A loading system (e.g., in a warehouse or other item-fulfillment environment) can include a rotary hub that supports one or more chambers. In a first orientation of the rotary hub, one of the chambers may be in a first position aligned for item receipt (e.g., through an open top of the chamber by feeding from a conveyor belt or other feeding system). The rotary hub can rotate to a second orientation in which the chamber is in a second position aligned for item discharge (e.g., through an open end of the chamber and into a receiving zone of a packaging machine or other system).

Present embodiments relate to a tie plate orientation device. More specifically, but without limitation present embodiments relate to a tie plate orientation device that orients tie plates in a desired orientation for subsequent feeding, including an optional handheld magnetic device for manual assisted manipulation of the tie plates.

A glove collecting device includes a guiding member including an internal space, an inlet at one end, and an outlet at the other end, wherein the end adjacent to the inlet of the guiding member is bent inwards such that the end adjacent to the inlet extends from the inlet towards the outlet to form an interlayer and the interlayer includes a plurality of holes; and an adaptor member disposed externally of the outlet and including a hollow connector distal the outlet, and a channel through the connector for communicating with the space of the guiding member.

A glove collecting device includes a guiding member including an internal space, an inlet at one end, and an outlet at the other end; and an adaptor member disposed externally of the outlet and including a hollow connector distal the outlet, and a channel through the connector for communicating with the space of the guiding member.

A method to sort objects in a sorting installation. The objects are conveyed on a sorter of the sorting installation. In a first distribution pass a few of the objects conveyed on the sorter are brought by the sorter into retrieval end stations of the sorting installation and others of the objects conveyed on the sorter are brought by the sorter into a collection end station of the sorting installation and, with a transport facility of the sorting installation, objects are automatically transported away from the collection end station and automatically brought back to the sorter. The objects brought back from the collection end station to the sorter by the transport facility are brought by the sorter into one of the end stations in a second distribution pass.

A swing arm changes a position of a placement surface of a placement body between a horizontal position and a tilted position by swinging between a reference position at which the swing arm extends along an opposing surface facing a lower surface of the placement body and a standing position at which the swing arm is tilted relative to the opposing surface. The opposing surface is provided with a guide member configured to guide swinging movement of the swing arm, and the guide member is configured to support the swing arm by sandwiching the swing arm from both sides in an axial direction within a prescribed guide range including the reference position in a total swing range of the swing arm.

An unloading apparatus includes a holding apparatus configured to hold side a holding target article group in such a manner as to hold the holding target article group and an article subgroup above the holding target article group; a suction apparatus including a plurality of suction parts that are configured to hold a plurality of articles constituting a suction target article group, and are configured to operate independently from each other, the suction target article is an article subgroup in an uppermost level; a first lifting apparatus configured to lift and lower a placement part and the holding apparatus relative to each other; a second lifting apparatus configured to lift and lower the suction apparatus and the holding apparatus relative to each other; and a first transport apparatus configured to receive at least one article subgroup held by the holding apparatus, and transport the at least one received article subgroup.

Present embodiments relate to a tie plate dispenser which selectively changes the orientation of the tie plates being ejected, if needed. An actuator is used to flip the tie plate as it falls from an ejection location of the dispenser.

A conveyance apparatus includes: a conveyance member including a reception surface configured to receive an article; a movable member connected to a lower surface of the conveyance member; and a driving device configured to move the movable member in one axial direction along a conveyance direction of the conveyance member.

A shield gate includes a door member disposed in a gap region located between an intra-area transport unit and an extra-area transport unit in a transport direction in a closed state in which the shield gate shields an opening, and is disposed at a position displaced from the gap region in an open state in which the shield gate opens the opening. A second interval is a length of the gap region that allows the door member to be disposed, during at least a part of a non-transport period, the length of the gap region is set to be greater than or equal to the second interval, and the shield gate is in the closed state, and, during the transport period, the shield gate is in the open state, and the length of the gap region is set to a first interval that is shorter than the second interval.