In a sheet postprocessing apparatus, an accommodation paddle increases a rate of increase in transport force generated for sheets by the accommodation paddle, in conjunction with a rate of increase in transport resistance generated for the sheets by a sheet pressing member with an increase in number of the sheets stacked on a sheet stacker.

Included are a feeding shaft configured to hold a printing medium, a first transporting belt, a second transporting belt, a first driving roller on which the first transporting belt is wound, a second driving roller on which the second transporting belt is wound, a first driving unit configured to drive the first driving roller, a second driving unit configured to drive the second driving roller, a winding roller on which the printing medium is wound, a first winding roller bearing, a second winding roller bearing, a first load cell configured to detect a load exerted by the printing medium on the first winding roller bearing, a second load cell configured to detect a load exerted by the printing medium on the second winding roller bearing, and a control unit configured to control the first driving unit and the second driving unit based on detection results of the load cells.

A media feeding apparatus includes a media mounting section, a first feed roller, a media pressing section for pressing media sheets against the first feed roller, and a pressing force adjuster for adjusting the pressing force of the media pressing section. The controller sets the pressing force of the media pressing section to first pressing force and drives the first feed roller and the second feed roller in a forward rotation direction, and in a case in which the first detector detects a passage of a leading edge of the media sheet and the second detector detects no passage of the leading edge of the media sheet after predetermined first set time has passed, the controller continues the rotation of the first feed roller and the second feed roller with second pressing force of the media pressing section greater than or equal to the first pressing force.

Provided are: a sheet feed device that is capable of suppressing the occurrence of a sheet feeding fault by changing the pressing contact force of a retard roller against a feed roller; and an image formation device equipped with the same. This sheet feed unit (50) is provided with: a pickup roller (29); a feed roller (31); a retard roller (32); a holding member (40) that holds the retard roller (32); a first biasing member (42) that biases the holding member (40); and a pressing contact force changing mechanism (60) that changes the pressing contact force of the retard roller (32) against the feed roller (31). The pressing contact force changing mechanism (60) has: a rotary shaft (61) disposed parallel to the axial direction of the retard roller (32); a cam member (70) that rotates with the rotary shaft (61); and a movable member (80) that contacts the cam member (70), moves in the axial direction in conjunction with the rotation of the cam member (70), and changes the biasing force generated by the first biasing member (42).

A driving force adjusting pick-up device, includes: a transmitting path; a pick roller disposed in the transmitting path for transmitting papers; an actuating unit connected with the pick roller to adjust the normal force applied to the paper; a separating unit disposed in the transmitting path and located downstream to the pick roller; and a driving force measuring unit which includes a first speed measuring roller disposed upstream to the separating unit and a second speed measuring roller disposed downstream to the separating unit for measuring transmitting speed of the paper upstream and downstream to the separating unit; wherein the driving force measuring unit evaluates the driving force applied to the paper by comparing transmitting speed of the paper upstream and downstream to the separating unit.

A handling system (100) for handling stackable flat elements, in particular carton elements. The system (100) includes a supporting table (102) on which at least an edge portion (303) of a stack (101) of flat elements is supportable, a clamping device (103) configured for clamping a first part (113) of the edge portion of the stack (101) to the supporting table (102), and a lifting device (104) configured for lifting a second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102). The lifting device (104) and the clamping device (103) are arranged to the supporting table (102) such that the stack (101) is bendable by clamping the first part (113) of the stack (101) onto the supporting table (102) by the clamping device (103) and lifting the second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102) by the lifting device (104) at the same time such that the stack (101) is bent around a bending axis (109), wherein the bending axis (109) extends within a plane parallel to a supporting plane (112) of the supporting surface (111).

A supply device (3) for supplying substrate strips (10, 10; 11, 11) to a double-belt press (2) for pressing the substrate strips (10, 10; 11, 11) together includes unwinding stations (4, 5) each having an unwinding shaft (6, 7) for receiving a substrate strip roll (8, 9) and serving to unwind the substrate strips (10, 10; 11, 11) from the substrate strip roll (8, 9), at least one of the unwinding stations (4) having a force-measuring device with a measuring shaft (16, 17) around which one of the substrate strips (10, 10; 11, 11) can be wrapped, an auxiliary shaft (18, 19) being assigned to the measuring shaft, wherein the auxiliary shaft (18, 19) and the measuring shaft (16, 17) of the unwinding station (4) are moveable relative to each other between a guiding position for guiding the substrate strip (10, 10; 11, 11) from the roll of the substrate strip rolls (8, 9) through a gap between the measuring shaft (16, 17) and the auxiliary shaft (18, 19) and an operating position defining a pre-defined and/or pre-definable wrap angle () of the substrate strip (10, 10; 11, 11) around the measuring shaft (16, 17) by an adjusting drive.

A conveying apparatus includes a rotator, a driver, a measuring device, and circuitry. The rotator is configured to convey a medium. The driver is configured to apply a driving force to the rotator to rotate the rotator. The measuring device is configured to measure the driving force applied to the rotator by the driver. The circuitry is configured to: determine, according to the driving force measured, whether to change at least one of frequency and items of information to be acquired for prediction of a defective conveyance of the medium caused by the rotator; and acquire information of at least one of the items according to a result of determination, at a frequency according to the result of determination.

To enable a bunch of sheets to be reliably discharged to a stack tray, also in the case where weight of the bunch of sheets formed on a processing tray is large, a post-processing control section receives information on an ink discharge amount, the number of sheets, sheet type, and printing mode (two-side/one-side) in printing on sheets from a main body control section of an image forming unit A, in forming a bunch of sheets on the processing tray. The control section thereby recognizes weight of a bunch of sheets formed on the processing tray, and when the section determines that the weight is heavier than predetermined weight, decreases a rotation velocity of a drive motor of a sheet bunch transport means, or increases a current amount applied to the drive motor. By this means, torque of the motor is increased, and the bunch of sheets is reliably discharged to the first stack tray.

To enable a bunch of sheets to be reliably discharged to a stack tray, also in the case where weight of the bunch of sheets formed on a processing tray is large, a post-processing control section receives information on an ink discharge amount, the number of sheets, sheet type, and printing mode (two-side/one-side) in printing on sheets from a main body control section of an image forming unit A, in forming a bunch of sheets on the processing tray. The control section thereby recognizes weight of a bunch of sheets formed on the processing tray, and when the section determines that the weight is heavier than predetermined weight, decreases a rotation velocity of a drive motor of a sheet bunch transport means, or increases a current amount applied to the drive motor. By this means, torque of the motor is increased, and the bunch of sheets is reliably discharged to the first stack tray.