A containment system and assembly for the automated production of pharmaceutical or biotechnical articles is provided. The containment system has a housing within which there is an inner chamber having at least one through opening. One or more robots are installed in the chamber, which have a manipulating element on the pivotable arms, which can move within a pivot range. One or more process units are installed in the chamber for the production of the articles. The chamber includes a process space for the production of the articles and a tub-shaped base space for anchoring the feet of the robots to the side surfaces inside the base space. The manipulating element functions as a gripping and transportation device for inspecting the articles or article parts and/or for the production of the articles.

A method for controlling a plurality of carts movable independently from one another along an endless track and configured to perform at least one task in order to carry out at least one operation onto respective articles; the method including the steps advancing the carts along the track, the track including at least one task section and at least one transient section; advancing each cart along a task-assignment section of the track arranged upstream of the at least one task section; advancing a plurality of articles along a feeding path and through an operation station; detecting the passage of each article at a detection station of the feeding path located upstream of the operation station; and controlling one respective cart perform the at least one task if an article is detected, during the step d) of detecting, when the cart is moving along the task-assignment section.

A tofu packaging apparatus includes: a pack covering device configured to cover each of a plurality cakes of tofu with a pack that is in a reversed state, the plurality of cakes of tofu being arranged at predetermined intervals in a front, rear, left, and right on a conveyance surface of a transfer conveyor; and an inversion device disposed on a downstream side of the pack covering device, the inversion device being configured to invert the tofu upside down while the tofu is covered with the pack. The pack covering device includes a tip end grip portion configured to grip the pack in the reversed state and cover the tofu halfway with the pack. The inversion device is configured to invert the tofu covered with the pack in the reversed state to store the tofu in the pack.

Systems and methods permit gloveless filling containers with a product. A filling arm is disposed within the chamber. An optical sensor is configured to locate and target openings of the containers within the chamber. Locations of the openings are used to guide the filling arm to fill the containers with a product.

A station for feeding closing seals for containers includes at least one fixed magazine of seals which is provided with an outlet from which the seals can be taken individually. The station further includes a carousel for feeding seals which can rotate with respect to a first central rotation axis and is provided with pickers which are radially spaced apart from the first rotation axis. The pickers are individually rotatable about a second rotation axis which is not parallel to the first axis of the carousel. During rotation of the carousel, at least one picker is configured to rotate about the second axis from a position for taking the seal from the magazine to a position for releasing the seal.

A machine for filling and capping cartridges for electronic-cigarettes includes a transport line for feeding cartridges; a transfer unit for transferring the cartridges from a feeding line to the transport line; a station for dispensing a predetermined quantity of product into the cartridges; a station for applying a cap to each cartridge filled with product; a system for feeding caps to the cap application station including a conveyor for transporting the caps thereto according to a pre-established formation, and a unit for detecting the caps transported by the conveyor; a control unit for checking possible empty spots in the formation of the transported caps, based on detection data provided by the detection unit, and for transmitting a stop signal to at least one among the transfer unit, the product dispensing unit and the cap application station, if an empty spot is identified in the formation of the caps.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a detection device that detects the occurrence of an event (so-called “double capping”) in which two caps are disposed on one container. To that end, the detection device (10, 10A) of the present invention has two types of sensors provided on a production line (100) for a commercial product in which an opening (1A) of a container (1) is sealed with a cap (2), said sensors being a proximity sensor (3) along a path where the container (1) moves and a sensor (4: for example, a transmission sensor) equipped with a transmitter (4A), which is inside the same path, and a receiver (4B). An area detected by the sensors (3, 4) is an area where the cap (2) is not present in a normal state (a state in which double capping has not occurred), but where a subsequent cap (2-1) is present if two caps (2) in a row have been attached to one container (1).

The present invention relates to an apparatus (1) and a method for attaching a lid (103) to a base portion (102). The lid and the base portion form parts of a container, such as a user container (101) for a pouched product for oral use. The apparatus (1) comprises a support (3), a base portion feeder (5), adapted to place a base portion on the support, a 5 lid positioner (7) comprising a lid holder (9), and a mover (11), adapted to move the base portion and the lid as a combined unit (109) in a travel direction (TD). The lid positioner is movable between a lid pick-up position and a lid attachment position, the lid holder in the lid pick-up position of the lid positioner being adapted to pick up the lid. The lid holder has a front portion (19) and a rear portion (17) as seen in the travel direction hen the lid 10 positioner is in the attachment position. The lid holder is, in the attachment position of the lid positioner, adapted to hold the lid in a predefinable position in relation to the base portion by the lid holder assuming an angle (α) in relation to the support, with the front portion of the lid holder being located closer to the support than the rear portion of the lid holder. The mover is adapted to move the combined unit in the travel direction from the 15 rear portion towards the front portion of the lid holder.

The packaging for products comprises a string of containers (1), each container (1) comprising a closure element (3).

The machine for manufacturing said packaging comprises an opener (6) for forming a space to be filled with a product; a dosing nozzle (8) for dosing the product into said space; a feeder (5) of closure elements (3); welding jaws (9) for welding the closure element (3) and edges defining a container (1) on the packaging; and a cutting unit (11) for separating the containers (1) from the packaging, forming a string of containers (1).

A new type of packaging is achieved, which combines the advantages of an envelope-type packaging with packaging with a closure element and, in addition, allows to be sold in the form of a string.

A unique cap for an automatic test tube recapper is presented. The cap has a conical body with an upper top flange and lower sections for inserting into standard test tubes. The middle section directly under the upper top flange is about 13 mm in diameter. A bottom section under the middle section has a diameter of about 16 mm. The cap has a rounded bottom. The middle and lower sections have diameters similar to the diameters of most common test tubes. One or more nipples with notches cutout are located inside the conical body. The notches grip the lower part of a hammer drive during the driving process but release the hammer drive once the cap has been seated inside the test tube.