A sheet transfer apparatus and a method for transferring a sheet using a sheet transfer apparatus are provided. A sheet transfer apparatus includes: a table on which two or more sheets, which are continuously laminated, are configured to be seated; a sheet adsorbing part on the table to adsorb a first sheet, which is at an uppermost portion, of the two or more laminated sheets at a pressure; and an air discharge part on the table and adjacent to the sheet adsorbing part, and the air discharge part is configured to discharge air to a surface of the first sheet adsorbed to the sheet adsorbing part.

A feeding device includes a supply unit that supplies air between plural stacked media and that floats the media, a feeding unit that makes the media floated by the supply unit stick thereto and that feeds the media, a separating unit that supplies the air obliquely downward to a front surface side of a second medium positioned immediately below a first medium stuck to the feeding unit from a downstream side to an upstream side in a medium feeding direction and that separates the second medium from the first medium, and a blasting unit that blasts the air obliquely downward to the front surface side of the second medium from the downstream side to the upstream side in the medium feeding direction and that has a blasting angle of the air with respect to the medium feeding direction larger than a supply angle of the air of the separating unit.

A feeding device includes a supply unit that supplies air between plural stacked media and that floats the media, a feeding unit that makes the media floated by the supply unit stick thereto and that feeds the media, a separating unit that supplies the air obliquely downward to a front surface side of a second medium positioned immediately below a first medium stuck to the feeding unit from a downstream side to an upstream side in a medium feeding direction and that separates the second medium from the first medium, and a blasting unit that blasts the air obliquely downward to the front surface side of the second medium from the downstream side to the upstream side in the medium feeding direction and that has a blasting angle of the air with respect to the medium feeding direction larger than a supply angle of the air of the separating unit.

A sheet feeder includes a sheet loading tray, an air blower, a side air blower, and processing circuitry. The sheet loading tray loads sheets. The air blower blows air to the sheets to float and separate the sheets. The side air blower blows air to the sheets to separate the sheets. The processing circuitry controls a tray elevator to rise the sheet loading tray to move the sheets to an upper limit position, after a predetermined time has elapsed from a time when the sheets are loaded on the sheet loading tray. The processing circuitry causes the air blower and the side air blower to blow air to the sheets to perform sheet separation and controls the tray elevator to lower the sheet loading tray to a position at which an intermediate remaining-sheet sensor is disposed, after the sheet separation ends.

A sheet feeder includes a sheet loading tray, an air blower, a side air blower, and processing circuitry. The sheet loading tray loads sheets. The air blower blows air to the sheets to float and separate the sheets. The side air blower blows air to the sheets to separate the sheets. The processing circuitry controls a tray elevator to rise the sheet loading tray to move the sheets to an upper limit position, after a predetermined time has elapsed from a time when the sheets are loaded on the sheet loading tray. The processing circuitry causes the air blower and the side air blower to blow air to the sheets to perform sheet separation and controls the tray elevator to lower the sheet loading tray to a position at which an intermediate remaining-sheet sensor is disposed, after the sheet separation ends.

A rotary carton feeder includes a planetary drive having two sun rings with angular phase, cam surfaces on each ring about a common axis. Planetary members rotate about the common axis with a number of said planet members in operative engagement with one of the cams and another number of planet members in operative engagement with a second one of said sun rings. Spindles are selectively combined with selected planet members to selectively accommodate handling variably sized cartons of 1, 2, 3 or 4 count. Suction cups on spindle ends traverse an enclosed path having four cusps. Variations are disclosed.

A method for manufacturing plywood includes receiving a face sheet on a main conveyor and feeding a plurality of pieces of core veneer onto a veneer conveyor by an automated core veneer feeder. The method also includes removing one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer from the veneer conveyor and placing the one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer onto the face sheet.

An apparatus for supplying food ingredients according to the present disclosure includes a food ingredient lifting part configured to separate and move upward a food ingredient stack from a food ingredient cassette on which food ingredients including a plurality of stacked food ingredients are seated, a food ingredient separation part configured to suck and move upward a single sheet of a food ingredient from the food ingredient stack moved upward by the food ingredient lifting part, and a horizontal movement part configured to transfer forward the single sheet of the food ingredient moved upward by the food ingredient separation part.

An apparatus for supplying food ingredients according to the present disclosure includes a food ingredient lifting part configured to separate and move upward a food ingredient stack from a food ingredient cassette on which food ingredients including a plurality of stacked food ingredients are seated, a food ingredient separation part configured to suck and move upward a single sheet of a food ingredient from the food ingredient stack moved upward by the food ingredient lifting part, and a horizontal movement part configured to transfer forward the single sheet of the food ingredient moved upward by the food ingredient separation part.

An object pickup system includes an object pickup device and a calculation device. The object pickup device includes a first bracket, a suction cup installed on the first bracket and adapted to be affixed to a top surface of an object, and a distance sensor installed on the first bracket and adapted to rotate with the first bracket to scan the top surface of the object. The calculation device is operatively connected to the distance sensor. The calculation device is adapted to calculate a distance from the top surface of the object to the distance sensor and a position of an edge of an opening on the top surface of the object based on the distance data collected by the distance sensor during a scanning operation.