A system includes a flip-over mechanism. The flip-over mechanism includes a base and a guiding element. The base includes a bottom surface and a flipping surface. The guiding element includes a feeding surface. There is a feeding angle between the feeding surface and the bottom surface. The feeding surface faces the flipping surface. An opening direction of the flipping surface faces the feeding surface. There is a flip-over spacing between guiding element and the flipping surface. The flip-over mechanism is adapted to flip, by 180 degrees, a workpiece that enters from the feeding surface.

A system includes a flip-over mechanism. The flip-over mechanism includes a base and a guiding element. The base includes a bottom surface and a flipping surface. The guiding element includes a feeding surface. There is a feeding angle between the feeding surface and the bottom surface. The feeding surface faces the flipping surface. An opening direction of the flipping surface faces the feeding surface. There is a flip-over spacing between guiding element and the flipping surface. The flip-over mechanism is adapted to flip, by 180 degrees, a workpiece that enters from the feeding surface.

A method moves a stack of products by a robot. The robot has an articulated arm and at least one gripper disposed on the articulated arm to grip the stack of printed products and the stack of products selectively being turned. The method includes pivoting the stack of products through an effective angle α1< >180° and subsequently pivoting the stack through an effective angle α2=180°−α1 or pivoting the stack back through an effective angle α2=−α1. This method of moving stacks of products is performed in an automated way and in particular of depositing them in a turned or unturned arrangement.

A case orienting system comprising a frame having a reference datum a traverse transport pivotally coupled to the frame about a traverse pivot axis, the traverse transport including a substantially continuous movable platform configured to support and transport at least one case in a case traverse direction along a traverse axis. The substantially continuous movable platform pivots about the traverse pivot axis to orient the case traverse direction to another traverse direction and a bias support disposed adjacent to and opposing the traverse transport and being movably coupled to the frame to move relative to the frame in opposition to the traverse transport, the bias support being configured to engage and seat against a seating surface of the at least one case to support the at least one case in a first orientation relative to the reference datum.

An orientation module including a base configured to support at least one container, a camera positioned to scan the at least one container, a processor operatively connected to the camera configured to analyze an initial orientation of the container and determine a secondary orientation of the container, and a turning member positioned above the base configured to turn the corresponding container according to a command from the processor to rotate the container to the secondary orientation.

An orientation module including a base configured to support at least one container, a camera positioned to scan the at least one container, a processor operatively connected to the camera configured to analyze an initial orientation of the container and determine a secondary orientation of the container, and a turning member positioned above the base configured to turn the corresponding container according to a command from the processor to rotate the container to the secondary orientation.

A loading system (e.g., in a warehouse or other item-fulfillment environment) can include a rotary hub that supports one or more chambers. In a first orientation of the rotary hub, one of the chambers may be in a first position aligned for item receipt (e.g., through an open top of the chamber by feeding from a conveyor belt or other feeding system). The rotary hub can rotate to a second orientation in which the chamber is in a second position aligned for item discharge (e.g., through an open end of the chamber and into a receiving zone of a packaging machine or other system).

A sheet metal processing plant includes a conveyor defining a receiving surface for a workpiece and a conveying direction in a conveying plane and being embodied for conveying the workpiece, the workpiece having a bottom side and a top side, and a turning unit embodied for turning the workpiece received on the receiving surface from the bottom side to the top side. The turning unit includes a manipulator embodied to lift the bottom side of the workpiece off the receiving surface, to perform a turning operation of the workpiece and to place the top side of the workpiece on the receiving surface of the conveyor.

A sheet metal processing plant includes a conveyor defining a receiving surface for a workpiece and a conveying direction in a conveying plane and being embodied for conveying the workpiece, the workpiece having a bottom side and a top side, and a turning unit embodied for turning the workpiece received on the receiving surface from the bottom side to the top side. The turning unit includes a manipulator embodied to lift the bottom side of the workpiece off the receiving surface, to perform a turning operation of the workpiece and to place the top side of the workpiece on the receiving surface of the conveyor.

A method of repitching workpieces in an automated mass production system includes: (a) unloading a set of workpieces from a plurality of first retainers arranged at a first pitch, the unloading step including gripping of the workpieces by corresponding grippers of a repitch robot; (b) adjusting the workpieces from the first pitch to a second pitch different from the first pitch, the adjusting step including translating the grippers relative to each other from a first spacing corresponding to the first pitch to a second spacing corresponding to the second pitch; and (c) loading the workpieces into a plurality of corresponding second retainers arranged at the second pitch, the loading step including positioning and releasing the workpieces in the second retainers via the grippers.