Machine for the surface processing of products (L) under controlled pressure conditions different than the ambient pressure, comprising • at least one sealed chamber (12, 13), provided with at least one opening (15, 16), that can be closed, for inserting and removing a plurality of products (L) to be processed, • a device (30) for adjusting the pressure inside said at least one chamber (12, 13), • in said at least one chamber (12, 13), a moving device (20) for vertically moving said products (L), so as to accumulate at least two said products on levels arranged over one another, • a horizontal moving device (19) for moving said products (L) from and towards said at least one opening (15, 16) when the products (L) are arranged at the same level of said at least one opening (15, 16) wherein, from an operational viewpoint, a plurality of said products (L) are inserted into said at least one chamber (12, 13), and at least two products of said plurality of products (L) are over one another for a span of processing, and wherein, once all the products to be processed have been inserted into said at least one chamber, (12, 13) said chamber (12, 13) is closed and the pressure inside is adjusted up to an operational processing pressure, and then said at least one chamber (12, 13) is opened again and the products (L) are removed therefrom.

A system is provided comprising a carton conveyor and a bypass carton accumulator adjacent to, and interfaced with, the carton conveyor. The bypass carton accumulator may comprise: a carton pick apparatus comprising a carton pick head; at least one stop device comprising a stopper movable between a first and a second position; and a storage apparatus. When in the first position, the stopper does not interfere with the flow of cartons along the conveyor and when in the second position, the stopper engages with a carton to stop a flow of cartons along the conveyor. The carton pick apparatus may be configured to pick up via the carton pick head a set of cartons from a pick-up zone of the carton conveyor after the stopper has moved to its second position and place the set of cartons in the storage apparatus.

A system is provided comprising a carton conveyor and a bypass carton accumulator adjacent to, and interfaced with, the carton conveyor. The bypass carton accumulator may comprise: a carton pick apparatus comprising a carton pick head; at least one stop device comprising a stopper movable between a first and a second position; and a storage apparatus. When in the first position, the stopper does not interfere with the flow of cartons along the conveyor and when in the second position, the stopper engages with a carton to stop a flow of cartons along the conveyor. The carton pick apparatus may be configured to pick up via the carton pick head a set of cartons from a pick-up zone of the carton conveyor after the stopper has moved to its second position and place the set of cartons in the storage apparatus.

An enclosure includes a furnace 1 and plates 7A to 7D arranged in the furnace 1 and used for placement of articles 5. Each of the plates 7A to 7D is movable vertically in the furnace 1. The enclosure further includes guide members 60A and 60B, each of which is disposed adjacent to a side of one plate of the plates 7A to 7D that is disposed at a loading/unloading position where the articles 5 are allowed to be loaded into or unloaded from the furnace 1. The guide members 60A and 60B guide the articles 5 and are rotatable with vertical movement of the plate.

Device for temporarily storing plate-shaped workpieces (W.sub.i) having a receiving magazine (1) for the plate-shaped workpieces (W.sub.i), which magazine is formed by storage compartments arranged one above the other, for which it is proposed that the storage compartments have storage surfaces (7) which can each be extended in a first horizontal direction into a storage region and in a second horizontal direction into a removal region and can be retracted into the receiving magazine (1), wherein a receiving device (2) with a receiver (6) for the plate-shaped workpieces (W.sub.i) is arranged in each case in the storage and removal region, which receiving device (2) is movable in the storage or removal region in a plane parallel to the storage surface (7) and in a direction perpendicular to the storage surface (7), and a control and storage unit (9) is provided for controlling the storage and removal movement of the receiver (6) and the movement of the storage surfaces (7) and for storing the storage location of plate-shaped workpieces (W.sub.i) on the storage surfaces (7).

A conveyor for transporting a board along a path in a transport direction has an upstream section, a downstream section aligned with the upstream section and defining therewith a horizontal support plane, and a center section between the upstream and downstream sections. The center section is movable from a pass-through position aligned and level with the upstream and downstream sections to an offset position spaced therefrom horizontally or vertically. A platform underneath the center section is moveable vertically, and a lift moves the platform vertically between upper and lower positions. Hooks or grab can, when the center section is in the offset position and the platform is in the lower position, either pull a board off the platform and onto the downstream section or guide and deposit a board from the upstream section onto the platform.

Machine for the surface processing of products (L) under controlled pressure conditions different than the ambient pressure, comprising • at least one sealed chamber (12, 13), provided with at least one opening (15, 16), that can be closed, for inserting and removing a plurality of products (L) to be processed, • a device (30) for adjusting the pressure inside said at least one chamber (12, 13), • in said at least one chamber (12, 13), a moving device (20) for vertically moving said products (L), so as to accumulate at least two said products on levels arranged over one another, • a horizontal moving device (19) for moving said products (L) from and towards said at least one opening (15, 16) when the products (L) are arranged at the same level of said at least one opening (15, 16) wherein, from an operational viewpoint, a plurality of said products (L) are inserted into said at least one chamber (12, 13), and at least two products of said plurality of products (L) are over one another for a span of processing, and wherein, once all the products to be processed have been inserted into said at least one chamber, (12, 13) said chamber (12, 13) is closed and the pressure inside is adjusted up to an operational processing pressure, and then said at least one chamber (12, 13) is opened again and the products (L) are removed therefrom.

A conveyor system for sorting articles being conveyed in a conveying direction. A first conveyor section includes a plurality of inclined conveyors for de-stacking articles. A second conveyor section includes at least one indexing conveyor for spacing a first group of articles from upstream articles. A third conveyor section includes a chicane conveying path for forming the first group of articles into a single row generally aligned with the conveying direction. Related methods are also disclosed.

A conveyor for transporting a board along a path in a transport direction has an upstream section, a downstream section aligned with the upstream section and defining therewith a horizontal support plane, and a center section between the upstream and downstream sections. The center section is movable from a pass-through position aligned and level with the upstream and downstream sections to an offset position spaced therefrom horizontally or vertically. A platform underneath the center section is moveable vertically, and a lift moves the platform vertically between upper and lower positions. Hooks or grab can, when the center section is in the offset position and the platform is in the lower position, either pull a board off the platform and onto the downstream section or guide and deposit a board from the upstream section onto the platform.

Device for lifting an article from a roller conveyor having a fork that can be raised and lowered, and having a plurality of spaced-apart elongate tines which, in the lowered position, move with the tines between or below the rollers of the roller conveyor in order to lift one or a plurality of articles from the rollers as the fork is being raised into the raised position with the tines, where the tines form a carrier surface for the article and the tines can be expanded in the direction transverse to the longitudinal extension thereof in order to form an expanded carrier surface.