In a method for forming product stacks of folded or unfolded product blanks made of paper or chemical pulp, product blanks are supplied consecutively to a stacking surface and placed in an upright position. A separating element is inserted between two consecutive product blanks as the product blanks are moved against a channel wall of a discharge channel for temporary support of a rear side of the product blanks, to thereby form a first product stack with a predetermined number of product blanks between the separating element and the channel wall. The channel wall is opened to thereby allow the first product stack to be transferred to the discharge channel, and a sliding element is inserted between the product stack and a subsequent second product stack, as the first product stack is moved to the discharge channel.

In a method for forming product stacks of folded or unfolded product blanks made of paper or chemical pulp, product blanks are supplied consecutively to a stacking surface and placed in an upright position. A separating element is inserted between two consecutive product blanks as the product blanks are moved against a channel wall of a discharge channel for temporary support of a rear side of the product blanks, to thereby form a first product stack with a predetermined number of product blanks between the separating element and the channel wall. The channel wall is opened to thereby allow the first product stack to be transferred to the discharge channel, and a sliding element is inserted between the product stack and a subsequent second product stack, as the first product stack is moved to the discharge channel.

A sorting machine (1) for sorting flat articles (100, 101) having non-uniform physical characteristics, the sorting machine having sorting outlets equipped with stackers (3) controlled by a monitoring and control unit in compliance with a plurality of programs, each of which is assigned to a predefined type of flat article (100, 101) having predetermined physical characteristics and setting predetermined operating parameters such as, in particular, the pitch between said flat articles (100, 101), and the speed at which said flat articles (100, 101) are conveyed, the sorting machine (1) having means for determining the predetermined physical characteristics of each incoming flat article (101) arriving in said stacker (3), said monitoring and control unit being arranged to act after said determination to assign a predefined type of flat article to said flat article (101) arriving in said stacker (3) and to activate the corresponding unstacking program so as to apply predetermined operating parameters while said incoming flat article (101) is being stacked.

A sorting machine (1) for sorting flat articles (100, 101) having non-uniform physical characteristics, the sorting machine having sorting outlets equipped with stackers (3) controlled by a monitoring and control unit in compliance with a plurality of programs, each of which is assigned to a predefined type of flat article (100, 101) having predetermined physical characteristics and setting predetermined operating parameters such as, in particular, the pitch between said flat articles (100, 101), and the speed at which said flat articles (100, 101) are conveyed, the sorting machine (1) having means for determining the predetermined physical characteristics of each incoming flat article (101) arriving in said stacker (3), said monitoring and control unit being arranged to act after said determination to assign a predefined type of flat article to said flat article (101) arriving in said stacker (3) and to activate the corresponding unstacking program so as to apply predetermined operating parameters while said incoming flat article (101) is being stacked.

A device and a method for folding a print substrate web is disclosed. The device has devices for quarter folding and for cross-cutting the print substrate web for severing individual products as well as devices for cross folding. As viewed in the transport direction of the products, an arrangement for dividing the product stream is provided after a second quarter folding device, the arrangement conveying the successive products to a first and a second conveyor belt in an alternating manner.

When using a flipping wheel to flip sheets of weak or long media, there is a risk that these sheets collapse upon themselves. To reduce this risk, a method of stacking sheets includes flipping a sheet while holding its leading edge and bringing the leading edge down towards a stack support; bringing a trailing portion of the sheet into contact with a guide member positioned over the stack support; forming an overpressure in an inner volume of the bent sheet during flipping, while its trailing portion is in contact with the guide member; and maintaining the overpressure and contact while a trailing edge of the sheet travels along the guide member.

When using a flipping wheel to flip sheets of weak or long media, there is a risk that these sheets collapse upon themselves. To reduce this risk, a method of stacking sheets includes flipping a sheet while holding its leading edge and bringing the leading edge down towards a stack support; bringing a trailing portion of the sheet into contact with a guide member positioned over the stack support; forming an overpressure in an inner volume of the bent sheet during flipping, while its trailing portion is in contact with the guide member; and maintaining the overpressure and contact while a trailing edge of the sheet travels along the guide member.

A device for stacking flat items has stacking wheels which have stacking fingers and, located between the stacking fingers, compartments for receiving flat items to be stacked, a conveying device for conveying the flat items into the compartments of the stacking wheels, a stripper for removing the flat items from the compartments of the stacking wheels, a support for receiving the flat items removed from the compartments of the stacking wheels and for forming a stack of flat items, in which at least one first stacking wheel mounted on a first shaft and at least one second stacking wheel mounted on a second shaft are provided.

A device for stacking flat items has stacking wheels which have stacking fingers and, located between the stacking fingers, compartments for receiving flat items to be stacked, a conveying device for conveying the flat items into the compartments of the stacking wheels, a stripper for removing the flat items from the compartments of the stacking wheels, a support for receiving the flat items removed from the compartments of the stacking wheels and for forming a stack of flat items, in which at least one first stacking wheel mounted on a first shaft and at least one second stacking wheel mounted on a second shaft are provided.

A device and a method are for stacking value documents. The device includes a stacker unit for receiving the value documents and a conveyor unit for conveying the value documents into the stacker unit. The stacker unit has a rotatable stacker wheel for receiving the value documents, wherein the rotatable stacker wheel has a plurality of deflectable stacker wheel segments which are provided along the circumference of the rotatable stacker wheel in a mutually spaced manner. Each of the deflectable stacker wheel segments defines a respective receiving region for receiving at least one of the value documents. The device additionally has a deflecting unit which is designed to deflect each stacker wheel segment individually to thus modify the size of the respective receiving region associated with the stacker wheel segment.