A device (12) for changing a sheet pile in a sheet feeder (10) for a sheet treating machine is described. The device (12) comprises a main pile supporting unit (18) having a supporting surface (22) adapted to support a pallet (16) carrying a sheet pile. Furthermore, the device (12) comprises a residual pile supporting unit (24) with a plurality of residual pile bars (28), which can be moved into a sheet pile region (30) when the sheet pile is to be changed. The residual pile bars (28) are then carrying the sheet pile. When in the sheet pile region (30), each of the residual pile bars (28) is movable in a direction substantially orthogonal to the supporting surface (22), wherein the residual pile bars (28) are movable independently from each other. Furthermore, a method for changing the sheet pile in a sheet feeder (10) for a sheet treating machine is explained.

Embodiments of a system and method for unloading articles from a container of items for use in an automatic stack feeder are disclosed. The automatic stack feeder may comprise a belt, a moveable lower paddle, and a moveable upper paddle, wherein the lower paddle is configured to partially extend through a belt of the automatic stack feeder. The movement of the belt, the lower paddle, and the upper paddle are coordinated such that there is no need to interrupt the operation of the automatic stack feeder to unload the container.

A method for supplying plate elements to a machine for processing the plate elements, from an initial pile of elements, the method includes: pushing a first batch of plate elements, from the top of the pile, downstream until the first batch comes at a storage capable of storing the first pushed batch, and simultaneously, displacing the storage downstream over a distance corresponding to the length of the first batch to separate the first batch from the pile; and thereafter transferring the elements of the first batch one after the other to the machine.

A lamination machine has at least one material source which is in the form of a sheet feeder for material to be laminated. The lamination machine has at least one lamination unit that includes at least one first lamination source for laminating material, the at least one first lamination source being configured as a first roll changer and having at least two first roll holding devices.

A separation device is usable for separating portions of a material web. The separation device has at least one front clamping device, with at least one front clamping point, and at least one rear clamping device, with at least one rear clamping point, and at least one first stretching element. The separation device can be switched between at least one traversing mode and at least one separation mode by the movement of at least the at least one first stretching device between at least one first traversing position and at least one first separation position. A transport line is the shortest connection between the at least one front clamping point and the at least one rear clamping point, that connection line completely on a vertical reference plane and traversing or running at a tangent to any component of the separation device on the respective same side as one of a transport path provided for the material web and the portions to be separated. The transport line, in the at least one separation mode, is 2 mm longer than in the at least one traversing mode and has the smallest radius of curvature in the at least one separation mode of at least 0.05 mm. A first reference plane and a second reference plane are mutually spaced apart in an axial direction and a first transport line, lying on the first reference plane, and a second transport line, lying on the second reference plane, have different lengths when the first stretching element is located in the at least one first separation position.

A device for changing a sheet pile (14) in a sheet feeder (10) for a sheet treating machine comprises a main pile supporting unit (18) with a main pile actuating unit (20) for lifting and lowering the main pile supporting unit (18), wherein the main pile supporting unit (18) comprises a supporting surface (22) adapted to support a pallet (16) carrying a sheet pile (14). The device further comprises a residual pile supporting unit (24) with a residual pile actuating unit (26) for lifting and lowering the residual pile supporting unit (24). The residual pile supporting unit (24) comprises a plurality of residual pile bars (38) extending substantially parallel to each other and being substantially parallel to the supporting surface (22) of the main pile supporting unit (18), wherein the residual pile bars (38) are coupled to a bar actuating unit (43) adapted to move the residual pile bars (38) on a line parallel to the direction of extension of the respective residual pile bar (38) into a sheet pile region (30) and retract the residual pile bars (38) from the sheet pile region (30). The bar actuating unit (43) is configured to retract the residual pile bars (38) while introducing an oscillatory movement of the residual pile bars (38) along the direction of extension of the residual pile bars (38). Further, a method for changing a sheet pile (14) in a sheet feeder (10) is presented.

An apparatus for the continuous singling of stacks of loose sheet goods comprises a singler for singling stacks of loose sheet goods and a feeding device having two feeding elements, moving stacks of loose sheet goods to be singled into a position where sheet goods are grasped by the singler and transferred to a transport system, and an area for receiving sheet goods to be singled with first and second subareas. The first and second subareas border each other, and the second subarea forms an input area for the sheet goods. The first feeding element moves within the total area, between the first and third positions, and forms an end position, at least, however, in the first subarea, between a second one and the third position. A monitoring device is provided for the first subarea for ascertaining bank notes in the first subarea underneath the first feeding element.

A separation device is usable for separating portions of a material web. The separation device has at least one front clamping device, with at least one front clamping point, and at least one rear clamping device, with at least one rear clamping point, and at least one first stretching element. The separation device can be switched between at least one traversing mode and at least one separation mode by the movement of at least the at least one first stretching device between at least one first traversing position and at least one first separation position. A transport line is the shortest connection between the at least one front clamping point and the at least one rear clamping point, that connection line completely on a vertical reference plane and traversing or running at a tangent to any component of the separation device on the respective same side as one of a transport path provided for the material web and the portions to be separated. The transport line, in the at least one separation mode, is 2 mm longer than in the at least one traversing mode and has the smallest radius of curvature in the at least one separation mode of at least 0.05 mm. A first reference plane and a second reference plane are mutually spaced apart in an axial direction and a first transport line, lying on the first reference plane, and a second transport line, lying on the second reference plane, have different lengths when the first stretching element is located in the at least one first separation position.

A lamination machine has at least one material source which is in the form of a sheet feeder for material to be laminated. The lamination machine has at least one lamination unit that includes at least one first lamination source for laminating material, the at least one first lamination source being configured as a first roll changer and having at least two first roll holding devices.

A card feeding system that feeds cards from a stack to a conveyor system beneath product being carried. A card feed path arranged between a feed conveyor and the outfeed conveyor includes a fixed feed pinch roll and a pivot arm with a pivoting pinch roll and a pair of delivery rolls. A card stack receiving platform is located beneath a picker arm. An elevator is provided for raising the platform with the card stack. The picker arm has suction cups, and is pivotable from a card pick-up position to a feed position in which the card is positioned between the pivoting and fixed pinch rolls. A controller actuates the elevator, the picker arm, the pivot arm, the fixed and delivery pinch rolls to deliver single ones of the cards as product to be placed on the card transitions from the feed conveyor to the outfeed conveyor.