A sheet conveyor is provided for transporting a sheet. The sheet conveyor includes a supplying conveyor, a receiving conveyor and a sheet guidance unit. The receiving conveyor includes a support surface arranged for supporting the sheet on a contact side of the sheet and an attraction unit arranged for attracting the sheet to the support surface. The supplying conveyor includes a transport belt being arranged for advancing the sheet in a transport direction along a transport path towards the support surface of the receiving conveyor; the sheet having two side edge portions relative to the transport path. The sheet guidance unit is arranged at a downstream end of the transport path for guiding the sheet towards the receiving conveyor, wherein said sheet guidance unit includes a lifting element arranged for lifting both side edge portions of the sheet away from the support surface while a middle portion of the sheet in between both side edge portions is guided towards the support surface.

A sheet conveyor is provided for transporting a sheet. The sheet conveyor includes a supplying conveyor, a receiving conveyor and a sheet guidance unit. The receiving conveyor includes a support surface arranged for supporting the sheet on a contact side of the sheet and an attraction unit arranged for attracting the sheet to the support surface. The supplying conveyor includes a transport belt being arranged for advancing the sheet in a transport direction along a transport path towards the support surface of the receiving conveyor; the sheet having two side edge portions relative to the transport path. The sheet guidance unit is arranged at a downstream end of the transport path for guiding the sheet towards the receiving conveyor, wherein said sheet guidance unit includes a lifting element arranged for lifting both side edge portions of the sheet away from the support surface while a middle portion of the sheet in between both side edge portions is guided towards the support surface.

A method and apparatus for depositing discrete elements on a support element. The discrete elements may be separated from each other or joined to form a continuous web. The discrete elements are fed into a pick-up station defined at a rotor which includes circumferentially adjacent pick-up members. Each discrete element is associated with a respective pick-up member having a first orientation with respect to a respective second axis of rotation. Each pick-up member is moved along the rotation direction towards a release position downstream with an at least partially accelerated or decelerated motion. Each pick-up member is rotated about the respective second axis of rotation until it takes, at the release position, a second orientation. Each discrete element is released on a support element at the release position. Each pick-up member is subsequently moved towards the pick-up station with an at least partially decelerated or accelerated motion.

A method and apparatus for depositing discrete elements on a support element. The discrete elements may be separated from each other or joined to form a continuous web. The discrete elements are fed into a pick-up station defined at a rotor which includes circumferentially adjacent pick-up members. Each discrete element is associated with a respective pick-up member having a first orientation with respect to a respective second axis of rotation. Each pick-up member is moved along the rotation direction towards a release position downstream with an at least partially accelerated or decelerated motion. Each pick-up member is rotated about the respective second axis of rotation until it takes, at the release position, a second orientation. Each discrete element is released on a support element at the release position. Each pick-up member is subsequently moved towards the pick-up station with an at least partially decelerated or accelerated motion.

A sheet printer includes a sheet conveyor assembly including a first conveyor with a first holding device configured for exerting a holding force on a sheet proportional to a coverage of the sheet on the first conveyor and a second conveyor upstream of the first conveyor including a second holding device configured for holding and releasing the sheet, a print head assembly positioned over the first conveyor, a detector assembly for sensing the transport of the first conveyor, a controller storing on its memory a sheet media catalogue and configured to control a release timing of the second holding device for releasing the sheet partially engaged by the first conveyor based on a media type parameter selected from the media catalogue and to control the print head assembly to commence printing the sheet based on transport information from the detector assembly.

A sheet printer includes a sheet conveyor assembly including a first conveyor with a first holding device configured for exerting a holding force on a sheet proportional to a coverage of the sheet on the first conveyor and a second conveyor upstream of the first conveyor including a second holding device configured for holding and releasing the sheet, a print head assembly positioned over the first conveyor, a detector assembly for sensing the transport of the first conveyor, a controller storing on its memory a sheet media catalogue and configured to control a release timing of the second holding device for releasing the sheet partially engaged by the first conveyor based on a media type parameter selected from the media catalogue and to control the print head assembly to commence printing the sheet based on transport information from the detector assembly.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit forming a transfer nip portion, a fixing unit forming a fixing nip portion, and first and second belt suction conveyance units to suck a sheet onto a first belt and a second belt, respectively. The fixing nip portion is arranged at a position above the transfer nip portion. In a sheet conveyance direction, an upstream end portion of the first belt in the first belt suction conveyance unit is provided below the transfer nip portion, a downstream end portion of the first belt is provided above an upstream end portion of the second belt in the second belt suction conveyance unit, and a downstream end portion of the second belt is provided below the fixing nip portion. The first and second belts are inclined from a lower position to an upper position from upstream to downstream in the sheet conveyance direction.

An image forming apparatus includes a transfer unit forming a transfer nip portion, a fixing unit forming a fixing nip portion, and first and second belt suction conveyance units to suck a sheet onto a first belt and a second belt, respectively. The fixing nip portion is arranged at a position above the transfer nip portion. In a sheet conveyance direction, an upstream end portion of the first belt in the first belt suction conveyance unit is provided below the transfer nip portion, a downstream end portion of the first belt is provided above an upstream end portion of the second belt in the second belt suction conveyance unit, and a downstream end portion of the second belt is provided below the fixing nip portion. The first and second belts are inclined from a lower position to an upper position from upstream to downstream in the sheet conveyance direction.

An air fan assembly includes a suction box including a wall having an open area distributed across the wall. The suction box is configured to contain an underpressure on an inner side of the wall, so as to cause a cut sheet to adhere to a perforated transport belt. An impingement unit is configured to expel air supplied thereto towards the perforated transport belt. An air fan is arranged to create and maintain the underpressure in the suction box and to supply the air to be expelled by the impingement unit via an air outlet of the suction box. A first valve is arranged upstream of the air fan for conditionally admitting an additional air flow into the suction box. An inkjet printer and a method of operating the air fan assembly include the air fan assembly.

The invention relates to a reel-up (1) for receiving and winding into a roll (5) a paper web (W) that arrives from a drying cylinder (2) in a paper making machine. The reel-up (1) comprises a rotatably mounted reel spool (4) onto which a paper web (W) can be wound to create a paper roll (5) of increasing diameter and an endless flexible belt (6) mounted for rotation along a predetermined path of travel such that the flexible belt (6) forms a loop. The flexible belt (6) is positioned adjacent to the reel spool (4) to engage the paper web (W) against the reel spool (4) during winding such that the flexible belt (6) is deflected from the predetermined path of travel when the paper roll (5) starts to build up on the reel spool (4). The flexible belt (6) is air permeable and at least one blow box (7, 8, 9) is arranged inside the loop of the flexible belt (6) such that an underpressure can be generated that draws the paper web (W) against the flexible belt (6). The at least one blow box (7, 8, 9) has at least one nozzle (10) through which air is blown out of the at least one blow box (7, 8, 9) and the nozzle is shaped as a slot. According to the invention, the at least one blow (7,8, 9) box faces the flexible belt (6) with an outer surface (11) which is convexly curved such that dust which has been sucked through the flexible belt (6) and lands on the at least one blow box (7, 8, 9) is helped by gravity to glide along the outer surface (11) of the blow box (7, 8, 9) and fall of the blow box (7, 8, 9).