There is provided a corrugated sheet processing apparatus (120) comprising: sheet processing equipment comprising at least feed and guide rollers for selecting, moving and supporting sheets or webs to a corrugator (136) for forming a corrugated sheet from which corrugated products (146) can be cut, at least one layer of the corrugated sheet, and thus products, being formed from a printed sheet or web; and a control system for controlling the sheet processing equipment (136) or a cutter (148); the sheet processing apparatus (136) further comprising a visual inspection unit (162) arranged for reading printed information markers provided on at least one printed sheet or web as the printed sheet or web, and thus the printed information markers to be read, pass through the corrugated sheet processing apparatus (136), or corrugator, past the visual inspection unit (162); and wherein the control system further has a data look-up table comprising either a) for the products, at least information associated with the form or type of at least one of the sheets or webs to be used in the corrugated sheet for those products (146), and associated with that information specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit (162), whereby the apparatus (120) can identify what products will be produced downstream of the visual inspection unit, and the required settings for the sheet processing equipment or corrugator for those products, from a read printed information marker so that the sheet processing equipment or corrugator can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to the read printed information marker, or b) at least information associated with the products (146) to be cut from the corrugated sheet, including cutter settings for the at least one cutting apparatus for those products, and associated with those settings specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit, whereby the apparatus (120) can identify required cutter settings for the cutting apparatus (148) for the read printed information markers so that the cutting apparatus can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to a read printed information marker to provide a change in the cutter requirements.

A transfer system for transferring a stack (101) of flat elements to a processing device includes a delivery ramp (103) with a receiving surface (104) for receiving the stack (101), a first comb structure (121) having at least one first supporting platform (123) on which at least an edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable, wherein the first comb structure (121) is mounted to the delivery ramp (103), and a second comb structure (122) having at least two second supporting platforms (124) on which at least the edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable, wherein the second comb structure (122) is configured for supplying the stack (101) to the processing device. The first supporting platform (123) and the second supporting platforms (124) are arranged along a first direction (109), one after another, in an interleaved manner such that the edge portion (115) is supportable on the first supporting platform (123) and the second supporting platforms (124). The first comb structure (121) and the second comb structure (122) are movable along a lifting direction (110) with respect to each other such that the edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable selectively by the first supporting platform (123) or by the second supporting platforms (124), wherein the two second supporting platforms (124) are spaced along the first direction (109) such that the first supporting platform (123) is movable along the lifting direction (110) through a space between the two second supporting platforms (124).

A sheet stacking system includes a conveyor for carrying sheets from a conveyor intake end to a conveyor discharge end and a hopper at the discharge end for receiving the sheets and guiding them as they fall in a cascade path onto a platform. The hopper has a backstop facing the discharge end of the conveyor and a first accumulator that includes a carrier and a support extending from the carrier through the backstop. The support is configured to rotate from a retracted position to an extended position relative to the backstop, and the carrier is movable linearly and vertically relative to the backstop with the support in the extended position from a raised location with the support outside the cascade path to a lowered location with the support in the cascade path.

Systems and methods for folding and stacking fanfold corrugated board material. A system may include a rotatable member (e.g., a wheel) having a number of head pieces disposed thereon. Each head piece has a vacuum setting that can be used to pick up a portion of a length of fanfold and hold it while the rotatable member rotates around its axis and a second blower setting that blows the portion of the length of fanfold that was picked up and rotated around the rotatable member down onto a stack of fan fold. Such a system is capable of forming regular and consistent stacks of fanfold material efficiently and cost effectively without the need for significant human intervention.

In one example, a media support includes a continuous loop belt and multiple suction cups arranged along the outer perimeter of the belt. Each suction cup has a port aligned with a hole in the belt so that air may be evacuated from the suction cup when connected to a vacuum source.

The sheet stacker includes a sheet conveyor arrangement, configured for feeding a plurality of sheets and having a sheet discharge end, and a stacking bay. In the stacking bay sheets delivered by the sheet conveyor arrangement are formed into stacks. A stack conveyor is provided in the stacking bay and is movable in a conveyor direction parallel to a sheet feeding direction, according to which the sheets are fed from the sheet discharge end onto the stack conveyor. The sheet discharge end is configured and controlled such that it is gradually lifted during sheet stacking, in order to accommodate a growing stack of sheets being formed on the stack conveyor. A stop plate is positioned in the stacking bay above the stack conveyor and in front of the sheet discharge end of the sheet conveyor arrangement. The stop plate is configured and controlled to be gradually lifted from the stack conveyor as the sheet stack grows, to be withdrawn upon completion of the stack thus allowing removal of the stack in an evacuation direction substantially parallel to the conveyor direction, and to be lowered towards the stack conveyor again.

A sheet stacker includes a sheet conveyor arrangement and a stacker platform. The sheets are fed in a sheet feeding direction on the stacker platform, to form stacks of sheets thereon. The stacker platform supports a stack conveyor configured and controlled to move in a conveyor direction to move the stack under formation such that sequentially piled up jobs are placed in an approximately centered position one with respect to the other according to the sheet feeding direction.

A conveyor configured to transport sheets along a transport path from an input end to a discharge end includes a main frame, an upper conveyor deck supported by the main frame and having a plurality of belts and a lower conveyor deck supported by the main frame and having a plurality of wheels. The transport path is defined by the contact surfaces of the plurality of belts in the first contact region and the contact surfaces of the plurality of wheels in the second contact region, and the conveyor is configured such that the sheets make direct contact with the contact surfaces of the plurality of belts and make direct contact with the contact surfaces of the plurality of wheels when the sheets move along the transport path. The wheels are shiftable in the third direction relative to the belts and relative to the main frame.

A conveyor includes a first conveyor deck having a first plurality of contact elements, each having a contact surface movable around a closed path from a contact region to a non-contact region, the first contact regions lying in a plane or being bounded by the plane and a second conveyor deck having a second plurality of contact elements, each having a contact surface movable around a closed path from a contact region to a non-contact region, these contact regions lying in a second plane or being bounded by the second plane. The transport path of the conveyor is defined by the contact surfaces of the first and second contact elements in the contact regions, and the first plurality of contact elements are belts and the second plurality of contact elements are wheels.

A holding device for holding an element in sheet form 10 during its phase of insertion into a work station 300 of a converting machine 1. The holding device 310 includes a suction member 320 able to partially hold each sheet 10 by its rear portion during insertion of the sheet 10 into the work station 300. The holding device also includes a blower 330 able to flatten the rear portion of each sheet 10 against the suction member 320 during the phase of insertion.