An apparatus for a packaging machine comprising; a first conveyor for conveying an input stream of articles, a second conveyor for conveying an output stream of articles, a guide path configured as a loop and one or more tools coupled to the guide path. Each tool comprises a tool head for engaging with one or more articles in the input stream. The tool head is operable to transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The one or more articles are placed upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having one or more tiers.

An apparatus for a packaging machine comprising; a first conveyor for conveying an input stream of articles, a second conveyor for conveying an output stream of articles, a guide path configured as a loop and one or more tools coupled to the guide path. Each tool comprises a tool head for engaging with one or more articles in the input stream. The tool head is operable to transfer the one or more articles from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. The one or more articles are placed upon the second conveyor in discrete groups having one or more tiers.

A food product handling device includes a movable loading head having a plurality of coupling rails, a vacuum system operatively associated with the loading head, a plurality of suction devices carried by the loading head and configured to pick up and transport a food product, a plurality of mounting blocks slidably coupled to each other by the coupling rails, and an actuating device operatively associated with the mounting blocks for sliding each of the mounting blocks between a first position and a second position. Each of the suction devices is selectively coupled to the vacuum system. At least one of the suction devices coupled to each of the mounting blocks. The actuating device includes an actuating cylinder configured to displace the mounting blocks between the first position and a second position.

A product management system (100) including a first panel (102) with a first continuous track (106) including a queuing section, a product engagement section and a return section, and a first series of magnetic sources (115) disposed circumferentially along the first continuous track (106). A first series of lugs (116) are movably dispersed around the first continuous track (106) configured to react to the first series of magnetic sources in order to increase or decrease a velocity of each lug (116) of the first series of lugs along the first continuous track (116) and a product engagement member (118) attached to each lug configured and adapted to actuate to engage a product.

A product management system (100) including a first panel (102) with a first continuous track (106) including a queuing section, a product engagement section and a return section, and a first series of magnetic sources (115) disposed circumferentially along the first continuous track (106). A first series of lugs (116) are movably dispersed around the first continuous track (106) configured to react to the first series of magnetic sources in order to increase or decrease a velocity of each lug (116) of the first series of lugs along the first continuous track (116) and a product engagement member (118) attached to each lug configured and adapted to actuate to engage a product.

The invention concerns a conveyor system (2) for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system (2) comprises an inlet (4), a lower product conveyor (8), an upper product conveyor (7, 9), a vertically swivelling distributor conveyor (6) for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9), an output conveyor (10) receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower prod-uct conveyor (8) and the upper product conveyor (7, 9), and an outlet (11) for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The invention provides that the individual conveying tracks (6G, 6H) of the distributor conveyor (6) can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9). The invention also includes a corresponding operating method.

The invention concerns a conveyor system (2) for formatting slice-shaped food products in product stacks. The conveyor system (2) comprises an inlet (4), a lower product conveyor (8), an upper product conveyor (7, 9), a vertically swivelling distributor conveyor (6) for distributing the incoming food products selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9), an output conveyor (10) receiving the food products partially stacked from the lower prod-uct conveyor (8) and the upper product conveyor (7, 9), and an outlet (11) for outputting the stacked food products in product rows. The invention provides that the individual conveying tracks (6G, 6H) of the distributor conveyor (6) can be swivelled vertically independently of one another in order to forward the incoming food products individually for each conveying track selectively to the lower product conveyor (8) or to the upper product conveyor (7, 9). The invention also includes a corresponding operating method.

A parcel sack management system and related process. The parcel sack management system includes a gathering conveyor configured to receive a parcel group at an intake and transport the parcel group to a sack filling station. The system includes a plurality of fill chutes that are transported along a circulating track, each fill chute configured to hold a sack. The parcel sack management system is configured to transfer parcels in the parcel group into a first sack via a first fill chute when the first fill chute is at the sack filling station.

A parcel sack management system and related process. The parcel sack management system includes a gathering conveyor configured to receive a parcel group at an intake and transport the parcel group to a sack filling station. The system includes a plurality of fill chutes that are transported along a circulating track, each fill chute configured to hold a sack. The parcel sack management system is configured to transfer parcels in the parcel group into a first sack via a first fill chute when the first fill chute is at the sack filling station.

Herein described is a system and method for packaging packages (C), comprising the steps of: forming a row of packages (C) advancing, one following the other, along a pre-set advancement direction (A), picking up at least two first packages (C) from the row, superimposing each of said first packages (C) on a respective second package (C) of the row, releasing each of the first packages (C) resting on the respective second package (C), obtaining at least two stacks of packages, each of which comprises at least two mutually superimposed packages (C) and stabilising the stacks of packages (C).