The invention relates to an apparatus (10) for feeding a plurality of flat elements (12) lying flat on one another, in particular carton blanks, to a packaging apparatus (V), comprising: a first feed section (18) having a conveying device (46), of which the conveying surface (22a1) intended to support the flat elements (12) is formed from a material which, with respect to the interaction with the flat elements (12), has a predetermined coefficient of adhesive friction, and a second feed section (20), which falls toward the packaging apparatus (V), wherein the inclination of the first feed section (18) and the inclination of the second feed section (20) toward the packaging apparatus (V) are different from each other.

A sheet stacker including a sheet conveyor arrangement and a stacking bay, wherein sheets delivered by the sheet conveyor arrangement are formed into stacks; the stacking bay including a stacker platform. The stacker platform is provided with a vertical lifting and lowering movement with respect to a stationary supporting structure and is controlled to move downwards while a stack of sheets is formed thereon. The stacker platform supports a stack conveyor configured and controlled to perform at least an evacuation motion, to remove a completed stack from the stacking bay. The evacuation motion of the stack conveyor is oriented such that a completed stack is moved from the stacking bay onto an evacuation conveyor arranged under the sheet conveyor arrangement.

The invention relates to a device for gas and/or vacuum distribution (1) for a sheet processing machine (100), the device includes: at least one controllable pilot valve (4; 40), a fixed body (5) including: at least one main gas inlet (7) to be connected to a gas or vacuum source, at least one main gas outlet (8) intended to be connected to at least one suction cup and/or to at least one nozzle, at least a first and a second control gas openings (10, 11), at least one of the openings being connected to the controllable pilot valve (4; 40), at least one housing (9) having a first chamber (9a) communicating with the main gas inlet (7) and outlet (8) and a second chamber (9b) communicating with the first and second control gas openings (10, 11), at least one mobile piston (6) axially movable in the housing (9) by the action of a control gas or vacuum supplied in the second chamber (9b) through the at least one control gas opening (10, 11) connected to the controllable pilot valve (4; 40), the mobile piston (6) being movable between : a closed position in which the mobile piston (6) blocks a gas path (16) between the main gas inlet (7) and outlet (8) in the first chamber (9a), and an open position in which the mobile piston (6) releases the gas path (16), first and second chambers (9a, 9b) isolated from each other by cooperation of shapes between the mobile piston (6) and the housing (9) without frictional seal between the mobile piston (6) and the housing (9). Also disclosed are a suction unit and a feeder including such a device for gas and/or vacuum distribution and a sheet processing machine comprising such feeder or such a device for gas and/or vacuum distribution.

A chain tensioner (50; 500) for a conveying device (70) of a machine (1; 1) for processing elements in the form of sheets (10), the conveying device (70) includes two lateral chain sets connected to the ends of transverse gripper bars (75) able to grasp the elements (10) and at least one chain-guiding device (90) configured to guide a respective chain set (80); the chain tensioner (50; 500) includes: an actuator (9) controlled by a control unit (8), a movable support (11), a transmission element (12) borne by the movable support (11), a rotary element (13) rotated by the actuator (9) and cooperating with the transmission element (12) in order to exert a thrust force on the movable support (11), the rotary element (13) being rotatable, to adjust the tension of the chain set (80). The actuator (9) is controlled in synchronism with the machine angle (MA). A machine (1; 1) for processing elements and a method for tensioning the chain sets (80) of the conveying device (70) are disclosed.

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 handling system (100) for handling stackable flat elements, in particular carton elements. The system (100) includes a supporting table (102) on which at least an edge portion (303) of a stack (101) of flat elements is supportable, a clamping device (103) configured for clamping a first part (113) of the edge portion of the stack (101) to the supporting table (102), and a lifting device (104) configured for lifting a second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102). The lifting device (104) and the clamping device (103) are arranged to the supporting table (102) such that the stack (101) is bendable by clamping the first part (113) of the stack (101) onto the supporting table (102) by the clamping device (103) and lifting the second part (114) of the stack (101) from the supporting table (102) by the lifting device (104) at the same time such that the stack (101) is bent around a bending axis (109), wherein the bending axis (109) extends within a plane parallel to a supporting plane (112) of the supporting surface (111).

An insert sheet loading device (10) comprising a movable carriage (12; 12) for inserting insert sheets into a receiving area (2) of a blank-receiving station (500). The movable carriage (12; 12) has a plurality of longitudinal bars (27a, 27b). At least one longitudinal bar (27a) has a suction channel (35) leading out, via at least one suction opening (30), onto the surface of the longitudinal bar (27a) for receiving an insert sheet, the suction channel (35) is connected to a vacuum source (31) for holding, by suction, the insert sheet transported by the movable carriage (12; 12). Also a blank-receiving station, a sheet-shaped element processing machine, and a method for transporting an insert sheet in a receiving area of a blank-receiving station are disclosed.

A cartoning machine including a carton supply station (e.g., a rotary carton supply station, a linear carton supply station, a non-linear carton supply station, or the like) and a handling station operatively coupled to the carton supply station. The carton supply station provides, on a selective basis, cartons, such as carton blanks, pre-formed cartons, or the like. The carton supply station of the cartoning machine provides for movement of magazines with respect to a robot in the handling station that may have a distal end secured in a stationary and fixed location. As such, different magazines with dissimilar cartons may be moved to a picking location adjacent the robot, as dissimilar cartons are required. Further, the cartons within the magazines may be moved to a pre-determined pick-up location such that the robot is repeatably picking a carton from the pre-determine pick-up location.

A method for generating decks of sheet elements (18) comprises the steps of positioning a set of numerous sheet elements (18) onto a transport surface of a transport device (30) to partly overlap in transport direction (T). The set of overlapping sheet elements (18) is moved against a stop member (44). The stop member (44) is moved in the transport direction (T) with a lower velocity than a velocity of the transport surface. By maintaining displacement of sheet elements (18) which are not yet contacting stop member (44) all sheet elements are shifted towards stop member (44) to define a deck. The method is carried out by a corresponding device.

It is provided a method for transporting blanks. In a first step the method comprises placing said blanks in a magazine (100), wherein the magazine (100) comprises a first bar (106a, 106f) and a second bar (106b, 106e), said first bar (106a, 106f) being moveable in a first direction being substantially horizontal and coinciding with a transport direction and a second direction being substantially vertical. In a second step the method comprises moving said first bar (106a, 106f) such that said blanks are moved in said transport direction and such that said blanks are alternately placed on said first bar (106a, 106f) and said second bar (106b, 106e).