A method for treating components with a liquid comprises providing a splash guard in a dip tank filled with the liquid, and dipping components into the liquid. Then the components are moved out of the liquid, the splash guard is moved relative to the dip tank into a centrifuging position surrounding the components, the components are rotated within the splash guard; and the splash guard is moved relative to the dip tank into a dipping position.

The sanitizer includes an elongated semi-cylindrical tank that houses heated process water and a close-fitting auger to move food products from the inlet end of the tank to the outlet end. Heated process water at a temperature sufficient to sanitize the food product is introduced into the tank at the outlet end of the tank to flow through the tank counter to the direction of flow of the food product. A recirculation and filter system filters out the particulates in the process water. A hood assembly is positioned over the tank to contain the air borne moisture generated during the sanitizing process and route the steam away from the tank. A control system controls the operation of the sanitizer, including, for example, the speed of the auger, the volume of process water in the tank, and the temperature of the process water in the tank.

A merge conveying system configured to receive packages from two or more upstream conveyors and merge the packages to a downstream conveyor. The merge conveying system includes a buffer guard rail configured to reduce package jams within the merge conveyor by providing a temporary overflow path for packages.

A piler conveyor system for screening debris such as tare dirt from materials such as beets as the materials are conveyed across a piler. The piler conveyor system generally includes a frame supporting an upper conveyor and a pair of lower conveyors. The upper conveyor is adapted to receive materials such as beets. As the materials are conveyed by the upper conveyor, debris such as tare dirt or the like will fall through screening openings in the upper conveyor and onto the lower conveyor. The lower conveyor may then dispense the debris through a debris opening. The materials will drop off the end of the upper conveyor and fall onto the second lower conveyor, which will convey the screened materials to be dispensed.

A system enables management of dispensable units by supporting functions such as retrieval, scheduled distribution, analysis, and notifications. To this end, a dispensable retrieval mechanism may be programmed to carry out blind retrievals of dispensable units using a retrieval strategy with a predetermined sequence of retrieval attempts (e.g., fixed or varying two-dimensional retrieval patterns), which may be open loop or closed loop. Techniques may also include the identification of dispensable units through optical sensors and weight measurement devices that can detect, e.g., a texture, a shape, and a size of dispensable units. Such identification can be used to program retrieval attempts by a retrieval robot and in the formulation of the retrieval pattern. Additionally, networked notification systems for dispensable units can be used for updating rules or schedules related to the dispensable units, or alerting users and remote resources of any potential misuse or hazards of the dispensable units.

An automated infeed system may including a primary organization assembly configured to perform a primary workpiece organization to an aggregated supply of workpieces; an organization assessment assembly having at least one sensor configured to capture sensor data regarding the primary workpiece organization; a secondary organization assembly configured to perform a secondary workpiece organization based on the sensor data regarding the primary workpiece organization; and a movement assembly configured to move workpieces within the automated infeed system.

A water and seafood flow distributor (1) for routing flowable mass from a first location to a selected one of a second plurality of locations. The distributor (1) has a first pipe (5) and a second bent pipe (51), which are in communication with one another at a first end (8, 8) via a mass mover. The second bent pipe (5) is rotatable about the first end (81) to displace a second end (91) along a circle (121). A first conduit (10) is in communication with the first location, and a plurality of second conduits (10) are in communication with a respective one of the second plurality of locations, and the ends of the conduits are arranged along a circle (12) described by the second end (91) of the second bent pipe (51). The first and second conduits can be fluidly connected through the first and second pipes.

A glassware manufacturing system, waste handling system, and method are disclosed. The glassware manufacturing system, in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure, comprises an architectural installation having a forming floor and no basement beneath the forming floor; a glassware forming machine carried on the forming floor; a molten glass feeder configured to provide molten glass to the glassware forming machine; and a glassware manufacturing waste handling system including a sump pit in the forming floor, and a waste liquid trench substantially surrounding the glassware forming machine and flowing to the sump pit. Also, a cullet material handler and/or a molten waste glass sluice may be configured to receive molten glass and unused molten glass streams from the molten glass feeder and hot glassware rejects from the glassware forming machine.

A system enables management of dispensable units by supporting functions such as retrieval, scheduled distribution, analysis, and notifications. To this end, a dispensable retrieval mechanism may be programmed to carry out blind retrievals of dispensable units using a retrieval strategy with a predetermined sequence of retrieval attempts (e.g., fixed or varying two-dimensional retrieval patterns), which may be open loop or closed loop. Techniques may also include the identification of dispensable units through optical sensors and weight measurement devices that can detect, e.g., a texture, a shape, and a size of dispensable units. Such identification can be used to program retrieval attempts by a retrieval robot and in the formulation of the retrieval pattern. Additionally, networked notification systems for dispensable units can be used for updating rules or schedules related to the dispensable units, or alerting users and remote resources of any potential misuse or hazards of the dispensable units.

A distributing and feeding apparatus includes a distribution table configured to circumferentially distribute a long article and being fed from above, and transport the article in a circumferential direction such that a longitudinal direction of the article is along the circumferential direction of the distribution table at an outer peripheral portion, a plurality of guide members provided around the outer peripheral portion of the distribution table, and a plurality of transport feeders arrayed radially around the distribution table, and configured to transport the article in a radial direction while aligning the article received from the distribution table so as to face the radial direction. The guide member is provided so as to interfere with the article transported at the outer peripheral portion of the distribution table so that the longitudinal direction of the article is directed from the circumferential direction to the radial direction.