A folding machine comprises a blade folding unit having a first and a second folding roller, the folding roller axes thereof defining a folding roller plane, and having a folding blade which is oriented and is movable in a folding blade plane which is oriented perpendicularly to the folding roller plane and intersects the folding roller plane in an intersection line. The folding blade is arranged in a retracted position in or below a horizontal plane which comprises the intersection line.

Each of the sheets is conveyed by a horizontal conveyance unit in a state of being overlapped with a next sheet from above. Each of the sheets is conveyed out of the horizontal conveyance unit in a state of being folded along a fold line with the fold line oriented upward, the fold line extending in a conveyance direction of the horizontal conveyance unit. An oblique conveyance unit receives the sheet from the horizontal conveyance unit and successively conveys the sheets in an oblique downward direction. A sensor is arranged to detect passage of the sheets at a position where steps pass. Each of the steps is formed by two sheets adjacent to each other diverted to the oblique downward direction by the oblique conveyance unit.

A post-processing apparatus includes a post-processing device, an ejection device, and an ejection tray. The post-processing device executes post-processing on a medium on which an image is formed by an image forming apparatus. The ejection device ejects the medium on which the post-processing is executed by the post-processing device. The ejection tray holds the medium ejected by the ejection device. The ejection tray includes a main tray having an upper face inclined downward in an ejection direction, and a movable tray being rotatably supported by the main tray between a stacking position at which the medium ejected by the ejection device remains stacked on the upper face of the main tray and an ejection position at which the medium ejected by the ejection device slides along the upper face of the main tray.

A method moves a stack of products by a robot. The robot has an articulated arm and at least one gripper disposed on the articulated arm to grip the stack of printed products and the stack of products selectively being turned. The method includes pivoting the stack of products through an effective angle α1< >180° and subsequently pivoting the stack through an effective angle α2=180°−α1 or pivoting the stack back through an effective angle α2=−α1. This method of moving stacks of products is performed in an automated way and in particular of depositing them in a turned or unturned arrangement.

A pair of conveyance rollers are arranged for signatures. The signatures is conveyed through the pair of conveyance rollers to a stacking unit while being sandwiched from both sides thereof between the pair of conveyance rollers. In response to passage of a signature for a sheet stack through the pair of the conveyance rollers, the conveyance rollers is switched from conveyance rotation to intermittent rotation to cause the pair of the conveyance rollers to keep the signatures for a next sheet stack from being conveyed to the stacking unit. In response to the stacking unit becoming ready to receive the signatures for the next sheet stack, the conveyance rollers is switched from the intermitted rotation or the stop to the continuous rotation to cause the pair of the conveyance rollers to convey to the signatures to the stacking unit.

A method moves a stack of products by a robot. The robot has an articulated arm and at least one gripper disposed on the articulated arm to grip the stack of printed products and the stack of products selectively being turned. The method includes pivoting the stack of products through an effective angle α1< >180° and subsequently pivoting the stack through an effective angle α2=180°−α1 or pivoting the stack back through an effective angle α2=−α1. This method of moving stacks of products is performed in an automated way and in particular of depositing them in a turned or unturned arrangement.

A method and an associated appliance for the cyclically controlled separating and singularizing of flat, flexible products from the lower side of a stack of such products and for conveying the singularized products away from the stack. The method includes the: gripping the lowermost product of the stack, separating the lowermost product from the stack lower side and transporting the product away from the stack. A first process condition is detected within cycle-linked measuring time window and a second process condition is detected within at least one further cycle-linked measurement time window in the same work cycle, by way of a single sensor in combination with a control device.

A feed appliance for feeding products to a further processing appliance includes a standby circulatory apparatus with a takeover station and with several transport units that are circulatorily movable independently of one another for each receiving a product at the takeover station, a provision conveyor for feeding the products to the takeover station, and a control device for controlling the feed of the products and of the transport units into a takeover section of the takeover station and for controlling the takeover of the fed products by the transport units. The standby circulatory apparatus for creating a gapless product stream includes a release device for the cyclically controlled release of individual transport units into the takeover section. For this, the control device is designed to release a transport unit only given a feed of a cyclically correct product into the takeover section.

In an example, a computer-implemented method includes generating test data that is configured to be identified as data of interest at one or more visibility points in a network having a plurality of network routes. The method also includes injecting the test data into each network route of the plurality of network routes at a location upstream from the one or more visibility points, and determining, for each network route through which the test data travels, whether the test data is identified at the one or more visibility points. The method also includes outputting, for each network route through which the test data travels, data that indicates whether the test data is identified at the one or more visibility points as data of interest.

A sheet behavior monitor for a sheet processor includes: a folding machine processing a sheet; and a camera taking an image once for each signature (Wb) folded by the folding machine. The camera takes every image at a folding machine rotation phase different from that of the image immediately before taken.