A sheet stacker includes a sheet stacking portion, a guide portion, and an air blower. The sheet stacking portion is configured to stack a sheet bundle. The guide portion is configured to receive a leading end of a sheet conveyed toward the sheet stacking portion and guide the sheet downstream in a sheet conveyance direction in which the sheet is conveyed. The air blower is disposed above the sheet stacking portion and configured to blow air toward the sheet on a downstream side, in the sheet conveyance direction, from a position at which the guide portion receives the leading end of the sheet.

In order to properly suppress a discharge defect corresponding to an image ratio of a sheet, in the case where a coefficient of friction is different according to the image ratio of an image on the sheet, an air blowing section is arranged to blow air toward a downstream side in a transport direction from between a downstream-side end portion of a first stacking section and an upstream-side end portion of a second stacking section. When an image ratio of an image on a sheet by an image forming apparatus is a first value, the air blowing section sets an air quantity blown to the sheet at a first air quantity F1, while when the image ratio is a second value higher than the first value, setting the air quantity blown to the sheet at a second air quantity F2 larger than the first air quantity F1.

A belt-shaped material conveying apparatus that supports a belt-shaped material conveyed in a conveying direction to a wind-up roll at a carrying-out side from a feed roll at a carrying-in side between these rolls in a noncontact state by air streams spouted to the belt-shaped material from support pads disposed to face a top surface side and an undersurface side of the belt-shaped material respectively, includes a pair of hydraulic cylinders as tilt means that tilts the support pad in the width direction of the belt-shaped material which crosses the conveying direction of the belt-shaped material.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus and a post processing device, includes a position corrector and either one of a rolling body and a contact resistance reducer. The position corrector is configured to convey a sheet and correct a position of the sheet. The rolling body is disposed at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of a sheet conveyance passage from the position corrector in a sheet conveying direction and is configured to roll in at least a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction. The contact resistance reducer is configured to reduce contact resistance generated due to contact of the sheet to a neighboring part when the position of the sheet is corrected by the position corrector.

A belt-shaped material conveying apparatus that supports a belt-shaped material conveyed in a conveying direction to a wind-up roll at a carrying-out side from a feed roll at a carrying-in side between these rolls in a noncontact state by air streams spouted to the belt-shaped material from support pads disposed to face a top surface side and an undersurface side of the belt-shaped material respectively, includes a pair of hydraulic cylinders as tilt means that tilts the support pad in the width direction of the belt-shaped material which crosses the conveying direction of the belt-shaped material.

Disclosed are apparatuses and methods for non-contact processing a substrate, for example a glass substrate, overtop a gas layer. The support apparatus includes a plurality of gas bearings positioned on a pressure box supplied with a pressurized gas. Some embodiments are directed to a method of supporting and transporting softened glass. The method includes placing the glass in proximity to a gas bearing device having a support surface with a plurality of outlet ports disposed therein. Some embodiments are in directed to a glass processing apparatus comprising an air table configured to continuously transport and support a stream of glass and a plurality of modular devices supported by a support structure and disposed above the air table. Some embodiments are directed to a method for flattening viscous glass using a two-sided gas bearing device or a one-sided gas bearing device.

A sheet conveying device, which is included in an image forming apparatus and a post processing device, includes a position corrector and either one of a rolling body and a contact resistance reducer. The position corrector is configured to convey a sheet and correct a position of the sheet. The rolling body is disposed at least one of an upstream side and a downstream side of a sheet conveyance passage from the position corrector in a sheet conveying direction and is configured to roll in at least a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction. The contact resistance reducer is configured to reduce contact resistance generated due to contact of the sheet to a neighboring part when the position of the sheet is corrected by the position corrector.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for cutting a material web in a papermaking machine. The apparatus includes a cutting device, an upper holding device and an upper positioning device. The cutting device is fixed above the upper positioning device on the upper holding device such that it can be moved in the cross-machine direction. The apparatus additionally has an air guide box and the air guide box is fixed above the material web, likewise on the upper holding device. Furthermore, the apparatus has a cutting table fixed to a lower holding device via a first and/or a second lower positioning device. The cutting table is movable substantially vertically with respect to the material web via the first lower positioning device and/or movable in the cross-machine direction via the second lower positioning device.

A sheet discharging device includes a shift tray 202 on which a sheet P1 is stacked, a discharging roller 6 that discharges a sheet P2 onto the shift tray 202, a blowing device 230 that sends air to a lower surface of the sheet P2 discharged by the discharging roller 6, a blocking member 231 that blocks air sent to the lower surface of the sheet P2 from a blowing port 230-2 of the blowing device 230, and a control unit that controls the blocking amount of the blocking member 231. The blocking amount is determined based upon sheet information including sheet-type information, sheet-size information, and sheet-thickness information, for example.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for cutting a material web in a papermaking machine, comprising a cutting device, an upper holding device and an upper positioning device, the cutting device being fixed above the upper positioning device on the upper holding device such that it can be moved in the cross-machine direction, the apparatus additionally having an air guide box and the air guide box being fixed above the material web, likewise on the upper holding device. Furthermore, the apparatus has a cutting table fixed to a lower holding device via a first and/or a second lower positioning device, the cutting table being movable substantially vertically with respect to the material web via the first lower positioning device and/or movable in the cross-machine direction via the second lower positioning device.