A mushroom packaging system 10 comprising a mushroom packaging apparatus 11 wherein empty containers 12 are at least partially filled with mushrooms 13. The system further comprises a mushroom loading apparatus 14 comprising a mushroom loading station 15 and a mushroom conveyor 16 for retaining and conveying mushrooms loaded thereon by an operator to the mushroom packaging apparatus 11. A container storage apparatus 50 is also provided which provides a container loading station 17 positioned such that an operator may load empty containers 12 thereinto. A container conveyance apparatus 22 conveys empty containers 12 from the container storage apparatus 50 to a packaged mushroom collection station 18 via the mushroom packaging apparatus 11. Packaged mushrooms 19 received at the packaged mushroom collection station 18 may be retrieved by the operator. A single operator may load mushrooms to the mushroom loading station 15, load containers to the container loading station 17, and retrieve containers from the packaged mushroom collection station 18.

A mushroom packaging system 10 comprising a mushroom packaging apparatus 11 wherein empty containers 12 are at least partially filled with mushrooms 13. The system further comprises a mushroom loading apparatus 14 comprising a mushroom loading station 15 and a mushroom conveyor 16 for retaining and conveying mushrooms loaded thereon by an operator to the mushroom packaging apparatus 11. A container storage apparatus 50 is also provided which provides a container loading station 17 positioned such that an operator may load empty containers 12 thereinto. A container conveyance apparatus 22 conveys empty containers 12 from the container storage apparatus 50 to a packaged mushroom collection station 18 via the mushroom packaging apparatus 11. Packaged mushrooms 19 received at the packaged mushroom collection station 18 may be retrieved by the operator. A single operator may load mushrooms to the mushroom loading station 15, load containers to the container loading station 17, and retrieve containers from the packaged mushroom collection station 18.

A seizing head for objects is described that includes a support frame adapted to be coupled to a manipulator robot, and a plurality of picking apparatuses arranged mutually flanked according to a predefined flanking direction and individually adapted to take and withhold at least one object, wherein each picking apparatus is installed on a respective mobile frame, which is slidably coupled to the support frame according to a sliding direction parallel to the flanking direction, and wherein the seizing head further includes a plurality of functionally independent activation devices, each of which is adapted to activate a respective mobile frame along said sliding direction.

Products are loaded into receptacles by means of a transfer device, which comprises a plurality of pick-up heads, each of which picks up a product. The products are provided in a random arrangement in a pick-up area, and the position of each product is detected. To pick up the products, the transfer device is moved over the pick-up area and each pick-up head picks up an individual product at a pick-up time and in a pick-up position. The pick-up position and the pick-up time for the products are determined on the basis of the previously detected positions of the products. The placement of the products in a placement area also occurs preferably while the transfer device is moving relative to the receptacles.

A method for packaging and processing products in a continuously operating production line, including filling individual packaging containers with products in a filling station; dispensing the filled containers to an individualizing device in multiple tracks by a dispensing station, the individualizing device transferring the packaging containers onto a single track of a conveyor; transporting the containers by the conveyor one after another to at least one additional processing station, and operating the individualizing device in one of the following three operating modes: a) a normal mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station onto the single track of the conveyor, b) an on-stock mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station to a temporary store, and c) a low-load mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the temporary store onto the single track of the conveyor.

A method for packaging and processing products in a continuously operating production line, including filling individual packaging containers with products in a filling station; dispensing the filled containers to an individualizing device in multiple tracks by a dispensing station, the individualizing device transferring the packaging containers onto a single track of a conveyor; transporting the containers by the conveyor one after another to at least one additional processing station, and operating the individualizing device in one of the following three operating modes: a) a normal mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station onto the single track of the conveyor, b) an on-stock mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the dispensing station to a temporary store, and c) a low-load mode in which the packaging containers are transferred from the temporary store onto the single track of the conveyor.

Several blister packs are picked simultaneously from pick positions, where they are arranged next to each other in a first row, moved, and placed simultaneously in several place positions. In the place positions, the blister packs are also arranged next to each other in a second row, which is parallel to the first row of the blister packs in the pick positions. The blister packs are placed in the place positions with a rotation of 180° around their centers in comparison to their orientation in the pick positions. The second row of blister packs in the place positions is laterally offset in the direction of the second row relative to the first row of blister packs in the pick positions.

Several blister packs are picked simultaneously from pick positions, where they are arranged next to each other in a first row, moved, and placed simultaneously in several place positions. In the place positions, the blister packs are also arranged next to each other in a second row, which is parallel to the first row of the blister packs in the pick positions. The blister packs are placed in the place positions with a rotation of 180° around their centers in comparison to their orientation in the pick positions. The second row of blister packs in the place positions is laterally offset in the direction of the second row relative to the first row of blister packs in the pick positions.

A method for transporting structural elements of packagings includes transferring a group of structural elements to a holding device, wherein each structural element of the group of structural elements is received by an associated holding element of the holding device after the transfer, and adjusting the holding elements relative to each other such that the structural elements of the group of structural elements received by the holding elements are disposed before the adjusting in a first format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in a plan view in a first spacing grid relative to each other, and are disposed after the adjusting in a second format in which the structural elements of the group of structural elements are arranged in the plan view in a second spacing grid relative to each other, the second spacing grid being different from the first spacing grid.

A transfer device to transfer articles by removing the articles from a removal zone and depositing the articles in a discharge zone, wherein a support plane and a deposit direction substantially perpendicular to the support plane are defined at the discharge zone. The transfer device includes a gripping head with retention elements, each for retaining a respective article, and a movement mechanism configured to move at least one retention element with respect to at least one other retention element in a staggering direction having a non-null component parallel with the deposit direction.