A deflecting device for an elongate item, wherein the deflecting device has a receiving region, and wherein the receiving region is designed to receive the elongate item in cross transport on the input side and to discharge the elongate item in longitudinal transport on the output side. The deflecting device includes at least two belt-type conveyors in the longitudinal transport direction which are arranged at an angle relative to one another, wherein the at least two belt-type conveyors span the receiving region when the deflecting device is in an operating state.

An assembly and method thereof creates a stack of objects. The assembly has a diverted to move objects having a desired size from a first conveyor to a second conveyor. The diverted utilizes diversion plates. The second conveyor transfers the objects to an accumulator. The objects that are accumulate are squared and then moved to a raised position. A lift assembly then lifts the accumulated objects that were square and translates the objects to a queuing assembly. The process repeats to construct a stack of objects with multiple layers of objects. The created stack of objects may then be transferred to a subsequent destination for further use or processing.

Embodiments provide an electric lug loader system. An electric lug loader may include a shaft assembly rotatably mounted to a frame that extends across a flow path. The shaft assembly may have shafts arranged radially around, and parallel to, the rotational axis of the shaft assembly, clamp members arranged along each of the shafts, support members arranged radially around the rotational axis and across the flow path, and electric drives coupled to the shafts. Conveyors may be coupled with the frame and spaced apart across the flow path upstream and/or downstream of the shaft assembly. Additional drives may be coupled with the shaft assembly and the conveyors. A controller may be configured to synchronize the drives to engage successive workpieces between the clamp members and the support members and deposit the workpieces onto a lugged conveyor. Other embodiments provide related methods and systems.

Provided is a dual lumber stacker assembly having two stackers constructed to remove lumber from a conveyor and stack the lumber. The arms are moved forward and aft by associated crank drives. The arms are moved upwards and downwards by associated cam drives. Also provided is a method stacking lumber using the dual lumber stacker.

An apparatus for guiding a plank along a transfer path and towards a cutting assembly. The apparatus includes an auto-centering lateral displacement mechanism maintaining support plates and corresponding guide and drive elements equidistant relative to the transfer path and includes: at least one pair of fixed length vertically extending driving shafts connected to each one of the support plates, the driving shafts each having a lower end connected to the corresponding support plate and being angularly movable relative to a vertical axis according to the lateral position of the corresponding support plate; at least one bushing assembly mounted to the upper section of the frame and receiving therein the upper end of a corresponding one of the driving shafts; and a fixed length connecting shaft extending between the driving shafts of the at least one pair of driving shafts, at the upper end thereof.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a workpiece singulator with one or more movable stairs. A first one of the movable stairs may include an outer step member and an inner step member that is positioned between the outer step member and a second one of the movable stairs. The step members may be movable synchronously as a single stair to transport larger workpieces and asynchronously to transport smaller workpieces on the outer step member. Optionally, the workpiece singulator may further include a sensor configured to detect the size and/or position of a workpiece. In some embodiments, the workpiece singulator may be coupled with a controller configured to control the position of the outer step member independently of the position of the inner step member. In various embodiments, a workpiece singulator as disclosed herein may be operable to selectively singulate workpieces of different sizes.

A lumber transfer system for transferring pieces of lumber comprising a feeding conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving the pieces of lumber; a plurality of grasping assemblies spaced apart transversely along the conveying surface, each one of the grasping assemblies comprising a grasping finger able to be positioned independently for either grasping a piece of lumber located upstream from the grasping assembly and moving it, or preventing it from grasping a piece of lumber; a detection system for detecting a presence of a piece of lumber and producing signals; and a controller controlling the grasping assemblies for the grasping fingers to be positioned independently. The lumber transfer system is therefore able to have only grasping fingers responsible to grasp the piece of lumber to be in a grasping position.

A lumber transfer system for transferring pieces of lumber comprising a feeding conveyor having a conveying surface for receiving the pieces of lumber; a plurality of grasping assemblies spaced apart transversely along the conveying surface, each one of the grasping assemblies comprising a grasping finger able to be positioned independently for either grasping a piece of lumber located upstream from the grasping assembly and moving it, or preventing it from grasping a piece of lumber; a detection system for detecting a presence of a piece of lumber and producing signals; and a controller controlling the grasping assemblies for the grasping fingers to be positioned independently. The lumber transfer system is therefore able to have only grasping fingers responsible to grasp the piece of lumber to be in a grasping position.

A separator placer assembly is used with a lumber stacker, which creates a stack of lumber, includes a frame, a separator transfer assembly, and a plurality of transfer arm assemblies. The separator transfer assembly includes a continuous loop chain, preferably a plurality of continuous loop chains, with upper and lower reaches mounted to the frame. Separators are transferred to lugs on the chain at a first position along the lower reach. The plurality of transfer arm assemblies, each with first and second arms, is mounted to the frame beneath the lower reach at a transfer position downstream of the first position. A separator supported by the lugs is removed from the lugs by the arms and released onto the stack of lumber.

The postal sorting machine comprises a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for loosely storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that has a robotized arm and a vision sensor and that is suitable for picking up the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine and for putting them on the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch. The sorting conveyor has a flat conveyor that slopes sideways to form a jogging edge against which the postal articles are jogged by gravity.