An apparatus for capping a container (10) comprises: a conveying device for conveying the container (10) along a path; an applying head (23) for applying a lid (1) onto a neck (9) included in an opening device of the container (10); a welding head (43) arranged downstream of the applying head (23), the welding head (43) comprising a welding element (51) for welding the lid (1) to the opening device.

A method of applying a lid (1) onto a neck (9) of a container (10), the lid (1) having a side wall (3) extending around an axis and an end wall (2) extending transversely to said axis, comprises the following steps: positioning the lid (1) onto the neck (9); exerting on the end wall (2) a force directed towards the container (10), so as to level the lid (1) on the neck (9); screwing the lid (1) onto the neck (9) by rotating the lid (1) in a screwing direction.

An applying unit for applying lids (1) to necks (9) of containers (10) comprises: a conveying device for advancing the containers (10) along a path in an advancement direction (F); a group of applying heads (23), each applying head (23) being arranged to screw a lid (1) onto a corresponding neck (9); a movement device (26) for moving the group of applying heads (23) along the advancement direction (F), so that each applying head (23) is coupled to a corresponding neck (9) along a portion of said path. The movement device (26) is configured to act on a common support element (24) supporting the applying heads (23) of said group, so as to move synchronously the applying heads (23) along the advancement direction (F).

A device for placing threaded lids on containers includes a holder for lids to be placed and a mechanism for retaining the lids stored in the holder. The retaining mechanism has a predetermined retaining position in which the lids stored in the holder are retained and a release position in which one of the lids stored in the holder is dispensed. The device also includes a lid positioner, which places a threaded lid on a container through a first rotation about a first axis when the positioner is in the placing position. When the position is in the receiving position, the positioner causes the retaining mechanism to change from the predetermined retaining position to the release position through rotation about the first axis.

A laboratory capper, decapper or combination capper/decapper includes a deck containing with a nest designed to hold an SBS-formatted tube storage rack, and a bit exchange magazine assembly containing one or more sets of adapter bits. The adapter bits are mounted on and unloaded from motor driven fittings, and are exchanged in order to cap or decap laboratory sample tubes or vials that have different head configurations. The bit exchange magazine assembly enables the bit to be exchanged robotically.

A laboratory capper, decapper or combination capper/decapper includes a deck containing with a nest designed to hold an SBS-formatted tube storage rack, and a bit exchange magazine assembly containing one or more sets of adapter bits. The adapter bits are mounted on and unloaded from motor driven fittings, and are exchanged in order to cap or decap laboratory sample tubes or vials that have different head configurations. The bit exchange magazine assembly enables the bit to be exchanged robotically.

A capping unit (100) for articles such as containers and/or bottles in general, of the type including at least one capping group (3) bearing one or more capping heads (8) for screwing caps (6) or capsules on the articles moved by at least one transport line (4). It includes at least one capping heads store (19), adapted to retain a series of capping heads (8), in order to allow the rapid and automatic exchange and substitution of the spindles (25) of the capping group (3); the capping group (3) being moved by an associated motorization, up to reaching the store (19) such to store and pick up, automatically from the group (3) itself the suitable capping head (8) as a function of the size of the caps (6) or capsules to be screwed.

A closing machine for closing containers has closing stations. Each station has a closer tool, a magnetically acting coupling element, a drive space, a product space, a linear drive, and a driver. The magnetically acting coupling element has inner and outer magnet elements. The drive space is formed separately from the product space. The linear guide positively drives the outer magnet element. The driver positively carries along said closer tool in a required height movement.

An applying unit for applying lids of opening devices to spouts of packages comprises a plurality of applying devices arranged for applying the lids to the spouts, a plurality of transfer arrangements, each transfer arrangement supporting a corresponding applying device and being movable along a track arrangement, wherein the transfer arrangements are self-movable along the track arrangement and are movable independently from each other along the track arrangement.

A capping and de-capping apparatus for capping and de-capping tubes disposed in a tube holding rack having a two-dimensional array of apertures for holding the tubes. The apparatus comprises a rack support for supporting the tube holding rack, a head unit adapted for carrying a cartridge comprising at least one capping and de-capping gripper, a drive system for moving the rack support and the head unit relatively towards and away from one another, in order to cause engagement or disengagement of the capping and de-capping gripper with or from a cap of at least one tube, and a drive system for rotating the capping and de-capping gripper, wherein rotation in one direction causes attachment of the cap to the tube and rotation in the opposite direction causes detachment of the cap from said tube.