A belt conveyor having a platform that is movable from a retracted position recessed into a conveyor belt's top surface and an extended position above the top surface. The platform translates across the width of the belt in a slot to carry articles across the width of the belt. Guides in the conveyor below the belt have cam surfaces that raise and lower the carrier and translate it across the belt. The carrier may include a cam-actuated lever to flip articles on the belt or off a side of the belt.

A method for reorienting products includes providing one or more products in a first orientation on a surface; advancing the one or more products in the machine direction at a nominal advance rate; and retracting an end of the surface in a reverse machine direction at a nominal retract rate, such that the one or more products are advanced beyond said end into a landing region. Said end is disposed at a first elevation. The method further comprises deflecting a leading end of at least one product, such that the at least one product lands in a second orientation on a landing surface disposed in the landing region at a second elevation. The first orientation is different than the second orientation, and the first elevation is higher than the second elevation.

A device for automatically stacking packages on an intermediate plate in a predetermined spatial arrangement for forming a stack, comprising at least one feed conveyor which arranges the individual packages in a predetermined order; a lifting and lowering unit for lifting and lowering the intermediate plate; a sliding plate and a pusher, in order to transport the packages in the Z-direction to the predetermined position in the stack, and with the intermediate plate comprising two partially displaceable plates.

A method for reorienting products includes providing one or more products in a first orientation on a surface; advancing the one or more products in the machine direction at a nominal advance rate; and retracting an end of the surface in a reverse machine direction at a nominal retract rate, such that the one or more products are advanced beyond said end into a landing region. Said end is disposed at a first elevation. The method further comprises deflecting a leading end of at least one product, such that the at least one product lands in a second orientation on a landing surface disposed in the landing region at a second elevation. The first orientation is different than the second orientation, and the first elevation is higher than the second elevation.

A method and control unit for operating conveyor means, the conveyor means comprising a drive unit, a control unit, a carriage moved along a rail by the drive unit, the control unit being controlled by a control device, a rotary encoder connected to a shaft of the drive unit or of a measuring wheel of the carriage and registering a rotation of the shaft, a rotation angle signal and/or a rotational speed signal being transmitted to the control device by an encoder device to determine an assumed position of the carriage on the rail. At least one position signal is detected by a sensor apparatus disposed on the carriage and the rail, a real position of the carriage on the rail being determined using the position signal by a safety apparatus, the assumed position being corrected according to the real position by the safety device.

A conveyor and a related method for organizing electrically conductive articles such as aluminum cans, into single-file lanes. Parallel rails divide the conveying surface of a conveyor belt into lanes across the width of an upper belt run. Upstream electro-magnetic coil sets in line with each rail produce magnetic fields that interact with the conductive cans to produce forces that pre-arrange the cans into lanes between the coil sets for presentation to the lanes between the rails already in line. In that way, damaging collisions between the cans and the ends of the rails are avoided.