A decorator assembly includes a cup holder assembly, a cup transfer assembly, and a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The cup holder assembly is structured to hold a number of cups in a nested, bottom leading configuration. The cup transfer assembly is structured to move cups from said cup holder assembly to a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The decorator mandrel turret assembly is structured to rotatably support a number of cups.

A method for operating a tray conveying apparatus, wherein a tray edge of a tray to be destacked is guided in contact with and along a support until the tray has been deposited on a conveying unit positioned therebelow. An apparatus for destacking and further conveying trays that may comprise a destacker for destacking trays, wherein the destacker may also comprise a frame for accommodating at least one tray stack and a plurality of destacking screws configured to be operated in a respective direction of rotation. Each destacking screw may comprise a helically configured spiral or groove with a support. A conveying unit may be positioned below the destacker and used for receiving and transporting the destacked trays from the destacker.

A destacker unit for a destacking system is for destacking objects with a flange that are stacked together, such as a stack of trays, containers, cups or other objects. A destacking system includes at least one destacker unit for repeated destacking of one tray at a time in a predetermined direction. A stack of objects each having a flange extending outwards along its perimeter may be destacked in a predetermined direction by rotational motion of the destacker unit. The destacker unit may include a wheel unit, having a threaded rotation axis, including: a lower surface for carrying the stacked objects, and an inclined member located above the lower surface and having an inclined upper surface and a bottom surface. The distance between the upper and bottom surface increases around at least a part of the periphery of the wheel unit. The thread orientation corresponds to the inclination of the surface.

A dispensing device that comprises vertical guidings for receiving a stack of a plurality of trays, a separating device for dispensing individual trays in a downward direction and a tray discharge device that has multiple rotating lifting elements. The dispensing device includes lifting elements that are formed cylindrically and have a comb structure with at least two immersing protrusions that extend in parallel to one another.

A decorator assembly includes a cup holder assembly, a cup transfer assembly, and a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The cup holder assembly is structured to hold a number of cups in a nested, bottom leading configuration. The cup transfer assembly is structured to move cups from said cup holder assembly to a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The decorator mandrel turret assembly is structured to rotatably support a number of cups.

A destacker wheel is provided for a denester where a stack of containers is destacked, one by one, by rotating or partly rotating the destacker wheel about an axis parallel to the stack of containers. The destacker wheel comprises a stack carrying surface for carrying the stack of containers connected to an inclined surface. A slit orthogonal to a rotation axis is provided between the carrying surface and the inclined surface. The slit has a height in a direction of the rotation axis corresponding to the thickness of a flange of the containers. An ejector surface follows below and at least partly behind the inclined surface in the direction of rotation. The ejector surface commences with an edge arranged substantially radially to the axis of rotation. The edge is above the level of the slit. The inclined surface has a side surface between the inclined surface and the slit.

A decorator assembly includes a cup holder assembly, a cup transfer assembly, and a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The cup holder assembly is structured to hold a number of cups in a nested, bottom leading configuration. The cup transfer assembly is structured to move cups from said cup holder assembly to a decorator mandrel turret assembly. The decorator mandrel turret assembly is structured to rotatably support a number of cups.

A method for operating a tray conveying apparatus, wherein a tray edge of a tray to be destacked is guided in contact with and along a support until the tray has been deposited on a conveying unit positioned therebelow. An apparatus for destacking and further conveying trays that may comprise a destacker for destacking trays, wherein the destacker may also comprise a frame for accommodating at least one tray stack and a plurality of destacking screws configured to be operated in a respective direction of rotation. Each destacking screw may comprise a helically configured spiral or groove with a support. A conveying unit may be positioned below the destacker and used for receiving and transporting the destacked trays from the destacker.

A cup dispensing apparatus comprising at least one magazine adapted to accommodate a stack of cups, and a releasing device, which has a vertical channel designed to be engaged by the stack, is configured to support the stack and release, when operated, the last cup, and is equipped with at least three releasing elements movable on a horizontal plane in respective directions substantially tangential to said channel, between a rest position, in which they define a horizontal first support plane designed to be engaged by the last cup to support the stack, and a release position, in which they define a second support plane at a higher level than the first support plane and designed to be engaged by the penultimate cup to support the rest of the stack; each releasing device has an associated separating device adapted to impart a downward detaching thrust on the last cup.

A cup dispenser for a beverage vending machine and comprising a magazine rotatably mounted about a rotation axis and provided with a plurality of columns arranged around the rotation axis and each adapted to store a respective stack of cups and provided with a respective release device operable to dispense individual cups. The cup dispenser further comprises a first actuator to rotate the magazine about the rotation axis and selectively bring the columns in a fixed cup dispensing station, a second actuator to operate the release device of the column in the dispensing station, a power takeoff powered by the second actuator, and a third actuator operable to selectively move the power takeoff to and from an engagement position, in which the power takeoff is kinematically coupled with a power input of the release device in the dispensing station.