The present invention relates to a machine (50) for the processing of linen items (L) in an industrial laundry (1), such as for receiving, reorienting and transferring a linen item (L) from a loader (100) to a movable linen carrier (20), with a transfer mechanism (200) comprising: a carriage (250), a drive (201) for moving said carriage (250) between a loading posi-tion and a discharge position, said carriage (250) including a frame structure (257) with two spaced apart clamping structures (270), each being rotationally connected to the frame structure (257), each clamping structure (270) comprising two spaced apart activata-ble clamps (229), and actuators (251, 280) for said rotation and said activation of said clamps (229).

The present invention relates to a pouch collection robot system (1) and method for the collection of non-filled spouted pouches (10) to be transported to a remote filling device. According to the invention, at least one pick and place robot unit (25) with a gripping device (28) is provided to pick up a non-filled spouted pouch (10) from a conveyor (5), and to place the non-filled spouted pouch (10) into alignment with one of a multiple of storage rails (21), allowing the non-filled spouted pouch to be placed into the storage rail.

A process for recognizing the orientation of a fruit, having a central axis of symmetry passing through the concave parts of the fruit. The process includes an initial measurement step in which the measuring instrument measures its distance from the sample fruit, an individual measurement step of each fruit to be treated travelling on the fruit multiple lanes tape, a comparison step in which the distance measured in the individual measurement step of each fruit to be treated is compared with the distances measured in the initial measurement step of the sample fruit to assess whether the distance measured in the individual measurement step is that one of a concave part of the fruit or that one of a convex part of the fruit, and a check step that determines that the fruit is correctly oriented or not. An apparatus that embodies this method is also described.

A battery cast-on-strap machine unloading apparatus includes a first and a second unit. Each unit includes a rotary drive mechanism; and, a pinion co-axial with and directly driveable by the rotary drive mechanism. The apparatus further includes an elongate rack. The rack includes teeth along a first side and an opposing second side. The first and second units are mounted adjacent to each other on the rack. Operation of each drive mechanism causes rotation of the respective pinion to be converted into linear motion of the respective unit along the rack. Adjacent rotary drive mechanisms are located on opposing sides of the rack, such that the pinion of the first unit meshes with the teeth along the first side of the rack, and the pinion of the adjacent second unit meshes with the teeth along the opposing second side of the rack.

Techniques for product-stacking and case-packing are particularly adapted for product that is packaged in envelopes or flexibly-sided containers. Such products include may different types, such as foodstuffs, books, boxed goods, etc. In an example, a product-stacking and case-packing system may include a product-stacking assembly and a case-packing assembly. In the example, the product-stacking assembly may be configured with a plurality of pairs of flights, each pair of flights programmed to move according to operation of an associated pair servo motors, and programmed to receive and down-stack incoming product items into groups. In the example, the case-packing assembly may include a robotic arm and end-of-arm tool configured to grasp one or more groups of stacked product items, when pushed from the product-stacking assembly, and place each group of stacked product items in a case (e.g., a cardboard box).

An end-of-arm tool and corresponding system and method for automated de-palletization of a stack of totes include resilient guide arms that extend outwardly in a cascading relationship, with the lower guide arm extending farther than higher arms. The cascading relationship of the guide arms enables totes in a stack to be engaged and aligned sequentially from lowest to highest.

A method for transporting a blister strip of ophthalmic lenses: only one single blister strip is provided at a start location and one magazine compartment of two magazine compartments contains n blister strips while the other magazine compartment contains n+1 blister strips, the single buster strip is picked up at the start location by one of the gripper units of a first gripper and is transported into that magazine compartment containing the n blister strips, by moving the first gripper to that magazine compartment containing the n blister strips and releasing the single blister strip from the first gripper into that magazine compartment, or by moving the first gripper to a hand-over station and releasing the single blister strip from the first gripper into the hand-over station, transporting the single blister strip from the hand-over station into that magazine compartment containing the n blister strips using a second gripper.

An automated guided vehicle with a multistage loading structure includes a vehicle body, and a loader in the vehicle body and operative to load articles in a multistage manner. The loader has a loading unit that is positioned between the articles loaded in the multistage manner and separately loads the articles. The loading unit moves up and down.

A system includes a transfer device for transferring workpieces in an atmospheric atmosphere, a transfer unit for transferring the workpieces in a vacuum atmosphere, and a vacuum processing unit including vacuum process chambers connected to the transfer unit and for performing a process on the workpieces in each process chamber. The vacuum processing unit simultaneously performs the process on the workpieces in each process chamber. The process chambers are arranged along a first direction. The transfer unit includes first and second common transfer devices installed along the first direction to transfer the workpieces along the first direction. The first common transfer device is connected to each process chamber at a first side in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the second common transfer device is connected to each process chamber at a second side in the second direction.

Exemplary substrate processing systems may include a transfer region housing defining a transfer region fluidly coupled with a plurality of processing regions. A sidewall of the transfer region housing may define a sealable access for providing and receiving substrates. The systems may include a plurality of substrate supports disposed within the transfer region. The systems may also include a transfer apparatus having a central hub including a first shaft and a second shaft counter-rotatable with the first shaft. The transfer apparatus may include an eccentric hub extending at least partially through the central hub, and which is radially offset from a central axis of the central hub. The transfer apparatus may also include an end effector coupled with the eccentric hub. The end effector may include a plurality of arms having a number of arms equal to the number of substrate supports of the plurality of substrate supports.