A drum arranged for reeling and dividing an elongate web of sheet material to produce discrete stacks of web portions is provided. The drum includes a series of faces forming a web-receiving loop that extends around a central axis of the drum, each face of the drum being defined by a respective drum segment that is configured to support a respective stack of web portions of a web reeled onto the web-receiving loop. The drum segments are movable to enable the web-receiving loop to expand to increase tension in a web reeled onto the web-receiving loop to divide the elongate web into discrete stacks.

A system for gathering one or more mail items. The system includes a first gathering mechanism configured to press against a first of the mail or other articles, wherein the first gathering mechanism is configured to expand from a compact state to an expanded state. The area of surface contact between a first one of the one or more mail items and the first gathering mechanism increases when the first holder mechanism is in the expanded state.

In some examples, a substrate handling system includes a sheet processing machine and at least one alignment device that includes at least four stops. At least one stop is configured as a front stop, at least one stop is configured as a rear stop, and at least two stops are configured as lateral stops. The at least two lateral stops are arranged opposite one another, and the at least one front stop and the at least one rear stop are arranged opposite one another. The alignment device includes at least one support element that is configured as a propping element for propping at least one partial stack of sheets in the alignment device. Further, at least one respective support element is arranged at the at least two lateral stops and at the at least one rear stop.

An apparatus for separating battery plates includes a work surface for receiving a stack of battery plates, and an alignment mechanism for aligning the battery plates on the work surface. The work surface is movable between a first position in which it is angled with respect to a horizontal plane and a second position in which it is substantially aligned with the horizontal plane. When the work surface moves between the first and second position adjacent battery plates of the stack are displaced relative to each other.

An automated system for transferring articles from a container. An item transfer system includes retainers configured to secure a first tray and a second tray, a movable paddle assembly, a frame, and a plurality of actuators. The system is configured to transfer articles from the first tray to the second tray by an automated process including securing the articles within the first tray with the paddle assembly, rotating the frame by approximately 90° to 100°, moving the paddle assembly in a series of linear translations to remove the items from the first tray and place the items into the second tray, rotating the frame back to its initial orientation, and releasing the items into the second tray.

Disclosed is a supply device for supplying cutouts to a machine from an inventory configured in several adjacent stacks of cutouts; the device includes a manipulator to transfer, by batch, the cutouts from the inventory to the machine. This device further includes a pressing unit to compress at least one stack that is adjacent to the one from which the manipulator removes cutouts. Also disclosed is a corresponding method.

A transfer system for transferring a stack (101) of flat elements to a processing device includes a delivery ramp (103) with a receiving surface (104) for receiving the stack (101), a first comb structure (121) having at least one first supporting platform (123) on which at least an edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable, wherein the first comb structure (121) is mounted to the delivery ramp (103), and a second comb structure (122) having at least two second supporting platforms (124) on which at least the edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable, wherein the second comb structure (122) is configured for supplying the stack (101) to the processing device. The first supporting platform (123) and the second supporting platforms (124) are arranged along a first direction (109), one after another, in an interleaved manner such that the edge portion (115) is supportable on the first supporting platform (123) and the second supporting platforms (124). The first comb structure (121) and the second comb structure (122) are movable along a lifting direction (110) with respect to each other such that the edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable selectively by the first supporting platform (123) or by the second supporting platforms (124), wherein the two second supporting platforms (124) are spaced along the first direction (109) such that the first supporting platform (123) is movable along the lifting direction (110) through a space between the two second supporting platforms (124).

A portioning system for portioning stackable flat carton elements in a stack (101) for further processing. A feeder device (105) includes a lifting platform (106) and a pushing platform (107), wherein the feeder device (105) is movable along a linear path (108) for pushing the stack (101) to a delivery position. The feeder device (105) is further movable along a lifting direction (110) having at least a component parallel to the gravity direction. The feeder device (105) is configured such that the lifting platform (106) is movable partially below the flat elements defining the stack (101) such that an edge portion (111) of the stack (101) is arranged on the lifting platform (106) for being liftable by the lifting platform (106). The feeder device (105) is further configured such that the stack (101) is pushable by the pushing platform (107) along the linear path (108) until the stack (101) is arranged at the delivery position.

A feeder system for feeding a stack (101) of stackable flat, carton elements to a processing device: A delivery ramp (103) includes a receiving surface (104) on which an edge portion (111) and a center portion (116) of the stack (101) is arrangeable. A transport device (125) includes a supporting platform on which at least a further edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is supportable, wherein the supporting platform is arranged adjacent to the receiving surface (104) such that the further edge portion (115) of the stack (101) may be received. A downholder element (117), adjusts a size of a gap (705) between the downholder element and a supporting platform, such that the further edge portion (115) of the stack (101) is clampable between them. The transport device (125) is movable between the receiving position, at which the stack (101) may be received by the delivery ramp (103), and a hand over position at the processing device such that the stack (101) is movable from the receiving position to the hand over position.

A substrate handling system including an infeed system for feeding stacked substrates and including a processing machine for processing stacked substrates, and in particular a printing press for printing stacked substrates. A robot cell is provided between the infeed system and the processing machine. The robot cell comprises one or two gripper systems, each for handling a plurality of substrates. The robot cell is configured in such a way, that selectively differently stacked substrates, which are feedable by the infeed system, can be handled.