An apparatus to select-introduce blank sheets and/or printed materials and corresponding method, comprising a positioning seating, a selector unit and an introduction unit suitable to select and introduce sheets in sequence according to the format and basic weight, maintaining high cadences and at the same time reducing the causes of blockages of the sheets in the apparatus.

The invention relates to a folding belt, which can be used, for example, in a folding machine. By means of an improved profile of the folding belt, the quality of the folding is improved and, in particular, undesired fishtailing is reduced.

There is described a magazine (1) for sheet packaging elements (2) in which side portions (4a) of said packaging elements (2) are held in a vertical position by transport and support branches (15, 18, 20) of main and secondary units (6, 8, 9) and said packaging elements (2) are advanced in respective conveying spaces (16, 19, 21) along a path (P) parallel to said transport and support branches (15, 18, 20) of said main and secondary units (6, 8, 9). The packaging elements (2) are advanced along said path (P) from an inlet section (7) to an outlet section (12). During conveying, batches (3) of packaging elements (2) are formed between an accumulation unit (8) and an auxiliary conveying unit (9) so that said packaging elements (2) are advanced in said batches (3) towards an end packaging station.

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 vacuum belt conveyor sequentially delivers sheet articles to a digital printer. The sheets are held in position by vacuum on the underside of the sheets through apertures in the belts and covered by the sheets. A plurality of independent plenums on the underside of the belt have chambers respectively communicating with rows of apertures extending along the belt. Vacuum is selectively applied from a manifold only to the plenum chambers that supply apertures that are covered by the sheets so that the ink from the printer will not be directed from its intended position on the sheet by vacuum from adjacent uncovered belt apertures. The sheets are fed to the conveyor in synchronism with the conveyor speed by a timed feeder so that the sheets are carried by the conveyor with a predetermined gap between the sheets and no belt apertures in the gap. A sensor counts the apertures in the belt and activates the feeder at predetermined time intervals.

The invention relates to a sheet depositing arrangement. The sheet depositing arrangement comprises at least one sheet depositing apparatus having a sheet stacking chamber for creating a sheet stack, and a sheet extraction device which in turn has a sheet transporting means that is drivable in a direction of circulation, a sheet delivery region for delivering the sheets to be stacked to the sheet stacking chamber, a sheet stacking region, provided downstream of the sheet delivery region, for stacking the sheets to be stacked into the sheet stacking chamber, and a return region, provided downstream of the sheet stacking region. Furthermore, the sheet depositing apparatus has a sheet retaining device with at least one sheet retaining element, arranged adjacent to the sheet stacking region, for preventing at least one sheet to be stacked from being drawn into the sheet extraction device from the sheet stacking chamber by the sheet transporting means.

In order to no longer have to store blanks (Z) separately in a blank magazine (20) and frequently refill the magazine manually, stamping sheets (SB) which contain a plurality of blanks (Z) that are still connected together by means of micro-connections (M) are delivered without stamped grids in a stacked manner on a Euro-pallet (14) for example, and the blanks (Z) are removed individually from the uppermost stamping sheet (SB) by a blank separating device (50) using a gripping tool (2), in particular by means of a separating robot (1) and a gripping tool (2) attached thereto.

A conveyor for transporting sheets along a 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 supported by a plurality of shafts. 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 lower conveyor deck is shiftable laterally relative to the upper conveyor deck.

There is described a magazine (1) for sheet packaging elements (2) in which side portions (4a) of said packaging elements (2) are held in a vertical position by transport and support branches (15, 18, 20) of main and secondary units (6, 8, 9) and said packaging elements (2) are advanced in respective conveying spaces (16, 19, 21) along a path (P) parallel to said transport and support branches (15, 18, 20) of said main and secondary units (6, 8, 9). The packaging elements (2) are advanced along said path (P) from an inlet section (7) to an outlet section (12). During conveying, batches (3) of packaging elements (2) are formed between an accumulation unit (8) and an auxiliary conveying unit (9) so that said packaging elements (2) are advanced in said batches (3) towards an end packaging station.

A loading device to supply successively with cardboard sheets a station for handling the sheets by folding to form from them boxes for packaging, the handling station having a storage area to receive the successive sheets, optionally grouped in bundles, the device itself having a manipulator that includes: a gripping tool to pick up the sheets; an actuator to move the tool between an inventory of sheets and the receiving storage area of the station; a detection unit for detecting the status of filling of the storage area; and a control unit that directs the action of the device and that receives detection information from the detection unit to do this, the control unit being independent of the control of the handling station and programmable to adapt the operation of the loading device to the type of sheets handled. A corresponding process is also described.