A substrate support system 10 for a conveyor printer is provided, comprising a support unit 100 comprising a plurality of vacuum apertures 108 arranged for fluidic communication with a source of negative pressure. The support unit 100 also comprises at least one air bearing 114 arranged for fluidic communication with a source of positive pressure. The air bearing 114 comprises porous media 116. The substrate support system 10 also comprises a conveyor belt 150 arranged over the support unit 100 for supporting a substrate 170 to be printed on. The conveyor belt 150 comprises a plurality of belt apertures. The vacuum apertures 108 are arranged to convey a negative pressure through the belt apertures for retaining the substrate 170 on the conveyor belt 150. The at least one air bearing 114 is arranged to convey a positive pressure to support the conveyor belt 150.

The invention relates to a handling device and/or layer forming device (10) and a method for forming piece good layers. Piece goods (14, 14a) are conveyed on a horizontal conveying device (16) to a grouping station and/or layer forming station (12) comprising a manipulator (20). In a work cycle the manipulator (20) seizes at least one piece good (14, 14a) and moves it into a defined relative target position and/or target alignment, in particular with regard to a piece good layer to be formed.

The horizontal conveying device (16), which is arranged upstream of the grouping station and/or layer forming station (12) in the transport direction (18) of the piece goods (14, 14a), comprises at least one sensor device (24) for obtaining positional data and/or dimensional data and/or alignment data of the transported piece goods (14, 14a). Electronic output signals (26) are generated from the obtained data, which processed in a control device (28). The control device (28) controls the movements of the manipulator (20) within the movement range (22) for the purpose of the layer formation.

A conveyor system for translating objects is disclosed, each object with vertical protrusions extending upward and/or downward from one or more sides of the object. The conveyor system can accommodate structural members such as roof truss members, on which connector plates are affixed and from which the connector plates protrude vertically up, down, or both. The conveyor system may have a slide or some other support for the objects. The slide or other support may be narrow. The slide or other support can be tall, relative to an object. The conveyor system may have an engagement tool driven by an overhead carriage to translate the objects along the slide or other support. The engagement tool may be narrow. The engagement tool can be tall, relative to an object.

In a maceration conveyor assembly (10) a juice deflector (50) deflects juice around a return run of a conveyor into a trough (51). Preferably the juice deflector and trough are configured as opposed axially extending V-shaped stainless steel plates. The assembly (10) feeds into a first mill (11) of a milling tandem, and output from the mill (11) is delivered onto another conveyor and carried to the next mill in the tandem. Low pol maceration liquid is returned to the conveyor via return lines to respective distribution weirs (16) and (17). The conveyor assembly (10) includes an inlet end (20) and an outlet end (21) all supported on a supporting framework (22) so that the assembly is inclined from the inlet end (20) to the outlet end (22). An endless plate conveyor (25) comprises interconnected perforated plates (26) adapted to pivot relative to each other in chain like fashion.

A dough portioning device comprises a metering device with a container configured to receive a supply of dough, and a separator configured to separate a defined quantity of dough from the supply of dough and to discharge the quantity of dough at a discharge end of the metering device in a discharge direction. The dough portioning device furthermore comprises a conveyor device configured to transport dough in a conveying direction, wherein the conveyor device comprises a conveyor belt, and is arranged below the discharge end of the metering device. The conveyor device furthermore comprises a belt guide configured to bend/fold lateral sections of the conveyor belt relative to a middle section in a direction towards the metering device. The middle section of the conveyor belt has a declivity relative to the discharge end of the metering device, at least in a section in the region of the metering device.

A dough portioning device comprises a metering device with a container configured to receive a supply of dough, and a separator configured to separate a defined quantity of dough from the supply of dough and to discharge the quantity of dough at a discharge end of the metering device in a discharge direction. The dough portioning device furthermore comprises a conveyor device configured to transport dough in a conveying direction, wherein the conveyor device comprises a conveyor belt, and is arranged below the discharge end of the metering device. The conveyor device furthermore comprises a belt guide configured to bend/fold lateral sections of the conveyor belt relative to a middle section in a direction towards the metering device. The middle section of the conveyor belt has a declivity relative to the discharge end of the metering device, at least in a section in the region of the metering device.

An apparatus includes a processing station with a container conveyor, a discharge apparatus including a discharge star with a carrier for transporting the containers, a discharge device arranged around the discharge star and defining a discharge curve for guiding the containers, a container inlet arranged at an end of the discharge device for receiving the containers, and a container outlet arranged at a second end of the discharge device for discharging the containers. The discharge device includes a discharge edge at the first end arranged in a region of the container conveyor such that, in the operating state, the container is received by the discharge edge into the container inlet, and the discharge star is rotatable such that the container is transported by the carrier on a guideway delimited by the discharge curve and the discharge star from the container inlet to the container outlet.

A conveyor system (1) comprising at least one endless chain conveyor (2) and at least one pallet (8) that comprises a magnetic material, where the conveyor system comprises a first loading station (3) and an unloading station (5), where the first loading station (3) comprises a magnet conveyor (6) comprising a linear motor for driving the pallet (8), where the pallet (8) comprises a product holder (9) having at least two holding positions (11, 12, 13, 14), and the magnet conveyor (6) is adapted to stop the pallet (8) at a plurality of positions, in which each holding position (11, 12, 13, 14) is aligned with a delivery position (15) of the first loading station (3). The advantage is that a pallet can be positioned in a plurality of positions at a loading station in a quick and precise manner, allowing for a flexible and quick handling of pallets.

A centering station may be used for correcting a position of a load carrier on a channel vehicle. A centering station may comprise a centering channel extending along a longitudinal direction, the centering channel comprising at least one running rail for the channel vehicle running in the longitudinal direction and at least two centering means extending substantially in the longitudinal direction above the at least one running rail. In embodiments, the centering channel may comprise an entrance which allows the channel vehicle to enter the centering channel, wherein a clear span between the centering means decreases in the longitudinal direction of the centering channel. In embodiments, a clear span is measured in the transverse direction, i.e., horizontally and orthogonally to the longitudinal direction, wherein the clear span between the centering means decreases in the vertical direction, i.e., vertically and orthogonally to the longitudinal direction towards the running rail.

Moving an article after a material, such as a hot-melt adhesive, has been applied to a surface of the article is accomplished with an article transfer apparatus. The apparatus is comprised of a belt having a plurality of apertures extending there through that are effective to communicate a vacuum pressure from an inner surface of the belt to a contacting surface of the belt. The vacuum pressure secures and adheres the article to the contacting surface of the belt as the belt conveys the article. The vacuum pressure is distributed along the inner surface of the belt by a vacuum chamber, which is between a compression roller and a second roller.