A grouping station includes first conveyor tracks for moving loading pallets to the grouping station and second conveyor tracks for forwarding the loading pallets from the grouping station. The first conveyor tracks and the second conveyor tracks are both arranged for two different handling directions of the loading pallets.

A material transfer system includes one or more of the following features: (i) a rotatable conveyor assembly is configured to enable adjustment of a radial position of the item guide surface of each item pocket for adjusting pocket depth; (ii) the rotatable conveyor assembly is configured to enable adjustment of an arcuate offset distance between the item guide surface and the item push surface of each item pocket; and/or (iii) the guide surface is formed, at least in part, by at least one flexible rail that is adjustable between multiple orientations and the flexible is configured to flex in a manner such that, in each one of the multiple orientations, the guide surface follows a substantially arcuate path with a set radius, wherein the set radius varies between the multiple orientations.

A height-adjustable storage container includes a lower container frame and an upper container frame. The lower container frame includes a base and four lower walls extending from the base. The upper container frame includes four upper walls. Each of the upper walls at least partially overlaps a respective one of the four lower walls. The storage container includes a connection structure for connecting the lower container frame and the upper container frame together, and which allows the relative positioning of the lower container frame and the upper container frame to be adjusted to change the height of the height-adjustable storage container.

A conveyor system includes a rail having one or more channels therein and one or more sleds operatively associated with the rail. A sled can include a body and one or more wheels mounted on the body and configured to move through the one or more channels in the rail. A sled can also include a holding device connected to the body. The holding device can be configured to engage a packaging container to move the packaging container along the rail. Multiple sleds can be used to secure a packaging container therebetween and move the packaging container along the rail. The conveyor system may also include a queue system that dynamically moves packaging containers to packaging stations.

A transporter system is provided for transporting a stream of substantially cylindrical objects, the transporter system comprising an intermediate orientation changing transporter section arranged between the first and second transporter section, the intermediate orientation changing transporter section comprising a plurality of stationary guide rails arranged to delimit at least part of an orientation changing passage through which the stream of substantially cylindrical object is guided and a rotatable frame comprising a first movable guide rail configured to delimit the remaining part of the orientation changing passage when the rotatable frame is in a first rotational position and a second movable guide rail configured to delimit the remaining part of the orientation changing passage when the rotatable frame is the second rotational position.

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.

Conveying equipment for holding and transporting a container, including a support base for a container and holding devices movable along respective gripping directions (D1, D2) between a retracted position and an advanced position. Each holding device includes a plurality of restraining bodies placed one above the other, wherein each restraining body of a respective holding device is separated from an underlying restraining body by a separating volume. Each restraining body includes a contact element adapted to be resiliently deformed and configured to conform at least partially to a portion of the outer surface of a container. Restraining bodies of a first holding device are at least partially received, at least in the respective advanced position, in respective separating volumes of a second holding device.

A gripping member for container retaining and transport equipment including a plurality of gripping bodies having respective contact surfaces configured to contact a container and a connection body connected to the plurality of gripping bodies and connecting the gripping bodies to each other and is deformable between a storage configuration and a gripping configuration, in the storage configuration the connection body is in a undeformed condition and arranges the gripping bodies parallel to respective first directions and with the respective contact surfaces not facing each other; in the gripping configuration the connection body is in a reversibly deformed condition and elongated in directions contained in a single reference plane and wherein the gripping bodies are parallel to respective second directions not contained in the single reference plane, with respective contact surfaces facing each other.

A movement system for container-holding devices including at least one movement mechanism configured to be associated with a respective retaining device, wherein each movement mechanism includes a slide slidingly mounted on a rail and movable along a respective radial gripping direction, an actuation body having a drive portion connected to the slide, an actuation portion configured to receive an actuation force from a linear actuator, and a transmission portion interposed between the actuation portion and the drive portion. The transmission portion is rotatably hinged about a transmission axis (X1) perpendicular to the radial gripping direction. The drive portion is connected to the slide so that a translation in the radial direction of the drive portion causes a corresponding translation of the slide in the same radial direction and a translation in the axial direction of the drive portion does not cause any translation of the slide.

The present disclosure provides an inspection device for continuously inspecting fed containers, in particular bottles, said inspection device comprising a feed device configured to feed containers thereto in succession, at least one inspection unit, configured to inspect the fed containers, a discharge conveying device configured to discharge the inspected containers, and a throughput station for the containers, which is arranged between the feed conveying device and the discharge conveying device, wherein the throughput station comprises a conveyor arrangement with an individual drive and a plurality of conveying units, which are movable by means of the individual drive individually and independently of one another, the conveyor arrangement being configured to convey the containers from the feed conveying device to the discharge conveying device.