Systems and methods are disclosed for starting a strip material in a substrate processing machine wherein the machine is not stopped and/or operators do not have to reach into the running machine to start the strip material. Exemplary systems include a strip material guide apparatus including at least one guide arm and at least one gas stream generator configured to direct strip material from the guide arm into a substrate processing machine to join the strip material with one or more running substrates. The gas stream generator is operable to cause a leading end of a strip material dispensed from the guide arm to be conveyed via a gas stream toward the running substrates, such that the leading end of the strip material becomes engaged by the substrate processing machine and the strip material joins with the running substrate.

A sheet stacking tray that includes a single pneumatic baffle which uses the pressure differential caused by the flow of air across a cross process curved bottom surface of the pneumatic baffle to hold the lead edge of sheets driven by an input nip into the sheet stacking tray above a stack especially for longer and lighter weight sheets as they are driven by the input nip to a registration wall.

A sheet transfer assembly is provided for transferring a sheet from a supplying conveyor to a receiving conveyor. The receiving conveyor includes a transport belt having a support surface for supporting the sheet on a contact side of the sheet. The supplying conveyor is arranged for advancing the sheet in a transport direction towards the receiving conveyor. The sheet transfer assembly includes a sheet guidance element arranged downstream of the supplying conveyor in the transport direction for guiding the sheet towards the receiving conveyor, the sheet guidance element includes a guidance surface for supporting the sheet at its contact side; wherein the guidance surface includes two guide faces. Both guide faces extending in the transport direction over the support surface of the transport belt and being cooperatively arranged for supporting both side edge portions at the sides of the sheet in a lateral direction, which is substantially perpendicular to the transport direction, thereby forming a space in between one another allowing a middle portion of the sheet to move towards the support surface of the transport belt.

To reduce, at the time of sheet replenishment, breakage of a floating regulation member that regulates floating of a sheet floated by air blowing in a sheet storage apparatus that loosen stored sheets by means of air blowing. Air is blown to sheets stored in a storage part to loosen the sheets. One of a pair of side regulation members for regulating both ends of the sheets stored in the storage part has a floating regulation member for regulating floating of a sheet floated by means of air blowing. The floating regulation member is configured to be turnable in a sheet stacking direction about a rotation axis provided to one of the side regulation members on the side at which the floating regulation member is provided. A load applied to the floating regulation member differs between when the floating regulation member is turned upward and when it is turned downward.

A pick-up device picking up stacked sheet-shaped workpieces from the top, the device includes a nozzle mechanism that includes a pick-up nozzle pulling up a first workpiece from the top of the stacked workpieces by air blowing, and a holding mechanism that holds the first workpiece from the top. The pick-up nozzle includes a ventilation groove provided on a bottom surface opposite to an upper surface of the first workpiece from the top and passing through to an air blowing side end part of the bottom surface, and a nozzle port blowing air toward the air blowing side end part of the bottom surface along the inside of the ventilation groove, and the air blowing side end part of a groove inner bottom surface of the ventilation groove is formed in a shape directed in a direction of being separated from the workpiece.

The inkjet image forming device comprises a post-processing device to post-process the paper ejected from the print engine, wherein the post-processing device comprises a loading part in which the paper conveyed from the print engine is to be loaded, and an air blower including an air blowing part to blow air toward the loading part, and a shutter to be rotatable between a closed position and an open position in the air blowing part to adjust an amount of air to be blown from the air blowing part.

To reduce, at the time of sheet replenishment, breakage of a floating regulation member that regulates floating of a sheet floated by air blowing in a sheet storage apparatus that loosen stored sheets by means of air blowing. Air is blown to sheets stored in a storage part to loosen the sheets. One of a pair of side regulation members for regulating both ends of the sheets stored in the storage part has a floating regulation member for regulating floating of a sheet floated by means of air blowing. The floating regulation member is configured to be turnable in a sheet stacking direction about a rotation axis provided to one of the side regulation members on the side at which the floating regulation member is provided. A load applied to the floating regulation member differs between when the floating regulation member is turned upward and when it is turned downward.

When using a flipping wheel to flip sheets of weak or long media, there is a risk that these sheets collapse upon themselves. To reduce this risk, a method of stacking sheets includes flipping a sheet while holding its leading edge and bringing the leading edge down towards a stack support; bringing a trailing portion of the sheet into contact with a guide member positioned over the stack support; forming an overpressure in an inner volume of the bent sheet during flipping, while its trailing portion is in contact with the guide member; and maintaining the overpressure and contact while a trailing edge of the sheet travels along the guide member.

A conveyance device includes a conveyor that conveys a sheet. A ventilator sends air to the sheet conveyed by the conveyor in a predetermined region. A controller controls the ventilator to change an air capacity of the air at a time when a leading end of the sheet in a sheet conveyance direction is in the predetermined region and at a time when the leading end of the sheet is past the predetermined region.

An optical media sensor includes a guide wall, a light emitter, a light receiver and a blower. The guide wall has an opening. The light emitter emits light to a medium sheet through the opening. The light receiver detects an amount of light travelling from the medium sheet. The blower generates a wind pressure that presses the medium sheet against the guide wall when detecting the amount of light.