A first leading end plate and a first rear end plate are provided at an upper part of a rotary table. When a conductor piece contacts the first leading end plate, a first contact detection sensor detects a contact of the conductor piece, and transmits a contact detection signal to a storage control unit. Upon receiving the contact detection signal, the storage control unit drives an air supply device for a predetermined period to spray air toward the conductor piece from a first air nozzle. The air spray brings the conductor piece into a tilted state with the rear end thereof moved downward. Even when the conductor piece contacts the first leading end plate and rebounds, the rear end thereof contacts an inner wall surface of the first rear end plate, thereby preventing the rear end of the conductor piece from getting over the first rear end plate.

A feeder bowl and preparation system for packaging stick-like objects including a feeder bowl, vee shaped spacing conveyor, and a collator mechanism which permits a robotic pick-up station sufficient time to pick and place the stick-like object. The system simplifies programming the transfer of the objects by presenting a desired amount of product for a specific picker and allowing time to pick and place the object, the system eliminates a feed rate by a robotic process in the system, the system allows for essentially higher feed rate overall due to an oriented pick-up area presentation, and the system provides a sanitary design compatible with a transfer of food products in a food industry.

A material handling apparatus for selecting and removing items from a bundle such as stacked pieces of lumber boards is provided. Systems containing such apparatuses and methods for selecting and removing items from a bundle also are provided. The items are arranged in vertical columns and horizontal rows in the bundle; and ejector assemblies are used to individually remove the items. Other suitable items include, for example, wood, rolls, tubes, pipes, rods, packages, containers, bags, cases, cartons, and boxes.

Apparatus for collecting oblong products, preferably metal products, comprising a first containing device (11) mobile between a work position, in which it is able to receive a plurality of oblong products (P) from a working machine, and a delivery position, in which said metal products (P) are picked up. The present invention also concerns a method to collect said oblong products (P) and a plant (100) for working them.

An automated machine for organizing and feeding cylindrical products includes a conveyor to space apart the cylindrical products. A pair of elongated rollers is disposed downstream from the conveyor to orient the cylindrical products in the same direction. A miter wheel disposed downstream of the pair of elongated rollers transfers the cylindrical products from the pair of rollers to a vertical accumulation chamber while changing the orientation of the cylindrical products from a vertical alignment to a horizontal alignment. The cylindrical products are discharged from the vertical accumulation chamber to a take away conveyance. Operation of the components of the automated machine can be controlled by a computer. Optical sensors can be employed to monitor flow of the cylindrical products through the automated machine during operation.

An intelligent device for conveying, grading and aligning of tube products includes: a conveying and grading mechanism, which includes: a timing belt, a timing belt power unit, a swing rod, a track, and a swing rod cylinder; wherein multiple baffles are evenly arranged on a surface of the timing belt; multiple track openings are evenly arranged on a surface of the track; the swing rod cylinder is fixed on a side wall of the track; the swing rod is fixed with an output end of the swing rod cylinder; and multiple single-bundle aligning assemblies, each includes: a cross beam, a vertical beam, a stacking unit, a bracket cylinder, a bracket, an aligning cylinder, and a swing bracket; wherein the bracket is fixed with a telescopic end of the bracket cylinder; the stacking unit is fixed on a surface of the vertical beam along a height direction thereof.

A magazine for storing elements which each have a shaft and a head. The magazine includes a cylinder defining a shell surface in which is formed a helical-shaped groove. The shaft of each element to be stored can be inserted into the groove while the head of each element protrudes outward radially over the groove. The head of each element can be impacted in the peripheral direction by a suitable carrier in order to move the elements through the groove one after the other to an outlet end of the groove where the elements are ejected individually.

Systems and methods for cargo transportation management, including: a database, to store structure information for a plurality of containers; and a processor, in communication with the database, where the processor is configured to: receive cargo information, generate a container distribution plan, for distributing the cargo between the plurality of containers based on the structure information and based the received cargo information, and send the generated container distribution plan for packaging of the cargo, where each container includes a plurality of walls, at least one connector, configured to securely connect to another container; and at least one sensor, configured to monitor movement of the container and monitor movement of the cargo within the container, where at least one wall has changeable size.

A conveyor system for translating objects is disclosed, each object with vertical protrusions extending upward and/or downward from one or more sides of the object. The conveyor system can accommodate structural members such as roof truss members, on which connector plates are affixed and from which the connector plates protrude vertically up, down, or both. The conveyor system may have a slide or some other support for the objects. The slide or other support may be narrow. The slide or other support can be tall, relative to an object. The conveyor system may have an engagement tool driven by an overhead carriage to translate the objects along the slide or other support. The engagement tool may be narrow. The engagement tool can be tall, relative to an object.

Apparatus to store bars (B) comprising a support plane (11), a bundle feed zone (12) and a bar delivery zone (13) associated with respective opposite ends of said support plane (11), wherein said support plane (11) comprises a unit (14) to move said bars (B) in a direction of movement (Z) at least from said bundle feed zone (12) to said bar delivery zone (13).