A feed unit, for example for feeding components to smoking article assembly apparatus. The feed unit has a rotary device having a supply region (4) and one or more channels (7) adapted to receive components from the supply region (4) such that the components are stacked one on top of another within each channel (7). Each channel (7) has an inlet (5) and an outlet through which components pass for output from the feed unit. One of the inlet (5) and the supply region (4) is configured to reciprocate relative to the other to agitate the components in the supply region (4) so that components pass into the channel (7).

A feed unit, for example for feeding components (2) to smoking article assembly apparatus, having a stationary guide member (14) and a dispensing unit configured to dispense components (2) into the stationary guide member (14). The dispensing unit has one or more channels (7) to receive components (2) one on top of the other, and each channel (7) has a control gate (12) to apply suction/gaseous flow to control output of components (2) from the channel (7) for onward conveyance through the stationary guide member (14).

Method and apparatus for handling containers (3) lined up in a sorting machine, or sorter (10), wherein a plurality of bulk containers (3) are selected and sorted and possibly aligned or straightened; the method involves picking the containers (3) from the machine (10) and transferring the containers or at least a part thereof in an area below the sorter itself where filling is carried out. Devices are adapted to transfer the containers below the sorting machine or sorter (10) by moving them along a non-linear path (21) where filling takes place; the path (21) includes at least one transfer stretch or portion circular and concentric to the sorting machine along which a series of filling taps are arranged.

An article feed system for aligning and singulating incoming articles includes a rotatable upper rim surface and an article delivery device that delivers articles received by the article delivery device to the upper rim surface. A drive system is operatively connected to the outer bowl that rotates the outer bowl. A guide wall extends upwardly above the upper rim surface that guides the articles travelling along the upper rim surface toward an exit opening in the guide wall. A vertically oriented article engaging-type conveyor is at the exit opening in the guide wall. The vertically oriented article engaging-type conveyor includes a moving article engaging surface that is exposed to the exit opening in the guide wall for receiving the articles when they exit the exit opening.

A device and a method for singulation of used beverage containers received in bulk into individual containers and forwarding them towards a receiving station. The used beverage containers have different shapes and sizes. The device includes a rotating surface, a conveyor at least partly encircling the rotating surface and adapted to receive used beverage containers from the rotating surface and transport them away from the rotating surface; and an outer wall along the periphery of the conveyor at least along the part of the conveyor that encircles the rotating surface. The conveyor includes a first section where it is capable of receiving used beverage containers from the rotating surface, and a second section where it is only capable of transporting used beverage containers one by one and aligned with the direction of movement of the conveyor or otherwise fall back onto the rotating surface.

Apparatus for positioning containers houses containers (5) upright in lower and upper compartment sections (12, 13) vertically aligned with one another on a periphery of a conveyor device (10) and has a transfer wheel (31) extracting containers (5) from both lower and upper compartments (12, 13) on two levels and an intercalation wheel (32) extracting containers from the upper level of the transfer wheel (31), dropping them to a lower level over the course of one turn, and placing them again on the lower level of the transfer wheel (31) in an intercalated position between the containers (5) previously transferred to the lower level, and all the containers (5) are transferred from the lower level of the transfer wheel (31) to an output conveyor (8).

A separation device for supplying and separating workpieces has a workpiece store, a first separation disc having first separation chambers, and a supply disc having workpiece guides, wherein the first separation disc is arranged such that it can be adjusted between a receiving position and a supply position relative to the supply disc, wherein in the supply position the first separation chambers are arranged flush with the workpiece guides, and wherein the first separation chambers are designed to supply workpieces arranged in the first separation chambers to the respective workpiece guides.

Particles are sorted into paths based on a measurable parameter by forming them into a stream in at least one duct carried on a body rotating around an axis where the duct is shaped so that the particles are accelerated to cause the particles separated into the duct to be aligned one after another in a row in the duct. The parameter of the particles are measured in the aligned stream one after the other and the particles are directed into one of a plurality of paths as determined by the measurement. In one arrangement the body comprises a disk member having a front face facing a supply conduit and the duct lies in a radial plane of the disk member. In one arrangement the measurement of the parameter is carried out by one or more measurement devices either carried on the disk or outside the edge of the disk.

A material handling device (1), including: a conveying mechanism (10), the conveying mechanism comprising a first conveying platform (11) and a second conveying platform (12) that are coplanar and arranged side by side, the first conveying platform being provided with a feeding position (101), the second conveying platform being provided with a discharging position (102), the conveying speed of the second conveying platform being greater than the conveying speed of the first conveying platform; and a screening mechanism provided between the feeding position and the discharging position. The material handling device provided in the present application conveys workpieces by means of the first conveying platform and second conveying platform that are coplanar and arranged side by side.

The invention relates to a system (10) for transporting loose sterile closure elements (12) from the surroundings (14) of an isolator (16) into an interior (18) of the isolator, comprising a container (24) for storing a stock quantity of closure elements in the surroundings of the isolator, an isolator opening (20) and a collecting device (56) for collecting the closure elements and for providing the closure elements in the interior of the isolator, with a metering device (46) for controlling a target quantity of closure elements to be transported from the container through the isolator opening and into the collecting device.