To prevent erroneous transfer onto a paper sheet loading platform and improve the operation stability over the entire length of a long-edge direction of a pressing member by ensuring a long time during which the pressing member continues to push in a paper sheet alone. To include two rotating bodies 120 and 130 that have recesses 120a and 130a and are rotatable in opposite directions to each other in synchronization with each other, a pressing member 140 that is movable and presses an intermediate portion of a back of a paper sheet forward, a drive mechanism 180, and a paper sheet loading platform 200. The drive mechanism rotates each rotating body by an angle from 195 degrees to 270 degrees in a time period after the pressing member starts to bring a center of the paper sheet into contact with the paper sheet loading platform from an initial state until the pressing member leaves the center of the paper sheet.

The invention relates to a device, in particular a roll cross-cutter, for forming a shingle stream of underlapping or overlapping sheets, in particular of paper or carton sheets, having a transport apparatus for transporting sheets, having a shingling apparatus for underlapping or overlapping sheets in regions, having a deceleration apparatus, downstream of the shingling apparatus in the transport direction of the sheets, for decelerating shingled sheets, in particular by forming a deceleration gap for the passage of shingled, combined sheets, and, preferably, having a cross-cutting apparatus upstream of the shingling apparatus for cutting a material web into individual sheets. According to the invention, the shingling apparatus is designed to be adjustable, in dependence of the cut length, in and/or opposite the transport direction of the sheets.

In some embodiments, apparatus and methods are provided for improved handling of lithography masks including a mask inverter that includes a first contact pad dedicated to inverting masks that have not been cleaned; a second contact pad dedicated to inverting masks that have been cleaned; an actuator coupled to the first and second contact pads and operable to invert the first and second contact pads; and a controller coupled to the actuator and operative to control the actuator. Numerous other aspects are provided.

During flipping sheets may fold upon themselves under the influence of gravity. To prevent a sheet stacker is provided with a support device for supporting an inner surface of the sheet during flipping, the support device comprising a plurality of flexible fingers elements of different length, each configured to support a different inner area of the sheet during its flipping motion.

The invention relates to an apparatus, in particular a roll cross cutter, for forming a shingled stream of underlapping or overlapping sheets, in particular paper or cardboard sheets, comprising a transport device for transporting sheets, a shingling device for underlapping or overlapping of the sheets at least in some regions, a braking device following the shingling device in the transport direction of the sheets for braking of shingled sheets, in particular by the formation of a brake gap for the passage of sheets brought together in a shingled manner, and a cross-cutting device upstream of the shingling device for cutting a material strip into individual sheets. According to the invention, an intake section is provided between the shingling device and the braking device for intake and further transport of a sheet, trailing in the shingled stream, into the braking device.

During flipping sheets may fold upon themselves under the influence of gravity. To prevent a sheet stacker is provided with a holding device for releasably holding at least a portion of the sheet at least partially during the flipping of the sheet by a sheet flipping device, wherein the holding device is configured for movement of the held portion of the sheet in a first direction perpendicular to the flipping axis.

When using a flipping wheel to flip sheets of weak or long media, there is a risk that these sheets collapse upon themselves. To reduce this risk, a method of stacking sheets includes flipping a sheet while holding its leading edge and bringing the leading edge down towards a stack support; bringing a trailing portion of the sheet into contact with a guide member positioned over the stack support; forming an overpressure in an inner volume of the bent sheet during flipping, while its trailing portion is in contact with the guide member; and maintaining the overpressure and contact while a trailing edge of the sheet travels along the guide member.

During flipping sheets may fold upon themselves under the influence of gravity. To prevent a sheet stacker is provided with a holding device for releasably holding at least a portion of the sheet at least partially during the flipping of the sheet by a sheet flipping device, wherein the holding device is configured for movement of the held portion of the sheet in a first direction perpendicular to the flipping axis.

During flipping sheets may fold upon themselves under the influence of gravity. To prevent a sheet stacker is provided with a support device for supporting an inner surface of the sheet during flipping, the support device comprising a plurality of flexible fingers elements of different length, each configured to support a different inner area of the sheet during its flipping motion.

A sheet stacking device includes a sheet outlet, a lower discharge roller, and a paddle member. The paddle member is disposed coaxially to a rotation shaft of the lower discharge roller, and is driven to rotate independently of the lower discharge roller in the same direction as the lower discharge roller, so as to contact downward an upstream part in a discharging direction of a sheet discharged through the sheet outlet. The paddle member includes a base part in which the rotation shaft is inserted, an arm part protruding in a direction separating from an axis center of the base part, and a paddle elastic part protruding from the arm part. A rotation speed of the paddle member is the same as a rotation speed of a discharge roller pair when the sheet passes through a nip of the discharge roller pair.