An apparatus and method for filling containers with value documents and to a system for processing value documents, wherein the apparatus has: a container receiving device which is adapted to receive a container stack having two or several containers for receiving value documents, a lid receiving device which is adapted to receive a lid stack having two or several lids for closing the containers, a container removal device which is adapted to remove, preferably, the respectively lowermost container from the container stack, a closing device and a transport device which is adapted to convey the container removed from the container stack to a filling station, in which the container can be filled with value documents, and to convey the container filled with value documents to the closing device which is adapted to remove a lid from the lid stack and close the filled container with the removed lid.

A system for packaging a food product in a container generally includes a conveyance apparatus operable to move trays in a machine direction, a delivery apparatus operable to deposit the food product into cavities of the trays, and a positioning apparatus operable to position covers relative to the trays. The positioning apparatus is configured to position each cover on a respective tray to overlap a flange of the respective tray. The system also comprises an ultrasonic bonding apparatus configured to receive the flange and the cover of each container in the nip between a first bonding module and a second bonding module. At least one of the first bonding module and the second bonding module vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency and delivers ultrasonic energy to at least one of the cover and the flange to seal the container.

A method for operating a packaging machine including one or more of the method steps advancing a transport chain along a chain deflection pulley, wherein chain clips are arranged on the transport chain and moved during the advancing motion of the transport chain along a run-on contour, to open at least one of the chain clips; introducing a flat material blank into the at least one open chain clip using a feed device or by entraining the flat material blank using a connection to a second material blank preceding the flat material blank, wherein the material blank enters the open chain clip during an advancing motion of the transport chain; closing the chain clip by leaving the run-on contour, to grip and secure the material blank in the chain clip; and transporting the material blank to a work station using the transport chain.

A method and an apparatus are provided for the grouped arrangement, orientation and packaging of stacked food products like patty stacks. The method includes feeding a food product by a first feed belt in the direction of a first X-axis, and then ejecting the food product onto a second feed belt to form stacked food products. The method also includes transporting the stacked food products by the second feed belt along a Y-axis generally perpendicular to the X-axis and in the direction of an orientation mask which is arranged above the second feed belt. The stacked food products are oriented by contacting the orientation mask. The oriented food products may therefore be grouped together in oriented rows for packaging when further moved along the Y-axis by the second feed belt. The method and apparatus enable rapid orienting of various types of food products that are typically stacked and packaged.

A gripping device for at least one deformable food product has at least one perforated plate defining at least one receiving surface for the deformable food product, and for each receiving surface, a pair of needles associated with the receiving surface. Each needle of the pair is able to be moved between a retracted position, in which the needle does not pass through the receiving surface, and a deployed position, in which the needle passes through the receiving surface. A facility has the gripped device for producing deformable food products, and a method for moving a deformable food product uses the gripping device.

Implementations of an automated round tube loading machine are provided. In some implementations, the automated round tube loading machine comprises a tube pickup mechanism, a tube stacking mechanism, and a tube loading mechanism. In some implementations, the automated round tube loading machine may further comprise a front side conveyor, a back side conveyor, and/or a computer system.

In some implementations, a method of operation of the automated round tube loading machine comprises the machine receiving, picking up, moving, dropping off, stacking, and loading a plurality of round tubes into a box.

The invention includes an apparatus (01) and a method for handling articles (02). The apparatus (01) includes a first conveyor (03) for supplying articles (02), a second conveyor (04) for supplying outer packagings (05), a third conveyor (06) for discharging filled outer packagings (07), and a placing surface (08) arranged between the second conveyor (04) and the third conveyor (06). The apparatus also includes a device (09) for transferring supplied outer packagings (05) from the second conveyor (04) to the placing surface (08), a device (10) for transferring articles (02) from the first conveyor (03) into outer packagings (05), and a device (11) for transferring filled outer packagings (07) from the placing surface (08) onto the third conveyor (06). The method places articles (02) into outer packagings (05), staged on a placing surface (08), from one or more article flows lined up one after the other uninterruptedly and/or with gaps between them and/or grouped. The outer packagings (05) themselves in turn are supplied independently of the articles (02) in a transport direction (41) and are transferred (91) onto the placing surface (08) individually or groupwise transversely to the transport direction (41). After the articles (02) have been placed in the outer packagings (05), they are transferred (111), in turn individually or groupwise, transversely to the transport direction (41) in order to be subsequently discharged in the direction of the transport direction (41) or opposite to it in parallel to the transport direction (41).

Flight and indexing assemblies for automated packaging systems provide better product spacing for faster and more reliable automation. In an example, a plurality of flights may include a plate- or sheet-like body with a perpendicular flange extending from an upper portion of the flight. Two adjacent flanges contain a pouch or other product to be packaged in a case. A flange constrains an upper portion of each pouch to a confined and predetermined area, thereby aiding grippers of an end-of-arm tool to grasp the pouches. A flight and product indexing assembly is configured to control spacing between adjacent flights, and to position pouches constrained between adjacent flights, so that flights position product at predetermined locations for gripping by the end-of-arm tool.

The invention relates to a device for moving objects, in particular portions, each portion comprising at least one slice cut from a food product, comprising a plurality of individually movable transport movers for at least one object each, a track system for the transport movers, in which the transport movers can be moved along at least one specified track in a transport direction, and a control apparatus for controlling the motions of the transport movers in the track system, wherein at least one track segment and/or at least one transport mover has at least one support, which is frame-free at every point in time or at least at times, for at least a part of a holder, in particular a bowl-like holder, for holding at least one object to be transported, in particular for a packaging or a part of a packaging, preferably for a tray for holding at least one portion, and wherein, in addition to the support, fastening means are provided, which are designed to fasten the holder to the support at least at times.

A gripper installation for simultaneously gripping a plurality of elongate flexible items, in particular sausages, having a plurality of gripper portions that are disposed so as to be mutually parallel, wherein each gripper portion has two mutually spaced-apart finger pairs, wherein the fingers of each finger pair grip the item at opposite sides and for gripping an item are capable of being simultaneously converged, wherein the gripper portions are capable of being simultaneously activated.