An apparatus for packing cases with stacked rolled product. The apparatus can include a shuttle for receiving stacked rolled product, the shuttle operatively positioned to receive the stacked rolled product and translate the stacked rolled product from a first position to a second position. A rotatable and translatable loading head can be operatively positioned to receive the stacked rolled product from the second position of the shuttle. A first loading pusher can be operatively positioned to push the stacked rolled product from the second position of the shuttle to the loading head. A carton conveyor can be operatively positioned to convey open cartons to receive the stacked rolled product from the loading head.

A push-in mechanism pushes articles into a box that is opened sideways. The push-in mechanism is provided with a box standby part, an article placement part, a push-in plate, a horizontal movement mechanism, and a lifting/lowering mechanism. The box standby part causes the boxes to wait. The article placement part has a placement surface on which the articles are temporarily placed. The push-in plate is installed in a standing state so as to have a pressing surface for pressing the articles toward the box. The horizontal movement mechanism causes the push-in plate to reciprocate horizontally above the placement surface so that the push-in plate moves toward the box or moves away from the box. The lifting/lowering mechanism moves the push-in plate so as to change a separation distance in the height direction between a lower edge of the pressing surface and the placement surface.

A side loading packaging machine for packaging articles in containers including: a section for forming containers starting from die-cuttings, comprising at least one feeding device, a loading section, a closing section, substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the machine; a conveyor equipped with transportation members configured to carry at least one of said containers, wherein said conveyor includes a motor arranged to drive the advance of said transportation members or groups thereof in an independent manner, and the machine operates with: a continuous formation of boxes, said feeding member working with a continuous movement and with a constant rate over time, and said transportation members advancing with a continuous movement at said forming section; and a static loading, said transportation members being stationary during the loading of articles into the containers.

A conveyor and packaging system includes an upstream conveyor that transports stacks biscuits in a plurality of lanes into buckets of a bucket conveyor. The bucket conveyor transports the buckets in a direction perpendicular to the length of the buckets to a packaging area, where transfer devices transfer the biscuit stacks to an input of a packaging machine. The transfer device can transfer the stacks without use of an intermediary conveyor.

In the method for transferring at least one item to be packaged into a container and for transporting the filled container onward, the container is arranged in a transfer area, which is arranged next to a linear motor transport device. The at least one item to be packaged is conveyed in a conveying direction to a transfer position by the linear motor transport device. After that, the at least one item to be packaged is moved from the transfer position to the transfer area, where the container is filled with the at least one item to be packaged. Then, the filled container is moved from the transfer area to the transport device and is transported onward by the transport device in the conveying direction.

A packaging system for the selection, grouping and loading of varying size and/or configuration product packs into cartons as provided. The packaging system includes a selection area having a primary selector for forming an initial product pack configuration, and a secondary selector adapted to select and direct an additional grouping of products into a nested arrangement against the initial product pack so as to form a nested product pack. The nested product packs thereafter can be engaged by loader arms of a pair of opposed loading assemblies, which move the nested product packs into a series of cartons moving through the packaging machine. Thereafter, the ends of the cartons can be closed and sealed to complete the packaging of the product packs therein.

A transport vehicle (2) that travels along a container shelf (1) is provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions (11) arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle (2) is provided with a support region (22) where the containers (W) are supported in a stacked state, a transfer apparatus (24) that transfers the containers (W) supported by the shelf portions (11) to the support region (22) and transfers the containers (W) supported in the support region (22) to the shelf portions (11), and a lifting mechanism (25) that lifts a container (W) at any height among a container group (WG) stacked in the support region (22) with respect to a container (W) lower than the container (W) at that any height.

A transport vehicle (2) that travels along a container shelf (1) is provided with a plurality of levels of shelf portions (11) arranged in a vertical direction (Z) and configured to support containers (W), thereby transporting the containers (W). The transport vehicle (2) is provided with a support region (22) where the containers (W) are supported in a stacked state, a transfer apparatus (24) that transfers the containers (W) supported by the shelf portions (11) to the support region (22) and transfers the containers (W) supported in the support region (22) to the shelf portions (11), and a lifting mechanism (25) that lifts a container (W) at any height among a container group (WG) stacked in the support region (22) with respect to a container (W) lower than the container (W) at that any height.

The packaging machine includes a wrapping tunnel, adapted to form a tube of plastic film around a group of articles and a feed conveyor adapted to feed articles to be packaged toward the wrapping tunnel. An elevator is positioned between the feed conveyor and the wrapping tunnel, and is movable vertically from a lower position, to receive articles coming from the feed conveyor, to a higher height, to transfer articles to the wrapping tunnel. A pusher is arranged to push articles to be packaged from the elevator into the wrapping tunnel. An auxiliary conveyor is also provided between the feed conveyor and the elevator. An upender is associated with the auxiliary conveyor, adapted to be arranged selectively in an active position, to co-act with the auxiliary conveyor to upend articles coming from the feed conveyor and transfer them toward the elevator, and in a deactivated position.

The packaging machine includes a wrapping tunnel, adapted to form a tube of plastic film around a group of articles and a feed conveyor adapted to feed articles to be packaged toward the wrapping tunnel. An elevator is positioned between the feed conveyor and the wrapping tunnel, and is movable vertically from a lower position, to receive articles coming from the feed conveyor, to a higher height, to transfer articles to the wrapping tunnel. A pusher is arranged to push articles to be packaged from the elevator into the wrapping tunnel. An auxiliary conveyor is also provided between the feed conveyor and the elevator. An upender is associated with the auxiliary conveyor, adapted to be arranged selectively in an active position, to co-act with the auxiliary conveyor to upend articles coming from the feed conveyor and transfer them toward the elevator, and in a deactivated position.