A reel holder includes: a plate-shaped rotating plate; multiple reel support portions evenly arranged in a circumferential direction about the center of the rotating plate, and supporting the tape reels such that each of the tape reels is rotatable about the center thereof; and a rotating plate support portion supporting the rotating plate such that the rotating plate is rotatable about the center of the rotating plate.

A method for reel changing in automatic machines including: preparing a carriage having a robotic arm including a gripped with a gripper at its free end for retaining a reel; the carriage has a support for the reel and a container for collecting cores of empty reels; positioning the reel on the support defining a predetermined position and memorised by the arm; moving the carriage forward toward a rotating shaft in a position allowing movement of the arm towards the shaft; reading a code on the shaft by a reading device on the arm; sending a signal by the reading device corresponding to the reading of the code to a processing unit with memorisation of the position of the shaft; picking up of an empty core from the rotating shaft and releasing the core in the container; picking up the reel; inserting the reel in the rotating shaft.

The method of transporting a piece of fabric material using a Morton™ picker comprises the steps of aligning a weight vector of the piece of fabric material being lifted, from the gap between the toothed wheel and the pressing foot of the picker and into a region between a tangent to the toothed wheel and a right angle to the pressing surface of the pressing foot; and lifting and transporting the piece of fabric material while maintaining the alignment of the weight vector in that region. In another aspect, there is provided robotic installation comprising a robotic arm and a Morton™ picker for manipulating pieces of fabric material. The robotic arm is configured for simultaneously rotating an axis of the picker and moving the picker along a hyperbolic trajectory, in a single complex motion without jitter, while maintaining the aforesaid alignment of the weight vector.

A cartoning machine including a carton supply station (e.g., a rotary carton supply station, a linear carton supply station, a non-linear carton supply station, or the like) and a handling station operatively coupled to the carton supply station. The carton supply station provides, on a selective basis, cartons, such as carton blanks, pre-formed cartons, or the like. The carton supply station of the cartoning machine provides for movement of magazines with respect to a robot in the handling station that may have a distal end secured in a stationary and fixed location. As such, different magazines with dissimilar cartons may be moved to a picking location adjacent the robot, as dissimilar cartons are required. Further, the cartons within the magazines may be moved to a pre-determined pick-up location such that the robot is repeatably picking a carton from the pre-determine pick-up location.

Material moving apparatus, systems and methods are presented which can include an air material mover. Airflow through orifices can create a localized vacuum such that the uppermost or top layer of material can be separated from the stack of material. The airflow can interact with the material to produce flutter, which assists in separating lower layers from the uppermost layer. A material gripper can grip the uppermost or top layer of material for removal from the stack and repositioning in a work area.

Some embodiments include a fabric separator comprising a body, a cylinder, a gas intake, a sensor, and a clamp. In some embodiments, the cylinder has an outer surface, is coupled with the body, and has a cylinder rotatable about an axis. The gas intake may flow gas in a rotational direction of the cylinder such that a low pressure zone is created on at least a portion of the outer surface of the cylinder. The sensor may be coupled with the body. The clamp may be in communication with the sensor and coupled with the body. The clamp having an engaged mode where the clamp is pressed against a portion of the cylinder and a disengaged where the clamp is not pressed against a portion of the cylinder, the clamp transitions from the engaged mode to the disengaged mode based on a signal from the sensor.

A workpiece transport apparatus for transporting a workpiece includes: a hand device; a moving device that includes a movable part mounted with the hand device and that includes at least one drive axis configured to operate the movable part; a current measurement section configured to measure a current value of a motor that drives the drive axis; and a workpiece number detection section configured to detect that a number of workpieces held by the hand device is different from an expected number based on a comparison result between the current value measured by the current measurement section when the hand device holds the workpiece, and a predetermined threshold value.

A machine for producing disposable products anticipates when a current run of a product size is coming to an end, and therefore begins loading of material rolls intended for the next product size or code that will be run. An integrated production facility layout automatically orders and stocks raw material based on production plans, and commands a production machine to produce specific products of differing configurations, and automatically loads appropriately sized raw materials into the process.

According to the present embodiment, a control device of a conveyor system controls a moving device and a suction device to suction the transport target article so that an approximate center of an opening of at least one suction unit is located on a first imaginary line, and remaining suction unit is located on one end side in a longitudinal direction of the transport target article with respect to the first imaginary line, controls a turning-over section to be in a front-back reversing orientation, and performs control so that suction of the transport target article by the suction units is released after the suction device is in the front-back reversing orientation.

An unwinding assembly comprising first and second unwinding and handling units comprising respective robots having respective wrists movable under the control of at least one electronic control unit, wherein each of said unwinding and handling units comprises a respective unwinding device mounted on the wrist of the respective robot. The present invention also relates to an unwinding and handling unit capable of handling the reel carried by it with high freedom of movement, while maintaining small dimensions.