An apparatus (10, 60) for storage of elongate elements, such as pipes, tubes and conduits. The apparatus (10, 60) includes a frame (12) that supports a plurality of trays (15, 63). The trays (15, 63) are arranged in two vertical columns of storage positions, except for the trays located at the top or bottom of the apparatus as they are moved about sprockets (71, 72) by a drive motor (73). Each tray (15, 63) is configured to support a plurality of elongate items. The trays (15, 63, which may embodied as cradles or racks, may be moved between a storage position and an access position, wherein in the access position, the elongate items can be accessed from substantially vertically above the tray (15, 63).

An apparatus for working bars includes a plurality of containing devices disposed adjacent and parallel to each other with an oblong development in respective longitudinal directions to contain a respective bundle of bars. At least one work station is located downstream of the containing devices. The work station includes at least one removal device to remove at least one bar from one of the containing devices, at least one drawing unit configured to move the bars in a direction of feed parallel to the longitudinal directions, and at least one bending device configured to bend the bars At least one drive member is associated with the work station, configured to move work station in a transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal directions in order to take the removal device into correspondence with one or the other of the containing devices, which are substantially fixed in position.

The method for optimising the cutting of elongated products, in particular bars or profiles for reinforced concrete, comprises the steps of arranging in succession along a longitudinal feed direction (Y) a feeding area (5), a cutting assembly (3) and a measuring path (4) for the products (2), the measuring path (4) being configured to receive on a respective receiving plane (4a) the products (2a) cut by the cutting assembly (3). The method also provides for arranging a storage (6) divided into a plurality of compartments (7) downstream of the measuring path (4), for receiving the cut products (2a).

Apparatus to feed bars (B) to one or more user machines located downstream, said apparatus comprising a support plane (11), a bar feed zone (12) located in proximity to one bar supply end (13) of said support plane (11), wherein said support plane (11) comprises a unit (14) to move said bars (B) in a direction of movement (Z) from and toward said bar feed zone (12).

A camfeeder system that uses an eccentric disk kicker having a friction surface that contacts surface of a heavy elongated object to smoothly and simultaneously move the elongated object in a transverse direction towards a conveyor and accelerate the elongated object in a lineal direction the conveyor travels. A method of changing a direction a heavy elongated object travels from transverse to lineal using the camfeeder system.

A conveyor system for translating objects is disclosed, each object with vertical protrusions extending upward and/or downward from one or more sides of the object. The conveyor system can accommodate structural members such as roof truss members, on which connector plates are affixed and from which the connector plates protrude vertically up, down, or both. The conveyor system may have a slide or some other support for the objects. The slide or other support may be narrow. The slide or other support can be tall, relative to an object. The conveyor system may have an engagement tool driven by an overhead carriage to translate the objects along the slide or other support. The engagement tool may be narrow. The engagement tool can be tall, relative to an object.

A method of forming bundles of glass articles is provided. The method includes transporting individual glass articles to an insert building station using a conveying system. The glass articles are individually located within article receiving slots of a layer separation insert using the conveying system. Each slot of the layer separation insert receives a single glass article forming a glass article layer of side-by-side glass articles. Multiple glass article layers including layer separation inserts are stacked using the conveying system forming a bundle. The layer separation inserts provide a barrier between adjacent glass articles of each of the glass article layers to inhibit glass-to-glass contact.

A stick distributing unit and corresponding method for laying spacer sticks over a board layer is provided. The unit includes a frame defining a stick-receiving area for receiving sticks and a hold-and-release mechanism configured to dispense each stick one-by-one. The hold-and-release mechanism includes a lower holding member selectively operable to hold and release a bottommost stick, and an upper holding member selectively operable to hold and release a penultimate stick. The unit also includes a controller configured to operate the lower and upper holding members to release the bottommost stick from the stick-receiving area and knock on the penultimate stick. The unit further has a stick-laying mechanism configured to receive and lay the released bottommost stick over the board layer.

A material processing system includes: an offsetter configured to receive a stack of material and including a lifting bar configured to lift a portion of the stack of material; and a processing station operably connected to the offsetter. A method of processing a material includes: loading a stack of material on an offsetter, the stack of material including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion positioned above the second portion and separated from the second portion by at least one cross tie, the stack of material including a first end and a second end distal from the first end; lifting the second portion away from the first portion by a lifting bar of the offsetter pushing upward on the second end; and removing the cross tie.

A system for loading elongated members, such as metal tubes and bars, onto a conveyor for later processing features an elevator, pusher arms, a support surface provided at a predetermined height, and gripper arms. The elevator acts to lift a topmost layer of the members, which are typically arranged in a stack thereon, to a predetermined height so that the pusher arms may transfer the members forming the topmost layer onto the support surface at this height. The pusher arms push these members across the support surface by engaging the member farthest from the support surface until the respective elongated member passes over a distal side of the support surface and onto the gripper arms arranged at a height of this side. The gripper arms lower that member to an unloading location below the support surface where an empty support cradle of the conveyor is arranged for receiving same.