A system for grabbing and filling pills into a blister pack is provided and associated corresponding method. The system includes a vacuum pill-manipulator provided with prongs having holes at their tip to retain pills. The vacuum pill-manipulator is configured to transition from a pill-retaining configuration where suction is applied at the tip of each prong to hold the pills during movement, to a pill-releasing configuration where suction is released to drop the pills in corresponding pill-chambers. A robotized arm is provided with the vacuum pill-manipulator, and is controllable to: move the vacuum pill-manipulator from a pill-container rack, for grabbing a pill-container, to a pill-container retaining station, to suction pills at the tips of the prongs; and move, in the pill-retaining configuration, the vacuum pill-manipulator to the blister pack location, and position the vacuum pill-manipulator to align the tip of each prong with the corresponding pill-chamber for the pill-releasing configuration.

An automated method and system for packaging a stack of flexible articles are disclosed. The method comprises: loading, by a pair of end effectors, the stack of flexible articles into an erected box having a first open end and a second open end, leaving a first gap therebetween; moving, by a first flap closing mechanism, the flap of the first open end from the open configuration to the closed configuration; pushing, by a pushing mechanism, the stack of flexible articles towards the first gap, thereby forming a second gap between the second open end and the stack of flexible articles; and moving, by a second flap closing mechanism, the flap of the second open end from the open configuration to the closed configuration.

A product transfer apparatus for transferring product between a horizontal form, fill, and seal machine and a cartoner machine is provided. The product transfer apparatus includes an electromagnetic motor table configured to define a plurality of pre-selected zones and a plurality of moving elements configured to float over a surface of the electromagnetic motor table and move between one or more of the pre-selected zones. The product transfer apparatus further includes a product delivery device configured to deposit one or more products in a pre-selected common orientation, relative to a longitudinal axis of the product transfer apparatus, onto one or more moving elements of the plurality of moving elements, respectively, at a first pre-selected zone of the plurality of pre-selected zones such that each of the one or more moving elements receives a single product from the product delivery device in the pre-selected common orientation at the first pre-selected zone. The product transfer apparatus further includes a product picking device configured to pick a group of products constituted by one or more products from a pre-selected group of the plurality of moving elements at a second pre-selected zone of the plurality of pre-selected zones, wherein the orientation of one or more products of the group of products at the second pre-selected zone is different from the pre-selected common orientation of the products received at the first pre-selected zone, and deposit the one or more products of the group of products into at least one cartoner bucket of a cartoner.

An end effector for the packaging industry comprises has a frame, a bridge on top of the frame, a rack and pinion assembly, actuation rods, carrier assemblies, and vacuum ports. The rack and pinion assembly is configured to be operatively connected to a robot's rotatable shaft, and to the actuation rods. The actuation rods are fixedly connected to one or more of the carrier assemblies. As the robot's shaft rotates, the rack and pinion assembly is actuated, which actuates the actuation rods, which causes the carrier assemblies fixedly connected to the actuation rods to move longitudinally along the frame. Each carrier assembly includes a carrier block and at least one pick-up member. Each carrier block has at least one arm with a grabber to cooperate with an adjacent arm with grabbers of an adjacent carrier block(s) of the same subgroup.

An end effector for the packaging industry comprises has a frame, a bridge on top of the frame, a rack and pinion assembly, actuation rods, carrier assemblies, and vacuum ports. The rack and pinion assembly is configured to be operatively connected to a robot's rotatable shaft, and to the actuation rods. The actuation rods are fixedly connected to one or more of the carrier assemblies. As the robot's shaft rotates, the rack and pinion assembly is actuated, which actuates the actuation rods, which causes the carrier assemblies fixedly connected to the actuation rods to move longitudinally along the frame. Each carrier assembly includes a carrier block and at least one pick-up member. Each carrier block has at least one arm with a grabber to cooperate with an adjacent arm with grabbers of an adjacent carrier block(s) of the same subgroup.

Some examples show a conveying device for conveying an individual mushroom, a system adapted to convey mushrooms which comprises a plurality of conveying devices for conveying individual mushrooms, a method for conveying a mushroom, and a use of a conveyor to convey mushrooms.

Some examples show a conveying device for conveying an individual mushroom, a system adapted to convey mushrooms which comprises a plurality of conveying devices for conveying individual mushrooms, a method for conveying a mushroom, and a use of a conveyor to convey mushrooms.

A handling head for handling objects in batches has a fixing member for fixing to a handling unit, a plurality of gripping heads, each intended to pick an object, and an operating member adapted to adjust a spacing between the gripping heads, the operating member having at least two beams parallel to each other, at least one linking arm pivotably connected to each beam so that pivoting of the linking arm with respect to each beam adjusts a transverse spacing between the beams, and a carriage fixed to each gripping head and connected in longitudinal translation to one of the beams. The operating member has, on the one hand, at least two transverse crosspieces to which the carriages are connected in transverse translation, each carriage being connected in translation to a beam and a crosspiece, and, on the other hand, a spacer comb for adjusting longitudinal spacing between the crosspieces.

A handling head for handling objects in batches has a fixing member for fixing to a handling unit, a plurality of gripping heads, each intended to pick an object, and an operating member adapted to adjust a spacing between the gripping heads, the operating member having at least two beams parallel to each other, at least one linking arm pivotably connected to each beam so that pivoting of the linking arm with respect to each beam adjusts a transverse spacing between the beams, and a carriage fixed to each gripping head and connected in longitudinal translation to one of the beams. The operating member has, on the one hand, at least two transverse crosspieces to which the carriages are connected in transverse translation, each carriage being connected in translation to a beam and a crosspiece, and, on the other hand, a spacer comb for adjusting longitudinal spacing between the crosspieces.

A column of cups guided by their rims in elongated slots is spaced into desired cup pitch by one or more linear stars from which the cups can be transferred for packaging. The linear stars have lugs engaging and spacing the cups. In another aspect of the invention, cups are manipulated into patterns for final grouping and packaging and by a plurality of cup orienting pickers engaging, inverting and re-orienting the cups. In one final packaged cup group of two or more layers, alternating cups in each layer are inverted and a top lid of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a top lid of a cup in a bottom layer, while a bottom of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a bottom of a cup in a lower layer, and in an alternating pattern.