A loading apparatus for loading food products onto and/or into a slicing apparatus, in particular a high-speed slicer, comprises at least one magazine unit that includes a conveying means that endlessly circulates along a running direction. The conveying means is configured to lift the products to a transferring height at which the products can be transferred to the slicing apparatus and includes several product support surfaces, the product support surfaces being oriented essentially perpendicular to the running direction and positioned subsequently along the running direction with a space between each other. At least one product is loadable onto a respective product support surface for lifting the product to the transferring height.

A column of cups guided by their rims in elongated slots is spaced into desired cup pitch by one or more linear stars from which the cups can be transferred for packaging. The linear stars have lugs engaging and spacing the cups. In another aspect of the invention, cups are manipulated into patterns for final grouping and packaging and by a plurality of cup orienting pickers engaging, inverting and re-orienting the cups. In one final packaged cup group of two or more layers, alternating cups in each layer are inverted and a top lid of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a top lid of a cup in a bottom layer, while a bottom of a cup in an upper layer is disposed on a bottom of a cup in a lower layer, and in an alternating pattern.

The objective of the invention is to arrange the articles on the conveyor so that the bundle can be easily stacked on top of each other. This problem can occur when the articles have caps on one side of the bundle causing a sloped surface that hinders stacking the bundles. The problem can be solved by arranging the articles so that the caps are always on the outside of the bundle.

A loading apparatus for loading food products onto and/or into a slicing apparatus, in particular a high-speed slicer, comprises at least one magazine unit that includes a conveying means that endlessly circulates along a running direction. The conveying means is configured to lift the products to a transferring height at which the products can be transferred to the slicing apparatus and includes several product support surfaces, the product support surfaces being oriented essentially perpendicular to the running direction and positioned subsequently along the running direction with a space between each other. At least one product is loadable onto a respective product support surface for lifting the product to the transferring height.

A loading apparatus for loading food products onto and/or into a slicing apparatus, in particular a high-speed slicer, comprises at least one magazine unit that includes a conveying means that endlessly circulates along a running direction. The conveying means is configured to lift the products to a transferring height at which the products can be transferred to the slicing apparatus and includes several product support surfaces, the product support surfaces being oriented essentially perpendicular to the running direction and positioned subsequently along the running direction with a space between each other. At least one product is loadable onto a respective product support surface for lifting the product to the transferring height.

Apparatus for treating plastic preforms, with a first transport facility transporting the plastic preforms along a predefined transport path at a first predefined pitch, with at least one heating unit heating the plastic preforms at least at times during their transportation and with a second transport facility arranged downstream with respect to the first transport facility in transport direction of the plastic preforms, which comprises a plurality of holding unit means for holding the plastic preforms and which is suitable and destined to alter a pitch between consecutive plastic preforms. The apparatus comprises a further transport section arranged, at least in sections, in transport direction of the plastic preforms between the first transport facility and the second transport facility, in which a pitch between the plastic preforms is altered.

A system for packing a case with articles, the system including a conveying device to convey articles to be packed, in a serial configuration and a support for a case to be packed with the articles in which the articles are configured to be placed in a plurality of rows, including a first row, a second row adjacent to the first row and a last row adjacent to a side wall of the case. A robotic mechanism is provided configured to pick-up a batch of articles from the conveying device and to deposit the batch of articles into the case, the robotic mechanism including an article supporting device moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, the robotic mechanism being configured to execute a first and a second article loading cycle in the case, wherein the first article loading cycle is characterized by lowering a batch of articles in the case and retracting the article supporting device to allow the batch of articles to sit on a bottom of the case and the second article loading cycle is characterized by retracting the article supporting device while the batch of articles is at a distance from the bottom of the case and allowing the batch of articles to fall in the case while being guided by an adjacent row of articles already deposited in the case and the side wall of the case.

A system for packing a case with articles, the system including a conveying device to convey articles to be packed, in a serial configuration and a support for a case to be packed with the articles in which the articles are configured to be placed in a plurality of rows, including a first row, a second row adjacent to the first row and a last row adjacent to a side wall of the case. A robotic mechanism is provided configured to pick-up a batch of articles from the conveying device and to deposit the batch of articles into the case, the robotic mechanism including an article supporting device moveable between an extended position and a retracted position, the robotic mechanism being configured to execute a first and a second article loading cycle in the case, wherein the first article loading cycle is characterized by lowering a batch of articles in the case and retracting the article supporting device to allow the batch of articles to sit on a bottom of the case and the second article loading cycle is characterized by retracting the article supporting device while the batch of articles is at a distance from the bottom of the case and allowing the batch of articles to fall in the case while being guided by an adjacent row of articles already deposited in the case and the side wall of the case.

A method and a device are created according to the invention for conveying piece products on one or several tracks, which are arranged side by side and substantially parallel to one another, in such a manner that the products are conveyed further having been separated out from a product stream into singles on each of the tracks and then aligned at uniform spacings and/or in groups. In this case, the products are first of all fed on each track as a single-row product stream on a first conveying device at a first speed. The products are then transferred to a second conveying device, which is arranged in the conveying direction of the products behind the first conveying device and receives the products and conveys them further at a second speed which is faster than the first speed, wherein the respectively frontmost product in the product stream is accelerated when being transferred from the first conveying device to the second conveying device and, as a result, by a gap being formed in the conveying direction, is separated off from the product stream. Finally, the separated products are aligned at exactly the precise moment in time and space in the conveying direction on the second conveying device by means of an entrainment device, wherein the entrainment device cooperates with the separated product and is moved forward in the conveying direction at a speed which is proportionate to the second speed in such a manner that the entrainment device brakes the separated product or conveys it further at the second speed or accelerates it.

The invention relates to a method and to a device for feeding products (2) from a first process to a second process in a packaging plant, wherein a buffer device (3) is provided between the first process and the second process, wherein the products (2) from the first process are in each case provided in groups with a variable first placing pattern, the method comprising the following steps: a) detecting the first placing pattern of a group (21, 23) of products (2) to be relocated, b) providing a number of conveying units (33), disposed in the detected first placing pattern, at the receiving position (30) of the buffer device (3), and c) collectively relocating the group (21, 23) of products with the detected placing pattern into the conveying units (33) of the buffer device (3) that are provided at the receiving position (30).