A transporter has stars arranged in series such that a container is transferred at a transfer point that is common to two successive stars. Some of the stars rotate about a fixed axis whereas other stars rotate about an axis that moves relative to the fixed axis.

The present disclosure relates to a switch device for a transfer point between a first and a second rotatable star wheel, at which transfer point objects can be selectively transferred from the first star wheel to the second star wheel, comprising a two-walled first switch element, the first and second walls of which extend around the transfer point such that a passage for the objects is formed therebetween; a second and a third switch element, which are arranged and held such that they each form extensions of the first and second wall, respectively, of the first switch element in the first position and the second position of the first switch element; and a transition device, which is designed to carry out the transition of the first to third switch elements.

A method of changing article pitch. The method can comprise receiving a series of articles arranged at a first pitch, engaging the articles of the series of articles sequentially with a gripper wheel, moving the articles along a path of travel with the gripper wheel, and moving the articles relative to one another from the first pitch to a second pitch during the moving the articles along the path of travel with the gripper wheel.

An apparatus guides at least one article traveling along a conveyor in a conveying direction, the at least one article having a shape. A plurality of guides of the apparatus guide the at least one article, such that positive control may be maintained during conveyance. The plurality of guides are dynamically adjustable in the transverse direction. At least one actuator adjusts a position of one or more of the plurality of guides based on the shape of the at least one article. Related methods are also disclosed.

Transport unit for transporting circular-cylindrical profiled workpieces, including a loading drum which is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation on a bearing journal and which is provided on an outer surface with a plurality of loading slides, wherein each loading slide is received on the outer surface so as to be linearly movable along the axis of rotation and has a workholder with a recess profiled in the form of a circular section along the axis of rotation, wherein profile axes of the recesses each intersect a circumference arranged coaxially to the axis of rotation and wherein it is provided that the workholder is received on the loading slide so as to be linearly movable along a radial direction aligned perpendicularly to the axis of rotation between a radially inner first functional position and a radially outer second functional position.

A system for performing a processing step on device parts of simulated smoking devices, such as electronic cigarettes, system comprising a processing station to perform the processing step on the device parts, product carriers to hold the device parts during the processing step, a first transport device and a second transport device to move the product carriers along at least part of a processing trajectory extending through the processing station.

The present disclosure relates to a switch device for a transfer point between a first and a second rotatable star wheel, at which transfer point objects can be selectively transferred from the first star wheel to the second star wheel, comprising a two-walled first switch element, the first and second walls of which extend around the transfer point such that a passage for the objects is formed therebetween; a second and a third switch element, which are arranged and held such that they each form extensions of the first and second wall, respectively, of the first switch element in the first position and the second position of the first switch element; and a transition device, which is designed to carry out the transition of the first to third switch elements.

A sterilizing assembly for on-demand dispensing of sterilized writing utensils includes a housing, which defines an interior space. The housing has a first slot and a second slot positioned in a top and a bottom thereof, respectively. A sanitizing unit and a dispensing unit are engaged to the housing and are positioned in the interior space. The sanitizing unit sterilizes a contaminated writing utensil inserted into the housing through the first slot. The dispensing unit will dispense a sterilized writing utensil from the housing through the second slot. A sensor engaged to the bottom of the housing detects a presence of a hand proximate to the second slot. The sensor is operationally engaged to the dispensing unit and thus is positioned to signal the dispensing unit to dispense the sterilized writing utensil.

A separating device for separating holding adapters in a conveying device for conveying hanging objects, wherein the separating device comprises two separating elements that are each designed as a disk having a plurality of entrainment elements, designed as pinion teeth, and which are mounted so as to be able to rotate in opposite directions with respect to one another in a plane and are arranged spaced apart from one another in such a manner that holding adapters can be conveyed through the separating elements, where, in one possible rotational position of the separating elements on an imaginary line between an axis of rotation of a first separating element and an axis of rotation of a second separating element, a pinion tooth of the first separating element and a pinion tooth of the second separating element are located with their end faces opposite one another.

A machine and method for arranging objects comprising a first end with a protruding edge and a second end, on the opposite side of the protruding edge, in an alternate manner along single file rows. A guide guides objects in a single file row to a separator for receiving and separating the objects into a first and a second group and for alternately feeding the first and the second group to a collector and dropping device configured for rotating the objects of the first group and the second group according to a predetermined orientation and for stacking the objects one above the other in an alternate manner along single file rows.