A medium aligning device includes a stacking tray that stacks a medium discharged by a discharge section that discharges the medium, a side end aligning portion that is movable in a width direction that is a direction intersecting with a medium discharge direction of the discharge section, and positions and aligns a side end in the width direction of the medium stacked on the stacking tray, a rear end aligning portion that is movable in the width direction and positions and aligns a rear end that is an upstream end of the medium stacked on the stacking tray in the discharge direction, and a transmission portion that transmits the movement of the side end aligning portion in the width direction to the rear end aligning portion, in which a play in the width direction is provided between the side end aligning portion and the transmission portion.

A method for handling (flat) objects (10), in particular sanitary articles such as diapers, sanitary napkins or the like, wherein the objects (10) are conveyed along a transport section (12) in a product flow and are then put together in a grouping station to form groups of objects (10). The objects (10) are introduced into the product flow in the region of an inlet station (23) before the objects (10) are put together to form groups.

A hanging prevention roller is installed between a first suction conveyance unit on an upstream side and a second suction conveyance unit. When an inspection object is sent from the first suction conveyance unit into the second suction conveyance unit, a top edge of the inspection object abuts on and runs on the hanging prevention roller before the top edge of the inspection objects hangs down under its own weight or due to downward curling and so forth, the top edge is sandwiched between the roller and the second suction conveyance unit, and thereby stable suction conveyance is started without delay.

An apparatus for transporting veneer sheets, where the veneer sheets each have an upper surface, a lower surface, and a plurality of edges connecting the upper surface to the lower surface. The apparatus includes a vacuum source and a conveyor for transporting individual sheets of veneer along a direction of travel to a predetermined location. The conveyor includes a belt running in the direction of travel. A vacuum opening adjacent the belt is in communication with the vacuum source to draw respective sheets of veneer to the belt by suction applied to the upper surface or the lower surface of the veneer sheets via the vacuum opening. The position of the conveyor is adjustable in a direction transverse the direction of travel to accommodate veneer sheets having different lengths.

An apparatus for overlapping and stacking sheets, the apparatus has a housing defining a stacking area and a travel plane for the sheets, a conveyor for transporting the sheets through the housing in a travel direction along a travel plane, and an overlapping device in the housing upstream of the stacking area for producing an overlapping stream of the conveyed sheets. A brake in the overlapping device slows the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. Stacking elements include stops projecting upward in the stacking area and serving to position a stack formed by the conveyed sheets of the overlapping stream. A separate frame carrying the stacking elements in the stacking area above the travel plane or extending to above the supply travel plane is mounted in the housing of the apparatus so as to be movable horizontally downstream in the direction away from the overlapping device.

A stacker includes a medium stacking portion for receiving and stacking a medium processed and discharged by a processing unit, a medium butting portion for aligning the medium by contacting a leading end of the medium, and a paddle that includes a feeding portion and is for transporting the medium received by the medium stacking portion in a direction toward the medium butting portion by rotating. Furthermore, the stacker has a first mode in which the paddle stops in a state in which the feeding portion does not contact the medium on the medium stacking portion and a second mode in which the paddle stops in a state in which the feeding portion comes into contact with the medium on the medium stacking portion and is deformed.

A transport device transports an individualized sheet-shaped workpiece. The transport device includes: an annular transport belt having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and having a plurality of suction holes extending between the first surface and the second surface; first and second decompression chambers arranged along a moving direction of the transport belt; and a vacuum degree adjusting mechanism provided in the first decompression chamber and adjusting a vacuum degree in the first decompression chamber. The first and second decompression chambers each abut against the second surface, and each suction the workpiece through at least one of the plurality of suction holes toward the first surface such that the transport belt is capable of transporting the workpiece in the moving direction in a suspended state from the first surface.

A device (10) for optically controlling a face (13) of a blank (12) has a vacuum conveyor (20) capable of transporting the blank (12) along a path of travel (15) and which includes a conveyor belt (22) having an apertured structure of which the conveying path follows the path of travel (15) of the blank (12). A suction device (40) is suitable for pressing the blank (12) against the conveyor belt (14). An inspection device (30) inspects the face (13) of the blank (12) during its conveyance by the vacuum conveyor (20). The inspection device is located on the side opposite the vacuum conveyor (20). The suction device (40) delimits three separate successive suction sections (41, 42, 43) along the path of travel (15), including a central suction section (42) that extends opposite the inspection device (30), an upstream suction section (41) and a downstream suction section (43).

A sheet stacking device includes a vacuum system that delivers an individual sheet toward a binder element, a sheet deflector element that presses an end of the individual sheet onto the binder element, and a sheet kick-down element that presses the individual sheet away from the vacuum system.

A sheet processing machine has at least one shaping device and at least one sheet delivery unit, arranged downstream of the at least one shaping device along a transport path provided for a transport of sheets. The at least one shaping device has at least one shaping point which is formed by at least one forme cylinder, on one hand, and at least one impression cylinder, on the other hand. At least one separation device, for removing scrap pieces from sheets, is arranged downstream of the at least one shaping point along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The at least one separation device has at least one separation transport device. At least one transport device, configured as a selective transport device, is arranged following the at least one separation transport device along the transport path provided for the transport of sheets. The transport device is configured as at least one upper suction transport device for a hanging transport of sheets.