Disclosed is a packaging device for packaging products, during which the products are conveyed along a conveying direction in order to be packaged. The batches include at least two products, arranged transversely to the conveying direction. The device includes a feeder for receiving products travelling in single file through an upstream pick-up area and conveying same to a set-down area for later packaging. The feeder includes: in the pick-up area, a transfer unit transferring products arriving in single file to the unit; and a position-controlled movable collector receiving and then moving at least one product in a controlled manner from the transfer unit to the set-down area. The device also includes a conveyor in the set-down area, on which the at least one collector deposits the at least one product that it collected from the pick-up area. Also disclosed is a machine using the device and to a corresponding method.

Disclosed is a method for collecting at least one product from among a line of products arriving in a lined-up fashion one behind the other on a conveyor. The conveyor has a path, for conveying the products, and a conveying direction. The method uses at least one collector of at least one product. The collector includes at least one first receptacle capable of accommodating at least one product. The collector is movably mounted along the path for conveying the products in the conveying direction and in the opposite direction. The method includes at least one first step for collecting the at least one product in the at least one receptacle by moving the at least one collector over the conveyor on the conveying path and in the conveying direction.

Disclosed is a packaging device for packaging products in batches, during which the products travel along a conveying direction in order to be packaged. The batches include at least two products, arranged transversely to the conveying direction. The device includes a feeder for receiving products travelling in single file through an upstream pick-up area and conveying same to a set-down area for later packaging. The feeder includes: in the pick-up area, a transfer unit for transferring products arriving in single file to the unit; and at least one position-controlled movable collector for receiving and then moving at least one product in a controlled manner from the transfer unit to the set-down area. The device also includes a conveyor in the set-down area, on which the at least one collector deposits the at least one product that it collected from the pick-up area. The invention also relates to a corresponding method.

A device for distributing and grouping containers in a container treatment assembly, including an infeed conveyor which is configured to convey a plurality of containers in a single-lane infeed flow; an outfeed conveyor which is configured to convey the containers away in multiple lanes; and a transfer conveyor associated with the infeed and the outfeed conveyor and having a plurality of circulating guide elements for the containers; where the transfer conveyor is adapted to separate the containers in a standing position by way of the circulating guide elements from the single-lane infeed flow to the multi-lane outfeed flow by selective guiding, in particular, by pushing them forward and/or decelerating them.

A transport system for a plurality of containers includes a feed device for a supply of containers which, at a transfer end of the feed device, can be received by a receiving region of a working platform of a transport mover. For the purpose of movement in a working plane, the transport mover has a drive section which is connected to the working platform and which interacts with a stationary, planar drive plane. The working platform has a blocking surface, the distance of which from the drive plane can be changed by movement of the drive section of the transport mover relative to the drive plane.

A method of transferring items, such as rolled absorbent product. The method includes the steps of feeding one or more input streams of items toward a turret having a longitudinal axis and arms for engaging the items, the arms being rotatable about the longitudinal axis. The arms can engage at least one of the items from at least one of the one or more input streams and rotate away from the input streams and into a position aligned with one or more output streams. The number of input streams can be different than the number of output streams. The items can be fed onto the one or more output streams.

A system for assembling layers of packages and for forming transport and storage units from the layers. A grouping station has a grouping table for arranging and grouping the packages in a predefined layer arrangement. A package delivery feeds the packages to the grouping table in a conveying direction. The package delivery has two row conveyors for transporting at least one row of packages each on either side of the grouping table. A transfer unit transfers the packages from the row conveyors to the grouping table by sliding them in a respective sliding direction over a slide-over buffer region between each row conveyor and the grouping table, in order to form the layer of packages. A layer stacker then slides the layer of packages from the grouping table over onto a plate provided in the layer stacker, while maintaining the layer arrangement, in order to form the transport and storage unit.

A conveyor system for grouping containers includes a first track including a first plurality of lugs, each lug having a respective gripper coupled thereto configured to drive containers along the first track and a second track configured to move a second plurality of lugs wherein each of the lugs is coupled to a respective gripper configured to receive containers from the first track, and move the containers along the second track wherein the grippers of the second track contact the container while the gripper of the first track contacts the container.

A row-forming device (10) together with processes form a bottle row (8) from a bottle layer (7). The row-forming device (10) is configured to pick up and transport away, in rows, the respectively frontmost layer row (61) of the bottle layer (7) moved in a conveying direction (60), in a transverse transport direction (72). One or more layer conveyors (59) moves the bottle row (7) in a conveying direction (60) and adjoins the transport device (62), which has a plurality of parallel conveyor belts (63, 66) that extend in the transport direction (72) and are driven independently and also exhibit mutually different transport speeds. The transport device (62) has a guide strip (68) oriented obliquely to the transport direction (72). The guide strip (68) extends over a part of the conveyor belts (63, 66) and is arranged downstream of the layer conveyor (59) in the transport direction (72).

A system, method and an end effector may arrange into a group two articles within a stream of articles moving spaced apart and in a line in a conveying direction on a conveyor. The system, method, and end effector may contact and slow the more downstream of the two articles and then contact the more upstream of the two articles without substantially slowing the more upstream article to form the group. The end effector may include a downstream stop portion for contacting at least one of the articles.