Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

Examples provide a case sequencer for sequencing and buffering of items in accordance with sizing attributes of each item. A first vertical transport mechanism and a second vertical transport mechanism are connected to a plurality of slidable queuing beds located at a plurality of different levels along the vertical length of each vertical transport mechanism. Sensor data is used to sort items by size, weight, shape, or other dimensions. Items exit onto the queuing beds at different levels based on item dimensions for buffering. Items of similar size exit the second vertical transport together. Each slidable queueing bed is capable of sliding outward to the side or back for maintenance and/or repair. Multiple queuing beds at different levels can be pulled out for maintenance at the same time. The case sequencer can continue operation as long as at least one queuing bed remains retracted and operable.

In order to provide a workpiece treatment plant that has a simple design and can be used flexibly, the treatment plant comprises multiple treatment zones, each of which includes one or more treatment stations for carrying out one or more treatment steps each, and one or more temporary storage units for temporarily storing the workpieces between two treatment steps.

The invention relates to a storage table of a packaging plant, wherein the storage table includes an infeed, an outfeed, and at least two storage lines that are loadable separately from one another and are arranged between the infeed and the outfeed. The infeed includes a loading means having a conveyor channel, wherein the loading means having the conveyor channel is designed to receive packages from a conveyor apparatus arranged upstream of the storage table and to convey the packages onwards and, in particular, to deflect the packages so that the packages can be received in at least one of the two storage lines. The loading means is designed to be adaptable, in particular as needed, in such a way that a width and/or height of the conveyor channel is adjustable at least in certain areas or sections.

Embodiments of product handling systems facilitate transfer of individual product items from incoming bulk form into dedicated trays for inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging. Inspection may comprise interrogation of product items within a tray by electromagnetic (e.g., optical, hyperspectral) or other (e.g., physical, acoustic, gas sensing, etc.) techniques. Prior to packaging, product items disposed within the tray may be stored in a moveable carousel responsible for controlling environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, illumination, ambient gases, product-to-product interactions, and/or others. Movement of product items from a carousel's transfer station to an outside staging position may be accomplished using robots and/or conveyor belts. Embodiments may allow rapid, low-cost consumer selection of specific individual product items based upon their accompanying metadata (e.g., source, identifier), in combination with the results of inspection (e.g., visual appearance). Embodiments may receive product items pre-packaged in tray format to expedite inspection, sorting, selection, and packaging.

A method for storing semi-finished articles including providing a tray including a plurality of compartments, withdrawing a first batch of semi-finished articles from a production path of finished articles in an intermediate stage of production process of finished articles, depositing the first batch of semi-finished articles on the tray, the semi-finished articles occupying at least part of a respective compartment, the semi-finished articles of the first batch being aligned along a first direction when housed in the respective compartment, subsequent storing the tray in a storage bay, withdrawing a first set of semi-finished articles from the respective compartment while keeping the semi-finished articles aligned along the first direction and reintroducing the first set of semi-finished articles into the production path, completing a production of finished articles starting from the semi-finished articles reintroduced into the production path.

Systems for storing piece goods are provided. The systems include a picking device having storage locations configured to store piece goods and a separating device. The separating device includes a feed device, a conveyor having a gripper and a control device coupled to the conveyor. The control device is configured to cause the gripper to pick a piece good based on images from a first recording device, a second recording device to take a first image of the picked piece good, the gripper to rotate the picked piece good by a predetermined angle about an axis and the second recording device to take a second image of the picked piece good. Methods of storing piece goods are also provided.

An apparatus for storing articles includes: a feed line, two removal lines and a reservoir therebetween and including a feed station with a feed transfer device operable with a feed line, two pickup stations, each with a pickup transfer device and operable with a removal line, and a movable support with receiving seats movable along a closed path through the feed and pickup stations so the articles are transferred from the feed line to the movable support and the articles are transferred from the movable support to a removal line by a pickup transfer device. A control unit drives the transfer devices based on current capacity values of the feed line and the removal lines to vary the number of articles disposed on the movable support during an imbalance between the current capacity of the feed line and the current capacity of the removal lines.

A system for boxing products, including a transfer line configured to transfer products from a product output section of a production machine to a product input section of a boxing machine, and a device for varying a pitch between products on the transfer line so as to form empty spaces having respective lengths in the transport direction equal to or greater than a length of said products.