The invention relates to a method for determining a quality of empties comprising pallets, boxes and bottles which are fed to an equipment for sorting the empties according to the quality and for controlling the equipment. The method comprises: Receiving a pallet that is palletized with boxes that can comprise bottles, assigning information about an origin of the pallet; feeding the pallet to a depalletizer, determining whether the pallet is depalletizable, and assigning information to depalletizability to the pallet, and if the pallet is depalletizable, depalletizing the pallet; assigning information about the origin to each of the depalletized pallets; feeding the boxes to an empties inspection system, determining whether the boxes are unloadable, and assigning information about unloadability to each of the boxes; if the boxes are unloadable, checking the fullness with bottles and assigning information about the fullness to each of the boxes.

A machine to receive and store only specific used food containers is provided. The machine includes a housing with an interior volume and an outer shell, the housing comprises an inlet opening. A rotatable plate is positioned within the housing and aligned with the inlet opening such that items passed through the inlet opening are received upon the plate, the plate further comprises a shroud along a majority of a circumference of the plate and a void that exists where the shroud does not extend, wherein an item can be positioned upon the plate when the void of the shroud is aligned with the inlet opening and items are prevented from being positioned upon the plate when the void of the shroud is aligned with the inlet opening. A sensor is disposed upon the housing to monitor the inlet opening and identify when an object is placed upon the plate.

An inspection and ejector unit for preforms for plastic containers in a transportation line, has at least one driver device which picks up preforms travelling from an inward conveyor device to the inspection and ejector unit, transports them further and passes on at least some of the preforms to an outward conveyor device, at least one detection device by which faulty preforms in the driver device are detected, and at least one ejection device by which preforms which are detected as faulty are removed from the driver device, and a corresponding method.

A chute system for a building including: an inlet, through which an item is received; a chute, coupled to the inlet, and an outlet, coupled to the chute. The outlet includes a sealing surface, configured to form a seal with an opening of a receptacle into which the item is to be received. The sealing surface is configured to enable a seal to be formed with different receptacles having different sized or shaped openings.

Method for sorting a material flow of a sorting facility, comprising detecting, by means of a sensor system of the sorting facility, at least one unique feature of a material part that is transported in the material flow of the sorting facility, identifying, by means of a control apparatus of the sorting facility and based on the at least one feature, that the material part is a pulp container or part of a pulp container, and controlling a sorting apparatus of the sorting facility such that the material part is removed from the material flow.

A process, mechanical and electrical system and data structures, allow high speed sorting of pallets of HFI cans using a depalletizer, a sequence of narrowing transfer conveyors and a single filer making the cans into a single file. Simultaneously, data containers begin a process of compiling complete data on the pallet, the individual cans, can counts good and bad, the inspection events and potentially a marking process. Cans are inspected individually by three or more cameras in three positions, sequentially inspecting the interior, exterior sides, and exterior bottom, and if an individual can fails any one of three tests, the can is individually directed to a can reject chute. A can may be undetectably marked to indicate it has passed the inspection process. By use of comprehensive data flows and inputs, comprehensive data reports may be generated for the can maker but more importantly for the can buyer/user.

A method includes the following steps: aligning a measuring head with an aerosol container, without relative speed between the two, lowering and centring the head; lowering a measuring device and taking the corresponding measurement at different points of the perimeter of the opening; rotating the measuring device in relation to the container; removing the head, transmitting the data, and removing the unsuitable containers, and a device for performing the method includes a head support having an axial movement device; a centring element; a support for the measuring device, an assembly of measuring arms provided with probes, an arrangement for returning to a rest position, at least one measurement reader, and a rotating device for rotating the measuring device or head.

An inspection and ejector unit for preforms for plastic containers in a transportation line, has at least one driver device which picks up preforms travelling from an inward conveyor device to the inspection and ejector unit, transports them further and passes on at least some of the preforms to an outward conveyor device, at least one detection device by which faulty preforms in the driver device are detected, and at least one ejection device by which preforms which are detected as faulty are removed from the driver device, and a corresponding method.

A tray loading system for tested electronic components including a tray loading bin adapted to prevent trays of a first configuration from being operably received in a first bin operating mode and to operably receive trays of the first configuration in a second bin operating mode. The system also includes an operating mode switching assembly adapted to automatically change from the second operating mode to the first operating mode in response to an operation associated with removal of loaded trays of the first configuration from the tray loading bin.

A method for monitoring a filled container, in particular a filled beverage container, which is conveyed on a conveyor, comprising the steps of taking up the container by a carriage, creating a spacing between the container and the conveyor, so that the entire weight of the container is retained by the carriage in a weighing region, and weighing the retained container in the weighing region using a load cell comprised by the carriage, the carriage being driven by a linear motor according to said method, and a monitoring system for filled containers, in particular filled beverage containers, for executing such a method.