The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for handling piece goods (2) moved one after another being transported to a seizing range (4) of at least one manipulator (5). Hereby at least two transported piece goods (2) are seized, spatially separated from the closed formation (F) and brought into a specified relative first target position (P1) and/or target alignment in relation to the subsequent piece goods (2). There at least one of the piece goods (2) is released. The at least one second piece good (2) seized from the formation (F) is seized again and is brought into a specified relative second target position and/or target alignment that is spaced apart from the first target position (P1).

A method for formatting food products on a conveyor device includes a) receiving the food products in a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks, some of which include product gaps; b) outputting the food products into the parallel conveyor tracks in a specific product format; c) detecting the product supply in the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side individually for each of the conveyor tracks; and d) filling the product gaps in the conveyor tracks with food products, so that on the output side all of the parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products. The product gaps are also filled with food products from a product buffer in that at least one of the food products is transferred from the product buffer to the conveyor track only when an odd number of product gaps exist in one of the conveyor tracks.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus (10) for handling piece goods (2) for forming a palletizable layer or partial layer, with the piece goods (2) being moved in at least two parallel rows (1) and the layer comprising a plurality of piece goods (2). At least two piece goods (2) that are transported beside each other in parallel rows (1) are seized in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner, are then spatially separated from the at least two parallel rows (1) and are then brought into a specified relative target position (P1, P2) and/or target alignment in relation to subsequent piece goods (2). The apparatus (10) comprises at least one manipulator (5) for piece goods (2), and at least one transport device (3), where the piece goods (2) arranged in at least two parallel rows (1).

A pickface builder for a storage and retrieval system for storing goods units and having an in-feed conveyor and a picking device, each goods unit holding at least one product package therein, the pickface builder including a frame, a pusher member movably coupled to the frame, and a snugger member movably coupled to the frame, wherein the pickface builder is configured to receive goods units from the in-feed conveyor and the pusher member and snugger member are movable at least in a direction transverse to a direction of goods unit travel on the in-feed conveyor and configured to form the goods units into a pickface picked by the picking device as a unit and having a predetermined reference datum relating the pickface to a placement position of goods units forming the pickface along a storage surface of the storage and retrieval system.

A conveyor device for conveying food products on a plurality of parallel conveyor tracks and for formatting the food products in a specific product format, especially for conveying and formatting stacks or interleaved units made of a plurality of slices of cheese or meat products is provided. The conveyor device fills a product gap on one of the conveyor tracks incoming on the input side with a food product so that on the output side all parallel conveyor tracks are supplied with the food products when a product gap is sensed. A corresponding method is also provided.

A method of arranging articles. The method can comprise moving a bucket in a machine direction on a conveyor assembly. The bucket can comprise a receiving space. The method further can comprise loading a plurality of articles into an arrangement of articles in the receiving space as the bucket moves in the machine direction. The arrangement of articles can comprise at least a first article and a second article of the plurality of articles. The method also can comprise elevating at least the first article with respect to the second article in the receiving space of the bucket, and compacting the arrangement of articles in the bucket.

The invention relates to a method and apparatus (10) for handling piece goods (2) for forming a palletizable layer or partial layer, with the piece goods (2) being moved in at least two parallel rows (1) and the layer comprising a plurality of piece goods (2). At least two piece goods (2) that are transported beside each other in parallel rows (1) are seized in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner, are then spatially separated from the at least two parallel rows (1) and are then brought into a specified relative target position (P1, P2) and/or target alignment in relation to subsequent piece goods (2). The apparatus (10) comprises at least one manipulator (5) for piece goods (2), and at least one transport device (3), where the piece goods (2) arranged in at least two parallel rows (1).

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus (10) for handling piece goods (2) moved one after another, with the piece goods (2) being transported to a seizing range (4) of a manipulator (5). At least one transported piece good (2) is seized in a clamping and/or force-locking and/or form-locking manner by at least two clamping elements and/or gripping elements (22) located opposite each other. The piece good is spatially separated from the subsequent piece goods (2) and is brought into a specified relative target position (P) and/or target alignment relative to subsequent piece goods (2). A first vertical symmetry plane and which is oriented about perpendicular to a transport direction (TR), is spaced apart from a second vertical symmetry plane aligned about parallel thereto, with the second vertical symmetry plane being defined by the manipulator (5) or by the manipulator clamping elements and/or gripping elements (22).

The present disclosure relates to a tray locator assembly for aligning one or more trays in a tray-based automated storage and retrieval system. The tray locator assembly may include one or more guide pin assemblies having one or more guide pins engaging with one or more slots formed in a surface of at least one tray of the one or more trays. The tray locator assembly may further include at least one translational actuator to move the one or more guide pins inserted into the one or more slots so as to translate the at least one tray, wherein the translation of the at least one tray separates a second group of trays having a second size from a first group of trays having a first size along the conveyance plane to a second position in order to reduce tolerance stack up associated with the first group of trays.

A method for filling a package with a group of pairs of packs, comprising supplying a group of pairs of packs simultaneously from a transport device to a package, vertically spacing the two packs of each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs from each other in the package, and horizontally spacing each pair of packs from each other in the package. The method further comprises maintaining a horizontal spacing between each pair of packs of the group of pairs of packs while supplying the group of pairs of packs to the package by guiding the pairs of packs of the group of pairs of packs along space bars provided in the transport device.