A pick-up head for groups of tissue products including a support which can be connected to a robotic arm. The support has a first sliding guide in which a first pair of compacting means runs, between an open configuration and a compacting configuration. The pick-up head also includes a plurality of unidirectional chains, wherein the unidirectional chains are positioned outside each compacting means of the first pair and slide between an engaging position and a disengaging position. The pick-up head also includes a plurality of guides associated with respective unidirectional chains, in such a way that the unidirectional chains protrude beyond an end edge of a horizontal stretch of the guide in such a way as to create a cantilever support designed to support the bottom of the group of tissue products during its movement.

A pick-up head for groups of tissue products including a support which can be connected to a robotic arm. The support has a first sliding guide in which a first pair of compacting means runs, between an open configuration and a compacting configuration. The pick-up head also includes a plurality of unidirectional chains, wherein the unidirectional chains are positioned outside each compacting means of the first pair and slide between an engaging position and a disengaging position. The pick-up head also includes a plurality of guides associated with respective unidirectional chains, in such a way that the unidirectional chains protrude beyond an end edge of a horizontal stretch of the guide in such a way as to create a cantilever support designed to support the bottom of the group of tissue products during its movement.

The present invention relates to an auxiliary battery and an auxiliary battery rental device, and the auxiliary battery rental device according to the present invention comprises: a battery port allowing an auxiliary battery to be discharged therefrom or returned thereto; a battery queue in which auxiliary batteries are vertically stacked and loaded; a carrier for discharging an auxiliary battery loaded in the battery queue to the battery port, or loading an auxiliary battery returned to the battery port in the battery queue; a lift for lifting at least some of the auxiliary batteries loaded in the battery queue; a charging unit for charging at least some of the auxiliary batteries loaded in the battery queue; and a control unit for controlling an operation of the rental device such that lending and returning operations of the auxiliary batteries are automatically performed. According to the present invention, lending, returning, charging, and lending of auxiliary batteries can be circularly and automatically performed.

One or more specific embodiments disclosed herein may include an end-of-arm tool for moving payloads or pallet stacks from one location to another, comprising a mast system comprising a mast, a plurality of mast gussets, and a mast plate; a frame; a clamp system comprising a plurality of clamp plates and a plurality of ball screws; and a vacuum system comprising a vacuum plate and one or more vacuum cups. Further, one or more specific embodiments disclosed herein may include a method of moving materials using an end-of-arm tool comprising aligning the end-of-arm tool over a payload, wherein the end-of-arm tool comprises an undercarriage in a retracted position, a plurality of clamp plates in an extended position, and one or more vacuum cups; lowering the end-of-arm tool towards the payload; engaging the payload with the one or more vacuum cups; engaging the payload with the plurality of clamp plates; and raising the payload into the interior of the end-of-arm tool.

A support gate device that allows iron tubes to be loaded efficiently into a pipe holding bin of a directional drilling machine. The support gate device is a rectangular cartridge the houses a swiveling gate. The swiveling gate has a stop plate and a spring. The support gate device attaches to an end of a horizontal bar of the directional drilling machine. The directional drilling machine has a pair of horizontal bars that are linearly opposed to each other that lead into the pipe holding bin. A pair of support gate devices are installed on the horizontal bars of the directional drilling machine.

Apparatus and methods for automatically conforming a bottom support surface in a pick and place palletizer to the width of items such as cases that are supported on the surface are described. The invention defines an improved apparatus and method for automatically adjusting the width of a row support surface to conform to undersized items or items having a width when an item side is against the apron backstop that is less than the apron depth relative to the backstop.

Apparatus and methods for automatically conforming a bottom support surface in a pick and place palletizer to the width of items such as cases that are supported on the surface are described. The invention defines an improved apparatus and method for automatically adjusting the width of a row support surface to conform to undersized items or items having a width when an item side is against the apron backstop that is less than the apron depth relative to the backstop.

The invention relates to a palletizing apparatus (10) comprising a set-down belt (50) which has a circulating conveyor belt (52) that defines a transport face (53) for transporting article layers (15), and a compressing apparatus (80) which has at least one front-side stop (81) and one rear-side stop (82), wherein the set-down belt (50) is movable in a longitudinal direction (X) relative to the compressing apparatus (80) between a first longitudinal position, in which the transport face (53) is arranged in a manner offset in the longitudinal direction (X) with respect to the compressing apparatus (80), and a second longitudinal position, in which an article layer (15) located on the transport face (53) is arranged between the stops (81, 82) in the longitudinal direction (X). Here, the set-down belt (50) comprises a first deflection roller (61) that is rotatable about a first axis of rotation (71), wherein a diameter of the first deflection roller (61) is at most 2% of the width of the conveyor belt (52). Also provided is a control device for controlling the set-down belt (50), said control device being set up to drive the circulating conveyor belt (52) with variable speeds such that, when the set-down belt (50) moves from the second longitudinal position into the first longitudinal position, the article layer (15) located on the transport face (53) is pushed temporally in succession against the front-side stop (1) and against the rear-side stop (82). The invention also relates to a method for operating a palletizing apparatus (10) according to the invention.

The invention relates to a palletizing apparatus (10) comprising a set-down belt (50) which has a circulating conveyor belt (52) that defines a transport face (53) for transporting article layers (15), and a compressing apparatus (80) which has at least one front-side stop (81) and one rear-side stop (82), wherein the set-down belt (50) is movable in a longitudinal direction (X) relative to the compressing apparatus (80) between a first longitudinal position, in which the transport face (53) is arranged in a manner offset in the longitudinal direction (X) with respect to the compressing apparatus (80), and a second longitudinal position, in which an article layer (15) located on the transport face (53) is arranged between the stops (81, 82) in the longitudinal direction (X). Here, the set-down belt (50) comprises a first deflection roller (61) that is rotatable about a first axis of rotation (71), wherein a diameter of the first deflection roller (61) is at most 2% of the width of the conveyor belt (52). Also provided is a control device for controlling the set-down belt (50), said control device being set up to drive the circulating conveyor belt (52) with variable speeds such that, when the set-down belt (50) moves from the second longitudinal position into the first longitudinal position, the article layer (15) located on the transport face (53) is pushed temporally in succession against the front-side stop (1) and against the rear-side stop (82). The invention also relates to a method for operating a palletizing apparatus (10) according to the invention.

The invention relates to a palletizing apparatus (10) comprising a compressing apparatus (60) which has a peripheral closed frame (70), wherein at least one slider (61, 62, 63, 64) that is movable in a horizontal direction is arranged on the frame (70), and a set-down device (50) which defines a transport face (53) for transporting article layers (15). The frame (70) surrounds a through-opening (67) that passes through in a vertical direction (Z), and the set-down device (50) is movable in a longitudinal direction (X) relative to the compressing apparatus (60) between a first longitudinal position, in which the transport face (53) is arranged in a manner offset in the longitudinal direction (X) with respect to the frame (70), and a second longitudinal position, in which a projection of the through-opening (67) in the vertical direction (Z) lies on the transport face (53). The compressing apparatus (60) and the set-down device (50) are in this case arranged on a lifting apparatus (20) so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z). The invention also relates to a method for operating a palletizing apparatus (10) according to the invention, which comprises a plurality of steps.