A dispensing system and associated method provides a turnkey solution for dispensing pharmaceutical products such as solid medications and nutritional supplements to be taken orally in health care settings, including but not limited to long term care (LTC) and assisted living settings.

A device for inscription of identification units, wherein each identification unit has an identification plate or several one-piece contiguous identification plates, wherein each identification plate has an inscription surface and wherein the inscription surface or several inscription surfaces of each identification unit spans or span an inscription plane, includes: a magazine for holding a number of identification units bearing against one another with inscription planes oriented parallel to one another, the magazine having two guide walls for the identification units, which walls are spaced apart and extend parallel to one another or along a conveying direction extending perpendicular to the inscription planes and reduce the reciprocal spacing; a contact surface for the identification unit, which surface is disposed after the guide walls in the conveying direction; an inscription implement for inscription of the inscription surfaces; a chute which is accessible via an inlet opening in the contact surface accessible for transport of the identification units to the inscription implement and/or to a removal point, wherein the peripheral edge of the inlet opening has two edge portions which lie opposite one another, and the spacing of the edge portions relative to one another is smaller than the spacing relative to one another of the edges of the guide walls facing the support surface; and a slide arrangement disposed above the support surface and having at least one slide element, wherein the at least one slide element is movable from a retracted position spaced apart from an associated edge portion into a feed position in which the edge of the slide element facing the inlet opening is flush with the associated edge portion or projects beyond the associated edge portion.

A device for inscription of identification units, wherein each identification unit has an identification plate or several one-piece contiguous identification plates, wherein each identification plate has an inscription surface and wherein the inscription surface or several inscription surfaces of each identification unit spans or span an inscription plane, includes: a magazine for holding a number of identification units bearing against one another with inscription planes oriented parallel to one another, the magazine having two guide wails for the identification units, which walls are spaced apart and extend parallel to one another or along a conveying direction extending perpendicular to the inscription planes and reduce the reciprocal spacing; a contact surface for the identification unit, which surface is disposed after the guide walls in the conveying direction; an inscription implement for inscription of the inscription surfaces; a chute which is accessible via an inlet opening in the contact surface accessible for transport of the identification units to the inscription implement and/or to a removal point, wherein the peripheral edge of the inlet opening has two edge portions which lie opposite one another, and the spacing of the edge portions relative to one another is smaller than the spacing relative to one another of the edges of the guide walls facing the support surface; and a slide arrangement disposed above the support surface and having at least one slide element, wherein the at least one slide element is movable from a retracted position spaced apart from an associated edge portion into a feed position in which the edge of the slide element facing the inlet opening is flush with the associated edge portion or projects beyond the associated edge portion.

A container denester apparatus which overcomes, among other problems, the problems identified above. The denester apparatus positively controls the flanges of the container so as to individually denest a lowermost container from a stack of containers. The apparatus protects the container by spreading the force required to denest the container along much of the flange structure. In addition, the stack of containers above the lowermost container are retained, again along much of the flange structure of the immediately adjacent container.

A feed apparatus for automatically feeding casings for smoking articles toward a transport member includes a feed unit disposed in a position above the transport member and configured to temporarily support the casings before they are fed to the transport member below, and a conveyor unit interposed between the feed unit and the transport member to selectively pick up the casings from the feed unit and send them to the transport member.

An automation apparatus for dispensing groups of individually packaged products including a storage module including a first storage bin configured to slidably receive a storage tube inserted therein; a first storage tube configured to store therein a plurality of products each contained in an individual package, the first storage tube including an end cap including a release slot to allow movement of a first individual package along a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the first storage tube for removal of the first individual package from the storage tube, the end cap including a retention slot configured to engage with a registration pin of the first storage bin and prevent the first storage tube from sliding out of the first storage bin; and a pick device configured to retrieve the first individual package from the first storage tube disposed in the end cap via the release slot.

Device for controlling a flow of cardboard tubular cores (1) adapted to produce logs of paper material and intended to be stored in a collection point (2) placed downstream of the same device, comprising more conveyors (5; 7) each of which is adapted for carrying the said tubular cores (1) up to the entry point (6D) of a respective guide channel (6) having an entry point (6D) and an exit point (6F), interception means (8) adapted for intercepting the tubular cores (1), said interception means being arranged and acting on each of said channels (6) to adjust the flow of the tubular cores through the respective exit points (6F), and programmable means (UE) adapted for activating and deactivating said interception means (8). The interception means (8) are adapted to selectively form two nips (N1, N2) inside the guide channel (6), the nips (N1, N2) being selectively formed at a predetermined distance from each other.

An apparatus for handling food products comprises an alignment trough disposed at an incline for holding a stack of the food products at an incline. The alignment trough defines a portion of a passage upon which the food products travel. The stack defines a bottom food product. At least one movable member extends into the passage to control the separation of the bottom food product from the remainder of the stack by moving to provide clearance fro the food product to pass.

A method for automatically forming bundles of metal laminations, adapted for armatures of electrical machines or the like, by automatic precision dosing of a lamination bundle produced by picking up and separating a preset number of laminations, includes grabbing, at one end of a lamination stack, a preset number of laminations; separating the number of laminations of the bundle from the lamination stack by axially moving the bundle away from the lamination stack by a preset distance; detaching one or more laminations, if any, at the end of the lamination bundle facing the lamination stack, which may have remained adherent to a last intended lamination by being clamped by a part of their thickness or glued to the lowest lamination of the lamination bundle; and collecting the lamination or laminations, if any, detached from the lamination stack end in a position axially aligned with the laminations of the stack.

A system for destacking consumables, lids, or consumables with lids comprising at least one stack of consumables, lids, or consumables with lids; a storage for the at least one stack of consumables, lids, or consumables with lids comprising a retaining mechanism configured that only the lowest and second lowest consumable of the at least one stack of consumables extend over a lower end of the storage; a movable separator comprising an upper part with separator ramps configured to separate the lowest consumable from the stack of consumables by moving its upper part between the lowest and second lowest consumable of the at least one stack of consumables; and a movable consumable holder which is arranged below the stack of consumables, together with a method of use.