A gripper arrangement for lifting a flexible semi-finished product from a support, wherein the gripper arrangement comprises a flexible semi-finished product resting on a support and at least one pair of grippers with a suction gripper or needle gripper and with at least one clamping gripper, wherein the suction or needle gripper is pivotable around an axis between a pick-up position for picking up an edge of the flexible semi-finished product and a transfer position for transferring the edge of the flexible semi-finished product to the clamping gripper. Furthermore, a corresponding method is described.

A stacker component of an apparatus for automated manufacturing of three-dimensional composite-based objects for aligning registration of sheets. The stacker includes a sheet catcher; a frame having a base plate with the base plate having tapered registration pins to align a stack of substrate sheets. The registration pins are mounted in the base plate and project vertically to a location just below the sheet catcher. The stacker also has a presser with a press plate and a belt driver system that moves the press plate up and down allowing the press plate to exert downward pressure on the stack and a slide system with two guide rails that enable the base plate to be loaded and unloaded. A conveyor can be disposed so that after a substrate sheet exits a powder or printing system, the sheet is conveyed onto the sheet catcher.

A stacker component of an apparatus for automated manufacturing of three-dimensional composite-based objects for aligning registration of sheets. The stacker includes a sheet catcher; a frame having a base plate with the base plate having tapered registration pins to align a stack of substrate sheets. The registration pins are mounted in the base plate and project vertically to a location just below the sheet catcher. The stacker also has a presser with a press plate and a belt driver system that moves the press plate up and down allowing the press plate to exert downward pressure on the stack and a slide system with two guide rails that enable the base plate to be loaded and unloaded. A conveyor can be disposed so that after a substrate sheet exits a powder or printing system, the sheet is conveyed onto the sheet catcher.

Process and apparatus for applying noise reducing elements to tyres for vehicle wheels. The apparatus includes a loading station of stacks of noise reducing elements, an extraction station of noise reducing elements from each stack placed downstream of the loading station, and a conveyor placed downstream of the extraction station and extending along a predefined path. The conveyor is configured for supporting and advancing in a row the noise reducing elements extracted from the stacks which are then applied to a radially inner surface of the tyres. The extraction of each of the noise reducing elements contemplates: retaining a first noise reducing element placed at the base of a stack; raising the remaining noise reducing elements of the stack from the first noise reducing element; moving away the first noise reducing element according to a set path; and lowering the remaining noise reducing elements of the stack.

A needle grab for handling workpieces has a bar-shaped longitudinally elongated housing having a longitudinally extending face and first and second longitudinally spaced guides defining respective first and second transverse directions that cross each other. First and second holders are transversely slidable in the first and second guides in the respective directions and carry respective first and second sets of at least three first and second grab needles movable with the respective holders relative to the face between a release position recessed behind the face and a gripping position projecting from the face in the first and second directions. A single servomotor is mounted on the housing and is connected via a gear train to both of the holders for synchronously moving same to displace the first and second sets of needles synchronously in the respective first and second directions.

An enclosing device to insert an enclosure into an envelope conveyed to an enclosing position includes an envelope conveyor and an enclosing unit. The envelope conveyor conveys the envelope to the enclosing position. The enclosing unit opens a frontage of the envelope such that the enclosure is inserted into the envelope that has reached the enclosing position and includes an opening amount adjuster to adjust an opening amount of the frontage when the enclosure is inserted into the envelope. The opening amount adjuster adjusts the opening amount, depending on a flap length and a body length. The flap length is a length of a flap of the envelope in a conveyance direction in which the envelope is conveyed to the enclosing position. The body length is a length of a body of the envelope in the conveyance direction.

The invention relates to the production of books with wire or spiral bindings or other comparable bindings, wherein sub-layers (2) made of punched sheets are collected one over the other in a successive manner into a book (5) at a collecting station (3), and the book is subsequently bound. According to the invention, a sub-layer (2) is held in a clamped manner by at least one lateral clamping device (12) which moves together with the sub-layer while the sub-layer is transported into the collecting position, while the sub-layers (10) already collected at the collecting station (3) are held in a fixed manner by means of at least one needle (13) which is moved upwards through the punched holes (4) from below. The clamping of the pliers is released only when the needles (13) are also located in the punched holes (4) of the newly conveyed sub-layers (2) as a result of the needles being moved upwards.

A tape supply device is disclosed. The tape supply device comprises a supply roll supplying a tape having a first surface and a second surface formed opposite to the first surface; and a clamp gripping an end of the tape drawn from the supply roll. The clamp includes a first fixing part movable in an up-down direction, the first fixing part positioned above the tape, the first fixing part facing the first surface; a second fixing part positioned below the first fixing part, the second fixing part positioned below the tape, the second fixing part facing the second surface, and the second fixing part movable in the up-down direction, the second fixing part including a through hole; and a push rod positioned below the second fixing part. When the second fixing part moves down, the push rod passes through the through hole and protrudes upward from the second fixing part.

A tape supply device is disclosed. The tape supply device comprises a supply roll supplying a tape having a first surface and a second surface formed opposite to the first surface; and a clamp gripping an end of the tape drawn from the supply roll. The clamp includes a first fixing part movable in an up-down direction, the first fixing part positioned above the tape, the first fixing part facing the first surface; a second fixing part positioned below the first fixing part, the second fixing part positioned below the tape, the second fixing part facing the second surface, and the second fixing part movable in the up-down direction, the second fixing part including a through hole; and a push rod positioned below the second fixing part. When the second fixing part moves down, the push rod passes through the through hole and protrudes upward from the second fixing part.