A material (e.g., proppant) handling system includes a storage container, a mechanical conveyor system, and a pneumatic conveyor system. The mechanical conveyor system is configured to convey material from an unloading station to a conveyor system discharge and into an inlet of the storage container (e.g., at an elevation that is higher than the unloading station). The pneumatic delivery system is configured to deliver material from the storage container to an off-system destination (e.g., a silo or the like), pneumatically. In a typical implementation, the storage container, the mechanical conveyor system, and the pneumatic conveyor system are all on, or connected to, or supported by one common chassis.

A material (e.g., proppant) handling system includes a storage container, a mechanical conveyor system, and a pneumatic conveyor system. The mechanical conveyor system is configured to convey material from an unloading station to a conveyor system discharge and into an inlet of the storage container (e.g., at an elevation that is higher than the unloading station). The pneumatic delivery system is configured to deliver material from the storage container to an off-system destination (e.g., a silo or the like), pneumatically. In a typical implementation, the storage container, the mechanical conveyor system, and the pneumatic conveyor system are all on, or connected to, or supported by one common chassis.

A storage bin sweep system may include a sweep apparatus with a particulate material moving assembly configured to move particulate material toward an inboard end of the sweep apparatus and a drive unit carrying a portion of the particulate material moving assembly. The drive unit may include a surface engaging element configured to engage a surface below the sweep assembly to move the sweep apparatus with respect to the surface and a drive train configured to transmit power to the surface engaging element. The drive train may include a clutch assembly configured to transfer rotation utilizing a viscous fluid to permit a limited degree of slippage between elements of the drive train.

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 pipette tip supply mechanism includes: a pipette tip storage unit for storing a plurality of tapered shaped pipette tips; a belt for transporting a pipette tip supplied from an opening of the pipette tip storage unit; and a belt drive unit that drives the belt in a transport direction. The belt is inclined upwards toward the transport direction so that the pipette tip is rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the pipette tip on a surface of the belt and the pipette tip is rolled to orient the longitudinal axis of the pipette tip along the transport direction in conjunction with the drive of the belt in the transport direction.

A pipette tip supply mechanism includes: a pipette tip storage unit for storing a plurality of tapered shaped pipette tips; a belt for transporting a pipette tip supplied from an opening of the pipette tip storage unit; and a belt drive unit that drives the belt in a transport direction. The belt is inclined upwards toward the transport direction so that the pipette tip is rotatable around a longitudinal axis of the pipette tip on a surface of the belt and the pipette tip is rolled to orient the longitudinal axis of the pipette tip along the transport direction in conjunction with the drive of the belt in the transport direction.

A spreader device includes a hopper axially mounted above a generally circular hollow tube, the generally circular hollow tube forming a semi-circular hopper floor of an interior area formed by the hopper, and a drive motor assembly attached to the hopper and operable to rotate the generally circular hollow tube within at least a portion of the interior area formed by the hopper.

The invention relates to a rock processing machine (10) having a feed hopper (40) and a process unit (20) downstream thereof, wherein a conveying device, in particular a hopper discharge belt (12), is assigned to the feed hopper (40), wherein the feed hopper (40) has a hopper side wall (42), and wherein a side-wall heightening (44) is assigned to the hopper side wall (42), which side wall heightening can be swiveled between a folded-down working position and a folded transport position. In such a rock processing machine, the requirements of occupational safety are effectively taken into account in a simple manner if provision is made that an operating unit (50) having a lever (51) for swiveling the side-wall heightening (44) is assigned to the side-wall heightening (44), wherein a transmission element (52) is used to couple the lever (51) to the side-wall heightening (44), and that the side-wall heightening (44) is secured in the folded-down working position using a movable locking element (60).

The invention relates to a rock processing machine (10) having a feed hopper (40) and a process unit (20) downstream thereof, wherein a conveying device, in particular a hopper discharge belt (12), is assigned to the feed hopper (40), wherein the feed hopper (40) has a hopper side wall (42), and wherein a side-wall heightening (44) is assigned to the hopper side wall (42), which side wall heightening can be swiveled between a folded-down working position and a folded transport position. In such a rock processing machine, the requirements of occupational safety are effectively taken into account in a simple manner if provision is made that an operating unit (50) having a lever (51) for swiveling the side-wall heightening (44) is assigned to the side-wall heightening (44), wherein a transmission element (52) is used to couple the lever (51) to the side-wall heightening (44), and that the side-wall heightening (44) is secured in the folded-down working position using a movable locking element (60).

A proppant delivery assembly receives and supports a plurality of containers having proppant stored therein. A cradle has a top surface which receives and supports the plurality of containers when positioned thereon. The cradle enables the plurality of containers to dispense the proppant stored therein. A proppant mover is positioned to underlie and extend along the top surface of the cradle aligned with the plurality of containers to receive proppant from the plurality of containers. The proppant mover carries proppant away from the plurality of containers. A chute is coupled to the cradle for receiving proppant from the proppant mover and directing the proppant to a blender hopper. A hood assembly is disposed at an end of the chute opposite the proppant mover for directing a vacuum air flow that removes a volume of air containing proppant dust particles directed from the chute. The hood assembly includes a curtain extending about a perimeter of the hood assembly and downward therefrom to at least partially define the volume of air being removed by the hood assembly.