A conveyor system includes a conveyor, a support structure, and a staging structure. The conveyor includes a proximal end and a distal end and is operable to move an item from the proximal end to the distal end. The support structure includes a first leg and a second leg. The first leg supports the proximal end of the conveyor. The second leg supports the distal end of the conveyor. The staging structure is disposed at the proximal end of the conveyor and includes a turntable operable to rotate about a first axis.

A wave winding device for manufacturing wave windings has a winding unit with a winding blade device rotatable about a winding axis in a winding direction and on which a winding wire is to be wound. The wave winding device has at least one wire feed device that supplies the winding wire to the winding unit in a feed direction to wind the winding blade device, and also has a transport device for transporting the winding wire, which is wound onto the winding blade device to form a wave winding, in a transport direction parallel to the winding axis. The transport device has a conveyor system that moves the wave winding through the transport device in the transport direction. The conveyor system is supported in the transport device so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis in the winding direction, coaxially with respect to the winding axis.

Intelligent storage trays each hold SMT (Surface Mount Technology) reels of varying width without the need for separating dividers between the reels. An arrangement of light pipes within the tray pivot so that either one or multiple light pipes are pushed back to a closed position when an SMT reel is placed in the tray. Sensors detect movement of the light pipes allowing software to automatically assign a single SMT reel storage location to all of the light pipes that were moved by the SMT reel placement. Beacons on the tray indicate actions needed to take place and compression contacts on the tray communicate with the storage system software when the tray is placed and removed from a holder, such as a cart. Spring pins lock the tray into place within the holder allowing for ease of placement and removal.

An accumulator has a control system for controlling motion of a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop and logs traversing on a log transfer device. The log transfer device delivers a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator. The bucket infeed receives a log from the log transfer device and allows a bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device. A time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed is determined. Based on the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, the control system controls the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device.

A transfer device comprising an automatic lifting unit, the transfer device includes: a barcode reader for reading a barcode attached to a box accommodating a bobbin loaded with raw materials; a fork unit for chucking the bobbin; a traveling drive unit; and a control unit. The control unit controls Z-axis centering of the fork unit in conjunction with the barcode reader and the distance sensor, X-axis centering of the fork unit in conjunction with the chucking sensor, and Z-axis elevation and Y-axis movement of the fork unit, respectively, to automatically control lifting of the bobbin.

The invention relates to an arrangement for picking and sorting products in a warehouse, which arrangement comprises a main body (400) arranged to move in at least one direction, at least a first load handling unit (401) and a second load handling unit (402), arranged adjacent to each other in the main body for positioning the products to a storage position (201, 202; 203; 204) and removing the products from a storage position, means for producing location information of the products in the storage position, and a control unit for controlling the movements of the main body and the load handling units, based on the location information, for sorting the products to storage positions by type of products. The invention also relates to method for picking and sorting products in a warehouse.

A method of transferring items, such as rolled absorbent product. The method includes the steps of feeding one or more input streams of items toward a turret having a longitudinal axis and arms for engaging the items, the arms being rotatable about the longitudinal axis. The arms can engage at least one of the items from at least one of the one or more input streams and rotate away from the input streams and into a position aligned with one or more output streams. The number of input streams can be different than the number of output streams. The items can be fed onto the one or more output streams.

A transportation system with a roll of material having an unsecured material portion is disclosed. The transportation system includes a first roller and a second roller spaced apart from the first roller. The spacing between the first roller and the second roller define a cradle. The cradle is operable to receive the roll of material, the roll of material having the unsecured material portion. At least one of the first roller and the second roller is rotatable about its axis to facilitate a securing of the unsecured material portion of the roll of material.

A method for storing cardboard tubes (2) in a storing unit according to the present invention comprising the following steps: providing a storage unit with an input section for the tubes (2), a storage section (AC) comprising a plurality of storing planes (13), an output section for the tubes (2), transfer means (3) for transferring the tubes (2) from the input section to the storage section, and discharge means for conveying the tubes (2) from the storing section to the output section; providing a plurality of cardboard tubes (2) in the input section (E) of said storage unit; transferring the tubes (2) from the input section of the storage unit to the storage section; storing a plurality of tubes (2) in said storage section (AC); transferring the tubes (2) from said storage section (AC) to said output section. The step of transferring the tubes (2) from said input section to said storage section involves more tubes (2) simultaneously, whereby a plurality of tubes (2) are transferred from said input section simultaneously on a plurality of storing planes (13) of the storage section (AC).

Method and machine to carry out a control on a group of articles. An initial conveyor is configured to move the articles along an initial path, which starts in an input station; a final conveyor is configured to move the articles along a final path, which is parallel and next to the initial path and ends in an output station; a control unit is configured to carry out a simultaneous control of all articles of the group of articles; a first transferring device is configured to simultaneously transfer the whole group of articles to be controlled from the initial conveyor to the control unit; and a second transferring device is configured to simultaneously transfer the whole group of articles controlled by the control unit to the final conveyor.