A dual-stage rapid sheet stacking system is provided. In one embodiment, the dual-stage rapid stacker comprises a landing platform and a first actuator configured to control a vertical position of the landing platform. A vertical position sensor is configured to monitor the vertical position of the landing platform. A CPU is configured to receive a signal from the vertical position sensor and, in response to the received signal, to send a corresponding command to the first actuator such that the first actuator maintains a minimum sheet drop distance. A sliding catch tray unit, is mounted on a plurality of suspension rails. The dual-stage rapid sheet stacking system comprises a second actuator configured to receive commands from the CPU to control a horizontal position of the sliding catch tray unit. The dual-stage rapid sheet stacking system is configured to stack a plurality of sheets on the landing platform and then discharge, a plurality of sheets through the sliding catch tray unit.

A sheet-shaped electrode conveyance device (A) for conveying the sheet-shaped electrodes (1) to the stacking station is covered by the sealing walls (50). The inside of the sealing walls (50) is divided along the conveyance route of the sheet-shaped electrode (1) by the partitions (57, 58, 59, and 60) into the inside space regions (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, and Z5). Dry air is supplied to the inside space regions (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5). If there is an abnormal sheet-shaped electrode (1) inside any of the inside space regions (Z1, Z2, Z3, Z4, Z5), the conveyor plates (20) other than the conveyor plate (20) carrying the abnormal sheet-shaped electrode (1) are retracted to the inside space regions other than the inside space region where the abnormal sheet-shaped electrode (1) is present.

An example system may comprise a media support including a wall and a base and a restraining extension extending in a first direction to constrain print media, when present, to a space below the restraining extension.

An apparatus for printing on one or both sides of flat objects. The apparatus includes a loop-shaped conveying path for the flat objects; a feed conveyor configured to feed the objects to be printed into a first section of the conveying path; a printer configured to print the objects one at a time; a first discharge conveyor configured to discharge the objects to be printed one at a time downstream of the printer from the first section towards a second section; a first collector configured to collect the objects downstream of the first discharge conveyor at the second section discharged from the first discharge conveyor in a stack; a stack conveyor configured to convey a (partial) stack of the objects along the second section; and a second collector configured to receive at least one (partial) stack and feed the objects upstream to the printer into the first section.

An image forming apparatus includes a main body of the image forming apparatus with an opening portion, an image forming unit, an accommodation portion, a stack portion, a sheet moving unit, and a control unit that controls switching between a first mode that moves, with the sheet moving unit, a sheet accommodated in the accommodation portion and stops the sheet when a part of the sheet is exposed external to the main body of the image forming apparatus from the opening portion, and a second mode that moves the sheet, with the sheet moving unit, accommodated in the accommodation portion and that discharges the sheet to the stack portion.

Disclosed is a film discharging device including a supply unit configured to supply a film product, a branch unit including a branch conveyer configured to transfer a film product supplied from the supply unit, and a conveyer rotating member configured to selectively guide the branch conveyer passing through the branch conveyer to any one of a predetermined first branch path and a predetermined second branch path by rotating the branch conveyer in a predetermined forward direction or a reverse direction opposite to the forward direction to change an alignment angle of the branch conveyer, a first discharging unit configured to discharge the film product guided to the first branch path, and a second discharging unit configured to discharge the film product guided to the second branch path.

A sheet sorting device includes a plurality of trays, a tray shifter, a tray stop position detector, and circuitry. The plurality of trays is disposed in multiple stages in a vertical direction and configured to stack a sheet. The tray shifter is configured to move the plurality of trays separately in a tray shift direction. The tray stop position detector is configured to detect stop positions of the plurality of trays separately. The circuitry is configured to cause the tray shifter to move the plurality of trays to home positions in an initial operation, at least one tray having a home position opposite to a home position of another tray in the tray shift direction. The circuitry is configured to, while moving the plurality of trays at a same time in the initial operation, cause the tray shifter to move the trays in directions opposite to each other.

A sheet stacking device includes a pair of first sheet stackers, a pair of sheet alignment members, a second sheet stacker, a sheet removal portion, and control circuitry. The first sheet stackers stack both end portions of a sheet in a direction orthogonal to a sheet ejecting direction. The sheet alignment members contact both ends of the sheet in the orthogonal direction to align the sheet on the first sheet stackers. The second sheet stacker is disposed lower than the first sheet stackers and stacks the sheet dropped from between the first sheet stackers. The sheet removal portion is disposed on one side in the orthogonal direction. The control circuitry causes one of the first sheet stackers and one of the sheet alignment members to move toward an opposite side of the sheet removal portion in the orthogonal direction after the sheet is dropped from between the first sheet stackers.

An apparatus is disclosed comprising first and second pallet supports to engage pallets in at least a first and a second pallet location. The first pallet location positions a pallet to receive output from a print press. The second pallet location is a pre-use pallet holding location. The apparatus further comprises an actuator to move the first and second pallet supports to transfer a first pallet away from the first pallet location and a second pallet from the second pallet holding location to the first pallet location. A method of transferring pallets is also disclosed.

Personnel saving of a process from a printer to a sheet processing machine is achieved. A general printing management device is connected to be communicable with a conveyance management device that manages a plurality of automatic guided vehicles each conveying a stacker in which paper ejected from a printer is stackable. The general printing management device generates conveyance instruction information for conveying a stacker in which paper ejected from the printer is stacked from a sheet receiving position of the printer to a sheet supply position of a next processing machine, based on job information in which a manufacturing process procedure for manufacturing a printed product is registered, and transmits the conveyance instruction information to the conveyance management device.