A printer includes a platen including a loading surface on which a target printing medium is loaded and in which through holes are formed, a printing unit performing printing on the target printing medium, a platen stand on which the platen is loaded, the platen stand including air chambers communicating with the through holes, communication tubes that individually communicate with the air chambers, an air blower configured to suck and exhaust air in the air chambers, and suction opening/closing valves individually provided in the communication tubes, the suction opening/closing valves configured to open and close communication between the air blower and the plurality of air chambers. The plurality of air chambers are provided at different positions adjacent to one another in a length direction and a width direction of the target printing medium loaded on the loading surface.

According to examples, there is provided a suction device, system and method for retaining media on a surface. The suction device comprising a suction cup having a vacuum port for coupling the suction cup to a vacuum source, a sealing piston configured to seal the vacuum port when the sealing piston is in a first position, wherein when the sealing piston is in a second, depressed, position the vacuum source is coupled to the suction cup the sealing piston further comprising a piston head extending above a rim of the suction cup when the sealing piston is in the first position, and a biasing element to bias the sealing piston to the first position.

An insert sheet loading device (10) comprising a movable carriage (12; 12) for inserting insert sheets into a receiving area (2) of a blank-receiving station (500). The movable carriage (12; 12) has a plurality of longitudinal bars (27a, 27b). At least one longitudinal bar (27a) has a suction channel (35) leading out, via at least one suction opening (30), onto the surface of the longitudinal bar (27a) for receiving an insert sheet, the suction channel (35) is connected to a vacuum source (31) for holding, by suction, the insert sheet transported by the movable carriage (12; 12). Also a blank-receiving station, a sheet-shaped element processing machine, and a method for transporting an insert sheet in a receiving area of a blank-receiving station are disclosed.

A machine (1) includes an unwinding section (3) for unwinding parent reels (Ba, Bb) of web material (N), an unwinding section (3) for unwinding parent reels (Ba, Bb) of web material (Na, Nb), and at least one winding station (15). The winding station in turn includes a winding device (41, 51), to which a longitudinal strip (S) of web material is fed. In the winding station, a respective spool (B) of web material is formed. The winding station (15) further includes: a cutting device (81, 83) for the longitudinal strip (S), to cut the longitudinal strip (S) transversely, thus forming a tail edge, which remains on the spool (B) under formation, and a leading edge; and a holding device (85) for holding the leading edge of the longitudinal strip (S), to transfer the leading edge onto a tubular winding core (T) of a new spool to be wound.

A sheet transfer apparatus and a method for transferring a sheet using a sheet transfer apparatus are provided. A sheet transfer apparatus includes: a table on which two or more sheets, which are continuously laminated, are configured to be seated; a sheet adsorbing part on the table to adsorb a first sheet, which is at an uppermost portion, of the two or more laminated sheets at a pressure; and an air discharge part on the table and adjacent to the sheet adsorbing part, and the air discharge part is configured to discharge air to a surface of the first sheet adsorbed to the sheet adsorbing part.

Systems and methods are provided for paying out material. One embodiment is a method for dispensing film onto a surface. the method includes operating vacuum ports at a suction table, adhering a leading edge of a web of film to the suction table, driving the payout system across the suction table while the vacuum ports are being operated and while unrolling the web of film, unrolling a web of film from a roll of a payout system that is mounted for traversal across the upper surface of the suction table, and enforcing tension at the web of film between the suction table and the roll while payout system is drawn across the suction table.

A vacuum plate which may be used in a system in which sheet material articles are handled by a vacuum plate. The vacuum plate comprises a first wall, a plurality of bores in the first wall, and at least one air outlet for connection to a source of vacuum pressure for applying a vacuum pressure to the bores. The first wall provides, in use, a vacuum lifting surface for pulling and holding the sheet material article to the vacuum surface when vacuum pressure is applied to the bores. Each bore comprises a flared opening terminating at the vacuum surface for admitting air pulled through the bore by the applied vacuum pressure, and opposite this opening, an exit for the air pulled through the bore, this exit being surrounded by a rim that extends above a surrounding surface of the second side of the first wall.

A coil replacing device. Material tapes output by a first unreeling assembly and a second unreeling assembly can be alternately used as a working materials tape and a spare materials tape. When the unreeling of the working material tape by the first unreeling assembly is about to be finished, a first cutting assembly cuts off the working material tape fixed by a fixing mechanism and a first positioning assembly, and the spare material tape unreeled by the second unreeling assembly can be aligned with the working material tape fixed by the first positioning assembly. Then, a swing assembly drives an adhesive attaching driver to swing from an adhesive preparation position to an adhesive attaching position, and an adhesive attaching mechanism drives two suction plates to be folded, connecting the spare material tape with the working material tape to form a new working material tape.

A positioning device (38) for holding a flat flexible part, especially a sheet, on a positioning surface (46) is presented. It comprises a body (44) having a suction opening (50) for aspiring the part and a fluid port (52) being in fluid communication with the suction opening (50). Furthermore, an abutment protrusion (60) is provided on a connection surface (48) for abutting the positioning device (38) against a base part (28) to which it may be mounted. Also a sealing protrusion (64) is arranged on the connection surface (48) for compressing a gasket (42) being interposed between the positioning device (38) and the base part (28). A height (H.sub.a) of the abutment protrusion (60) is bigger than a height (H.sub.s) of the sealing protrusion (64). Additionally, a positioning assembly (24) is presented which comprises at least one such positioning device (38). Furthermore, a sheet material processing machine comprising at least one such positioning assembly (24) is introduced.

A method for separating blanks includes continuous conveying of a sheet metal strip in a transport direction to a laser cutting station, concurrent cutting of the sheet metal strip by at least one cutting laser, wherein a cut sheet metal strip is formed from successive sections of the same cutting geometry, transporting the cut sheet metal strip on a first conveyor belt in the transport direction, taking over the cut sheet metal strip from the first conveyor belt, transporting the cut sheet metal strip in the transport direction, separately ejecting the at least one residual blank of each section, transporting the at least one blank of each section into overlap with a second conveyor belt and ejecting the at least one blank from the suction conveyor, and transporting the blanks ejected one after the other from the suction conveyor horizontally in the transport direction to a collecting station.