The present invention is characterized to include a cylindrical cam that is provided to correspond to a moving path and possesses an engaging groove, the moving path moving in an uncoupled state with each of a plurality of carriers to which an object to be conveyed is respectively installed and the plurality of carriers being in states where a set of a plurality of first carriers and a set of a plurality of second carriers are alternately lined up, and a drive source that drives the cylindrical cam, wherein a first cylindrical cam and a second cylindrical cam, as the cylindrical cam, are respectively provided to correspond to a predetermined position in the moving path, the first cylindrical cam possessing an engaging groove with which only the first carriers are engageable and the second cylindrical cam possessing an engaging groove with which only the second carriers are engageable, a first drive source that drives the first cylindrical cam and a second drive source that drives the second cylindrical cam are included as the drive source, the engaging grooves of the first cylindrical cam and the second cylindrical cam are helical grooves that possess a first groove part and a second groove part, the second groove part being continuous with the first groove part, being positioned on a downstream side in a conveying direction with respect to the first groove part and having a pitch different from the pitch of the first groove part, and the second cylindrical cam rotates to move the second carrier that reached the first groove part when an interval of the first carriers is changed by the set of the plurality of the first carriers moving past the first groove part to reach the second groove part by a rotation of the first cylindrical cam.

A transport device having a plate; a conveyor to transport articles; a pusher to push and move a row of articles on the conveyor onto the plate; and a stopper to prevent the articles from being moved by the conveyor and to define the start of a row of articles being moved onto the plate by the pusher. The conveyor causes the positions of rows of articles stopped by the stopper to move alternately so that the positions of rows of articles moved onto the plate are shifted alternately.

A transport device having a plate; a conveyor to transport articles; a pusher to push and move a row of articles on the conveyor onto the plate; and a stopper to prevent the articles from being moved by the conveyor and to define the start of a row of articles being moved onto the plate by the pusher. The conveyor causes the positions of rows of articles stopped by the stopper to move alternately so that the positions of rows of articles moved onto the plate are shifted alternately.

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.

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.

The invention relates to a method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers. The method comprises e.g. the step of adjusting the pitch, between the packaging containers being fed to an application device, by means of a pitch control device upstream the application device, such that the pitch becomes substantially equal between succeeding packaging containers and equal for all packaging sizes with an operational range of packaging sizes. The invention also relates to an apparatus being operated according to the method.

The invention relates to a method of operating an apparatus for applying drinking straws to packaging containers. The method comprises e.g. the step of adjusting the pitch, between the packaging containers being fed to an application device, by means of a pitch control device upstream the application device, such that the pitch becomes substantially equal between succeeding packaging containers and equal for all packaging sizes with an operational range of packaging sizes. The invention also relates to an apparatus being operated according to the method.

An arrangement for transferring and/or grouping products (32) is proposed, comprising at least one mover (20) which has at least one permanent magnet (19) which is connected to the mover (20), wherein the permanent magnet (19) interacts with at least one coil plane (18) of a drive surface (13) for the in particular contactless driving of the mover (20), wherein the mover (20) is arranged displaceably and/or rotatably in at least two degrees of freedom on the drive surface (13), furthermore comprising at least one conveying system (34, 38) which conveys products (32), characterized in that the mover (20) picks up or deposits at least one product (32) by means of a movement of the mover (20) with at least one vertical component.

An arrangement for transferring and/or grouping products (32) is proposed, comprising at least one mover (20) which has at least one permanent magnet (19) which is connected to the mover (20), wherein the permanent magnet (19) interacts with at least one coil plane (18) of a drive surface (13) for the in particular contactless driving of the mover (20), wherein the mover (20) is arranged displaceably and/or rotatably in at least two degrees of freedom on the drive surface (13), furthermore comprising at least one conveying system (34, 38) which conveys products (32), characterized in that the mover (20) picks up or deposits at least one product (32) by means of a movement of the mover (20) with at least one vertical component.

A singulation conveyor is described. The singulation conveyor includes multiple rollers, for example, a first roller and a second roller. In some example embodiments, the first roller can be of a first roller cross-sectional profile and the second roller can be of a second roller cross-sectional profile. The first roller cross-sectional profile can be defined by a sleeve mounted around a circumference of the first roller and a dowel positioned between the sleeve and the first roller. Further, in some examples, the first roller cross-sectional profile can be different from the second roller cross-sectional profile. Furthermore, according to some examples, the first roller and the second roller can be configured to be rotated based on a first rotation pattern and a second rotation pattern respectively, to cause singulation of a shingled item.