A loading device to supply successively with cardboard sheets a station for handling the sheets by folding to form from them boxes for packaging, the handling station having a storage area to receive the successive sheets, optionally grouped in bundles, the device itself having a manipulator that includes: a gripping tool to pick up the sheets; an actuator to move the tool between an inventory of sheets and the receiving storage area of the station; a detection unit for detecting the status of filling of the storage area; and a control unit that directs the action of the device and that receives detection information from the detection unit to do this, the control unit being independent of the control of the handling station and programmable to adapt the operation of the loading device to the type of sheets handled. A corresponding process is also described.

A carton handling system for a carton blank magazine. The carton handling system includes a carriage assembly with a carton handling tool. The carriage assembly moves the carton handling tool in two axes of motion to receive a slug of carton blanks and to position the slug of carton blanks in the carton blank magazine. The carton handling system further includes a finger carried on the carton handling tool. The carton handling tool is movable to engage the finger with an underside of a fallen carton blank lying at an end of an advancing stack of blanks in the carton blank magazine so as to lift the fallen carton blank against a preceding blank at the end of the advancing stack of blanks. The carton handling tool is also movable to position the slug of carton blanks at an endmost blank in the advancing stack of blanks.

A carton handling system for a carton blank magazine. The carton handling system includes a carriage assembly with a carton handling tool. The carriage assembly moves the carton handling tool in two axes of motion to receive a slug of carton blanks and to position the slug of carton blanks in the carton blank magazine. The carton handling system further includes a finger carried on the carton handling tool. The carton handling tool is movable to engage the finger with an underside of a fallen carton blank lying at an end of an advancing stack of blanks in the carton blank magazine so as to lift the fallen carton blank against a preceding blank at the end of the advancing stack of blanks. The carton handling tool is also movable to position the slug of carton blanks at an endmost blank in the advancing stack of blanks.

The application relates to an unloading device for a substrate magazine, wherein the substrate magazine has multiple drawers in which substrates are arrangeable for storage or temporary storage, having at least one controllable conveyor belt on which substrates can be placed, and having at least one controllable gripper arm, which is designed to push at least one substrate out of a drawer of the substrate magazine to the conveyor belt, wherein the conveyor belt and the gripper arm are arranged on a common and movably mounted carrier, wherein the gripper arm is arranged at least in a starting position below the conveyor belt in order to grip at least one substrate from below for pushing out. It is provided for this purpose that the gripper arm is designed to push a substrate stack having several substrates lying one on top of another out of one of the drawers above the conveyor belt, that a separating device is arranged above the conveyor belt, into which the substrate stack is insertable by the gripper arm and that the separating device is designed to release the lowest substrate of the substrate stack from the substrate stack and deposit it on the conveyor belt underneath.

The application relates to an unloading device for a substrate magazine, wherein the substrate magazine has multiple drawers in which substrates are arrangeable for storage or temporary storage, having at least one controllable conveyor belt on which substrates can be placed, and having at least one controllable gripper arm, which is designed to push at least one substrate out of a drawer of the substrate magazine to the conveyor belt, wherein the conveyor belt and the gripper arm are arranged on a common and movably mounted carrier, wherein the gripper arm is arranged at least in a starting position below the conveyor belt in order to grip at least one substrate from below for pushing out. It is provided for this purpose that the gripper arm is designed to push a substrate stack having several substrates lying one on top of another out of one of the drawers above the conveyor belt, that a separating device is arranged above the conveyor belt, into which the substrate stack is insertable by the gripper arm and that the separating device is designed to release the lowest substrate of the substrate stack from the substrate stack and deposit it on the conveyor belt underneath.

A sheet feeding apparatus has: a sheet feeding unit configured to transport, in a feed direction, a sheet arranged at a sheet feeding position; a sheet bundle loading unit configured to load a sheet bundle including multiple sheets fed by the sheet feeding unit; a lift mechanism configured to move the sheet bundle loading unit vertically so that the uppermost sheet loaded on the sheet bundle loading unit is arranged at the sheet feeding position; and a transfer mechanism configured to hold and transfer the externally supplied sheet bundle onto the sheet bundle loading unit. The transfer mechanism has a sheet bundle holding unit configured to hold the externally supplied sheet bundle and a transfer unit configured to transfer the sheet bundle from the sheet bundle holding unit onto the sheet bundle loading unit to establish a state where the sheet bundle is loaded on the sheet bundle loading unit.

A sheet feeding apparatus has: a sheet feeding unit configured to transport, in a feed direction, a sheet arranged at a sheet feeding position; a sheet bundle loading unit configured to load a sheet bundle including multiple sheets fed by the sheet feeding unit; a lift mechanism configured to move the sheet bundle loading unit vertically so that the uppermost sheet loaded on the sheet bundle loading unit is arranged at the sheet feeding position; and a transfer mechanism configured to hold and transfer the externally supplied sheet bundle onto the sheet bundle loading unit. The transfer mechanism has a sheet bundle holding unit configured to hold the externally supplied sheet bundle and a transfer unit configured to transfer the sheet bundle from the sheet bundle holding unit onto the sheet bundle loading unit to establish a state where the sheet bundle is loaded on the sheet bundle loading unit.