveying carriage (1-1) to a drive chain (4) has a pivot lever (6-6) that is connected pivotally to the conveying carriage (1-1). A chain fastening (8-8) is connectable to the drive chain (4), and an articulated joint (10-10) connects the pivot lever (6-6) and the chain fastening (8-8). The articulated joint (10-10) has three degrees of rotational freedom between the pivot lever (6-6) and the chain fastening (8-8).

A conveying device drivable by rack gear has a towed hook further forward than a front end of a rack gear mounted to a conveying traveling body. A driving pinion gear, disposed at an entrance of a rack gear drive section, has a drawing-in claw that engages the towed hook and draws in the conveying traveling body to a position where the front end of the rack gear meshes with the driving pinion gear. The towed hook has, at a position at a rear side of a hook portion at a distal end thereof and further forward than the front end of the rack gear, an advance preventing claw portion disposed continuous thereto that, together with the hook portion, sandwiches the drawing-in claw, and the hook portion has a length such that it enters more deeply inside a rotation locus of the drawing-in claw than the advance preventing claw portion.

An article transport vehicle configured to travel along a first rail and a second rail parallel to each other and transport an article, includes: a first wheel configured to roll on a first travel surface, which is a travel surface of the first rail; and a second wheel configured to roll on a second travel surface, which is a travel surface of the second rail. The first wheel has a first-wheel body that includes a first outer circumferential face and is made of synthetic resin. The second wheel has a second-wheel body that includes a second outer circumferential face and is made of synthetic resin. The first outer circumferential face has a plurality of first recessed grooves extending in a circumferential direction of the first wheel. The second outer circumferential face has a plurality of second recessed grooves extending in a circumferential direction of the second wheel.

The invention relates to a conveying system comprising a plurality of conveying units comprising a chassis, a first and second roll-shaped rotating element (16, 18), a conveyor belt passed around the rotating elements (16, 18), which forms a supporting surface for a product, a first filler piece (20), wherein the first filler piece (20) is connected to the first rotating element (16) in such a way that the first filler piece (20) and the first rotating element (16) are jointly displaceable towards and away from the second rotating element (18), a second filler piece (22) which is fastened to the chassis between the first filler piece (20) and the second rotating element (18), and a removable spacer element (32) which, in use, is provided in a fitting manner between the first and second filler piece (20, 22), wherein a predetermined operating distance between the first and second rotating element (16, 18) is determined as a result of the placing of the spacer element (32) between the first and second filler piece (20, 22).