A sheet transport device includes a processor configured to change lifting control for lifting sheets on a tray, which are to be floated up and handed over, from normal state control to small-quantity state control in a case where it is detected that the remaining number of sheets on the tray is small.

A recording-material-transporting device includes a suction unit that suctions a recording material included in a recording-material stack from above, the suction unit including a movable member that moves upward when pushed from below by the recording material moving upward with the suction, the suction unit being movable in an intersecting direction intersecting a vertical direction and moving the suctioned recording material in the intersecting direction, at least a part of the movable member serving as an outside advancing part that advances to an outside of a perimeter of the recording-material stack with the movement of the suction unit in the intersecting direction; and a restricting part that restricts a downward movement of the outside advancing part when the outside advancing part is free of support by the recording material from below.

The invention relates to an insert-sheet pick-up device (13) for an insert-sheet loading device (10) of a station for receiving copy (500). The pick-up device (13) includes a suction element (20) configured to pick up an insert sheet. The pick-up device (13) includes a pivoting axis (30) and at least one telescopic arm (33) including a proximal arm (33a), one end of which is fixed to the pivoting axis (30), and a distal arm (33b), able to move with respect to the proximal arm (33a), and one end of which is pivot-articulated to the suction element (20) to move the suction element (20) between a raised position and a lowered position according to a vertical movement of the suction element (20). Also, the invention also relates to an insert-sheet loading device, a copy-receiving station and a machine for processing elements in sheet form including the insert-sheet pick-up device.

A bag supply device used in a rotary bag-filling packaging machine and including: an empty-bag holding member for holding a bag, a reciprocating mechanism for moving the empty-bag holding member back and forth between a bag receiving position and a bag delivery position, a first turning mechanism for turning the empty-bag holding member around a first axis parallel to a bag width direction thereof upon operation of the reciprocating mechanism and orienting the holding face of the empty-bag holding member vertically in the delivery position, and a second turning mechanism for turning the empty-bag holding member around a second axis parallel to a bag length direction thereof and causing the bag held by the empty-bag holding member in the delivery position to be directly across from the pair of grippers stopped in the empty bag supply position.

A method for manufacturing plywood includes receiving a face sheet on a main conveyor and feeding a plurality of pieces of core veneer onto a veneer conveyor by an automated core veneer feeder. The method also includes removing one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer from the veneer conveyor and placing the one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer onto the face sheet.

A material separation device comprises a placement component, a blower, a suction component, a suction pad driver, and a controller. The blower blows air at a plurality of aluminum sheets that have been stacked on the placement component to float an uppermost aluminum sheet. The suction component uses suction pads to chuck and hold the uppermost aluminum sheet from above while the air is being blown. The suction pad driver drives the suction component up and down, using servomotors as a drive source. The controller performs control so that the suction pads chucking the aluminum sheet are raised to a temporary stopping position by the suction pad driver, and the suction pads are stopped for a predetermined length of time at the temporary stopping position while the air is stopped, and the suction pads are then raised by the suction pad drivers to a conveyance position.

A sheet stack handler includes first and second liftable stack supports, a sheet engager for stacking a sheet onto a stack of sheets, a lift assembly, and a translation mechanism. The lift assembly moves the first or second liftable stack supports between a bottom and top position. A stack holding volume is defined between the bottom and top positions. The lift assembly positions a top sheet of the stack of sheets and/or on the first or second liftable stack supports inside the stack holding volume at an operative level to allow the sheet engager to stack a new sheet and/or separate the top sheet from the respective stack of sheets. The translation mechanism translates one of the first and second liftable stack supports while supporting a sheet stack between a buffer position outside of the stack holding volume and an active position inside the stack holding volume.

A pick-up device picking up stacked sheet-shaped workpieces from the top, the device includes a nozzle mechanism that includes a pick-up nozzle pulling up a first workpiece from the top of the stacked workpieces by air blowing, and a holding mechanism that holds the first workpiece from the top. The pick-up nozzle includes a ventilation groove provided on a bottom surface opposite to an upper surface of the first workpiece from the top and passing through to an air blowing side end part of the bottom surface, and a nozzle port blowing air toward the air blowing side end part of the bottom surface along the inside of the ventilation groove, and the air blowing side end part of a groove inner bottom surface of the ventilation groove is formed in a shape directed in a direction of being separated from the workpiece.

The invention relates to an insert-sheet pick-up device (13) for an insert-sheet loading device (10) of a station for receiving copy (500). The pick-up device (13) includes a suction element (20) configured to pick up an insert sheet. The pick-up device (13) includes a pivoting axis (30) and at least one telescopic arm (33) including a proximal arm (33a), one end of which is fixed to the pivoting axis (30), and a distal arm (33b), able to move with respect to the proximal arm (33a), and one end of which is pivot-articulated to the suction element (20) to move the suction element (20) between a raised position and a lowered position according to a vertical movement of the suction element (20). Also, the invention also relates to an insert-sheet loading device, a copy-receiving station and a machine for processing elements in sheet form including the insert-sheet pick-up device.

A method for manufacturing plywood includes receiving a face sheet on a main conveyor and feeding a plurality of pieces of core veneer onto a veneer conveyor by an automated core veneer feeder. The method also includes removing one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer from the veneer conveyor and placing the one or more of the plurality of pieces of core veneer onto the face sheet.