The invention relates to a container-positioning device and a positioning machine supporting same. The device can be used with containers that have a neck and a mouth. It comprises a funnel (4) whose edges are made up of: A first curved, stationary plate (5), the center of which is oriented towards the inside of the funnel (4). A second plate (6), opposite the former and movable in the horizontal direction, and which has an upper section (61), with a retractable orienting device (11). The upper section (61) is movable relative to a lower section (62), between: a first end at which it is aligned with the lower section (62) or closer to the first plate (5) than the lower section (62); and a second end at which the upper section (61) is farther from the first plate (5); a third flat plate (9) movable in a direction perpendicular to the opening (1).

Objects in a stream in a duct are singulated and oriented by rotating at least some so that the orientations of all aligned. In one arrangement a slot is provided in the singulation duct into which the shank falls while the head remains in the singulation duct. In another arrangement there is provided a buffering device and a transfer member for transferring the singulated oriented objects from the buffering device to an operating location. In another arrangement a first path changes the orientation of relative to the second path. The objects can be fed from a singulation duct to a supply duct having an exit mouth lying on a rotation axis of the singulation duct.

Objects in a stream in a duct are singulated and oriented by rotating at least some so that the orientations of all aligned. In one arrangement a slot is provided in the singulation duct into which the shank falls while the head remains in the singulation duct. In another arrangement there is provided a buffering device and a transfer member for transferring the singulated oriented objects from the buffering device to an operating location. In another arrangement a first path changes the orientation of relative to the second path. The objects can be fed from a singulation duct to a supply duct having an exit mouth lying on a rotation axis of the singulation duct.

A bolt supply device includes a conveyor, a bolt absorbing portion, a bolt storage portion, and an allocation portion. The conveyor is an endless belt and is provided to circulate between a first height and a second height above the first height. The bolt absorbing portion protrudes on an outer surface of a ring formed by the conveyor and is configured to absorb a bolt. The bolt storage portion is provided in a region where the bolt absorbing portion ascends, the region located at the first height. The allocation portion is configured to swing to drop the bolt in either one of both width directions of the conveyor at the second height, the bolt absorbed by the bolt absorbing portion in the bolt storage portion.

An automated screw driving machine may include a hopper adapted to hold associated fasteners, a chuck assembly adapted to hold an individual fastener in position with respect to an associated component part, a feeder assembly adapted to convey the fasteners from the hopper to the chuck assembly; and, a driver assembly that takes fasteners from the chuck assembly and attaches them to the associated component part.

An automated screw driving machine may include a hopper adapted to hold associated fasteners, a chuck assembly adapted to hold an individual fastener in position with respect to an associated component part, a feeder assembly adapted to convey the fasteners from the hopper to the chuck assembly; and, a driver assembly that takes fasteners from the chuck assembly and attaches them to the associated component part.

A device for the orientation and feeding of closures includes a hopper for containing closures and a lifting device.

The lifting device includes a component used for selecting the closures which are adapted to allow the feeding to an unloading region of the closures. The lifting device includes at least one transfer element to move along a movement direction between a loading region and an unloading region.

An automated screw driving machine may include a hopper adapted to hold associated fasteners, a chuck assembly adapted to hold an individual fastener in position with respect to an associated component part, a feeder assembly adapted to convey the fasteners from the hopper to the chuck assembly; and, a driver assembly that takes fasteners from the chuck assembly and attaches them to the associated component part.

The invention includes a method (100) and an apparatus to handle irregularly conveyed and/or irregularly aligned and/or non-upright articles of an article stream under prevention of disturbances. The method (100) comprises the following steps: identifying at least one non-upright article in an article stream as an error; performing a correction step to resolve the error, the correction step comprising removal from the article stream of the at least one irregularly aligned article, or transfer to an upright orientation of the at least one irregularly aligned article, with a defined action being exerted temporally before and/or in temporal overlap with the correction step upon the at least one irregularly aligned article or upon regularly conveyed articles of the article stream.

The invention includes a method (100) and an apparatus to handle irregularly conveyed and/or irregularly aligned and/or non-upright articles of an article stream under prevention of disturbances. The method (100) comprises the following steps: identifying at least one non-upright article in an article stream as an error; performing a correction step to resolve the error, the correction step comprising removal from the article stream of the at least one irregularly aligned article, or transfer to an upright orientation of the at least one irregularly aligned article, with a defined action being exerted temporally before and/or in temporal overlap with the correction step upon the at least one irregularly aligned article or upon regularly conveyed articles of the article stream.