A vacuum conveyor for conveying granular material and an intake nozzle for the vacuum conveyor is provided. The vacuum conveyor can have a vacuum section operative to create a vacuum in the housing, an intake to allow granular material to the housing, a variable length hose section and an intake nozzle. The intake nozzle can include an intake end, an output end and a body extending between the ends with a plurality of apertures passing through the body. A sleeve for the intake nozzle can be sized to fit around the body positionable in different positions relative to the body to cover and uncover the various apertures.

A vacuum conveyor for conveying granular material is provided. The vacuum conveyor can include a frame, a housing supported by the frame, a fan assembly provided in the housing, the fan section operative to create a vacuum in the housing and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can include an input shaft, a toothed input gear operably connected to the input shaft, a toothed output gear operably connected to the fan section and a cogged belt provided around the toothed input gear and the toothed output gear to transfer rotational motion of the toothed input gear to the toothed output gear.

A vacuum conveyor for conveying granular material is provided. The vacuum conveyor can include a frame, a housing supported by the frame, a fan assembly provided in the housing, the fan section operative to create a vacuum in the housing and a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism can include an input shaft, a toothed input gear operably connected to the input shaft, a toothed output gear operably connected to the fan section and a cogged belt provided around the toothed input gear and the toothed output gear to transfer rotational motion of the toothed input gear to the toothed output gear.

A hopper loader having a hopper connected to a vacuum source for applying a vacuum to the hopper to convey material into the hopper through a material inlet. A material separator is disposed between the material inlet and the vacuum source for filtering the material. A material discharge assembly is connected to the hopper and disposed for controlling downwardly gravity flow of the material from the hopper, the material discharge assembly having a material outlet configured to be opened and closed to control the discharge of material from the hopper. A vacuum detector is disposed between the material separator and the vacuum source. A vacuum activated control operatively connected to the vacuum detector and configured to turn off the vacuum source in response to a signal from the vacuum detector.

An pneumatic convey device that employs active vacuum pressure monitoring using either a pressure sensor or vacuum motor power consumption to maintain a constant velocity pickup point, reduce product damage, increase capacity per vacuum pressure when the system is running at less than designed vacuum and reduce energy consumption at the point where the material convey starts.

An pneumatic convey device that employs active vacuum pressure monitoring using either a pressure sensor or vacuum motor power consumption to maintain a constant velocity pickup point, reduce product damage, increase capacity per vacuum pressure when the system is running at less than designed vacuum and reduce energy consumption at the point where the material convey starts.

Method for handling waste material in a pneumatic pipe transport system, wherein waste material is fed in from an input point into conveying piping, and conveyed in the conveying piping, mainly by the aid of suction/a pressure difference and/or a flow of transporting air, onwards to a separating device (1), in which the waste material to be transported and the transporting air separate from each other, from which separating device the waste material is transferred onwards to a separate waste container (26). Waste material is transferred, or is transferred and compressed to become denser, from the separating device (1) into a separate waste container (26) in a connecting channel (9) arranged between them with a transfer member (10) from the input aperture (8) of the connecting channel towards the output aperture (9′) and onwards into a separate waste container (26), and in which method the connection from the separating device (1) to the connecting channel (9) is closed at least during the detachment of the waste container (26). The invention also relates to an apparatus.

Method for handling waste material in a pneumatic pipe transport system, wherein waste material is fed in from an input point into conveying piping, and conveyed in the conveying piping, mainly by the aid of suction/a pressure difference and/or a flow of transporting air, onwards to a separating device (1), in which the waste material to be transported and the transporting air separate from each other, from which separating device the waste material is transferred onwards to a separate waste container (26). Waste material is transferred, or is transferred and compressed to become denser, from the separating device (1) into a separate waste container (26) in a connecting channel (9) arranged between them with a transfer member (10) from the input aperture (8) of the connecting channel towards the output aperture (9′) and onwards into a separate waste container (26), and in which method the connection from the separating device (1) to the connecting channel (9) is closed at least during the detachment of the waste container (26). The invention also relates to an apparatus.

The invention relates a device for suctioning off waste products of the production machine comprising a suction chamber at which at least a suction element is assembled which extends into a suction space, which is outside the suction chamber in order to convey waste products into the suction chamber, wherein the suction element comprises an inlet area, which is facing the suction space and an outlet area, which ends in the suction chamber.

Aspects of automated fabric picking are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a textile cutter including a tabletop upon which textile panels can be cut out from a textile sheet, a textile panel picker, and a computing device. The textile panel picker includes a flexible transport tube, a transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the tabletop and the textile panels, a textile hopper to collect the textile panels, and a pneumatic pump assembly to evacuate air from the textile hopper and through the flexible transport tube. The computing device identifies and tracks the textile panels on the tabletop, directs the transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the textile panels, and directs the pneumatic pump assembly to generate suction to pull the textile panels through the flexible transport tube and into the textile hopper.