The present invention concerns the high speed packaging of folded paper articles such as tissues, napkins and the like, and more precisely it concerns an apparatus for continuously feeding such articles, arranged in stacked groups(P, P1) coming from folding machines, towards packaging machines, for example with a rotating drum, arranged downstream.

Provided is a bag loading apparatus including: a first loading unit configured to load bags of a first line; a second loading unit configured to load bags of a second line; a discharge unit; and a control unit, and the control unit controls the first loading unit to drop the plurality of bags of the first line from the first loading unit onto the discharge unit, controls the discharge unit to move the plurality of bags of the first line dropped onto the discharge unit to an area under the plurality of bags of the second line loaded on the second loading unit, and controls the second loading unit to drop the plurality of bags of the second line from the second loading unit-onto the plurality of bags of the first line.

A method of preparing an elongate web of sheet material for dividing into discrete stacks of web portions after reeling the web onto a drum is provided. The method includes forming transverse discontinuities in the web at spaced intervals corresponding to edges of the discrete stacks to be formed, the intervals progressively increasing along the web so that the discontinuities form angularly-aligned groups when reeled onto the drum.

A stacking device includes a placement part, a pair of guide members that align the products by performing alignment action on both side edges in an intersectional direction of the products placed on the placement part; and a stacking processor that controls positions of the pair of guide members in the intersectional direction. The products include first products conveyed along a first side edge position, and second products conveyed along a second side edge position following the first products. When the first side edge position and the second side edge position are different in the intersectional direction, the stacking processor controls, based on the first side edge position and the second side edge position, the pair of guide members so that at least one of the pair of guide members moves in the intersectional direction to an interference avoidance position.

A stacker includes a placement part that stacks thereon sheets discharged from a discharge port by a conveyor that conveys the sheets; a side guide that regulates edges of the sheets in a width direction intersecting a discharge direction of the sheets; a guide driver that moves the side guide along the width direction; and a controller configured to control the guide driver to position the side guide at a position where the sheet discharged from the discharge port is supported from below by the side guide.