A sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) comprises a transport system (32) for transporting sheets (12) or parts thereof from a respective input end (20i, 22i, 24i) to a respective output end (20o, 22o, 24o). A gripper unit (46) is releasably coupled to the transport system (32) and is configured for holding at least a part of one of the sheets (12). Additionally, at least one handover mechanism (47d, 47r) is provided being configured for decoupling the gripper unit (46) from the transport system (32) and providing the gripper unit (46) to a neighboring sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) and/or receiving a gripper unit (46) from a neighboring sheet material processing unit (20, 22, 24) and coupling the received gripper unit (46) to the corresponding transport system (32). Additionally, a sheet material processing machine (10) is presented which comprises at least two such sheet material processing units (20, 22, 24).

A device for storing a sheet pile in a converting machine (10) comprises a transfer mechanism (28) for delivering sheets (22) into a piling area (26) of the device (22), and a sampling plate (44) which is adjustable between a sampling position and an access position, wherein the top of the piling area (26) is covered by the sampling plate (44) when the sampling plate (44) is in the sampling position and the top of the piling area (26) is free when the sampling plate (44) is in the access position.

A cassette comprises a storage portion configured to include a loading surface on which a sheet is loaded, a sheet guide configured to pivot with respect to a pivot central axis that is parallel to the loading surface, a pivot support shaft extending on two sides of the sheet guide along the pivot central axis, in the sheet guide, and a bearing portion configured to pivotably support the pivot support shaft, an insertion portion formed at a portion of the pivot support shaft, an insertion groove formed from the loading surface toward the bearing portion, and a flexible pressing portion disposed outside the insertion groove, and configured to press a leading end portion of the pivot support shaft.

A sheet conveying device includes a tray, a conveyor, and a guide body. The tray is configured to stack a sheet. The conveyor is configured to convey the sheet to the tray. The guide body has a space, a height of the space being greater than a thickness of the sheet. The guide body is configured to guide the sheet conveyed by the conveyor, with a leading end of the sheet being inserted in the space. The guide body is configured to separate the sheet from the space, according to a difference of a sheet conveying speed of the conveyor and a moving speed of the guide body, and to stack the sheet on the tray.

A sheet stacker includes a tray to store a stack of sheets, a conveyor above the tray, a leading end guide above the tray, and an air exhaust. The conveyor conveys a sheet in a conveyance direction. The leading end guide is downstream from the conveyor in the conveyance direction. The leading end guide guides the sheet from the conveyor to the tray. The air exhaust exhausts air above an upper surface of the stack of sheets on the tray to an upstream from the tray in the conveyance direction. Further, the leading end guide holds a leading end of the sheet conveyed by the conveyor at a holding position and releases the leading end of the sheet at a release position downstream from the holding position in the conveyance direction.

A finisher apparatus includes an actuator to control a component of the finisher apparatus to perform a finishing operation on a print medium. A sensor is provided to sense the print medium in a print-medium path in the finisher apparatus. A processor is coupled to the actuator and the sensor. The processor is to execute instructions. The instructions are to actuate the actuator to eject the print medium from the print-medium path in response to a signal from the sensor indicative of a jam of the print medium in the finisher apparatus.

In some examples, a die-cutting machine includes a transport system configured as a chain gripper system. The chain gripper system includes a chain gripper carriage including a holding element for holding a sheet. The chain gripper carriage is arranged to be attached to at least one chain that is arranged to guide the chain gripper carriage on a guide path through at least part of the die-cutting machine. The chain gripper carriage includes a contact element functionally connected to the holding element. A chain gripper opener includes a contact surface at which, in the presence of the gripper carriage at the contact surface, the contact element cooperates with the chain gripper opener. The holding element is transferred at least from a closed position into an open position by cooperation of the chain gripper opener with the contact element. The chain gripper opener is adjustable by at least one drive.

This invention provides a stacker for use in forming stacks of cut sheets received from an upstream utilization device (e.g. a printer, cutter, etc.) that allows for positive driving of sheets into a stack using a stacking unit that includes a series of grippers that are adapted to grip and release a leading edge of each sheet at the appropriate time. In this manner, each sheet is gripped as it arrives from the upstream operation and is passed downstream into the stack, being released so as to properly decelerate at the stack's backstop. The grippers are mounted on a continuous belt between a pair of opposing drive sprockets. An edge sensor located upstream of the stacking unit triggers motion of the belts. The grippers are actuated by a mechanical cam arrangement to selectively grip and release at predetermined positions as the belt is driven.

A substrate unloading system comprising a gripper mounted on a slanted plane and movable along the slanted plane, and a platen onto which the substrate is attached, the platen configured to be moved down in a vertical direction and away from the gripper in a horizontal direction, the gripper and the platen configured to move simultaneously so that the substrate remains substantially horizontal.

A sheet guide includes an endless belt, and a guide supported by a plurality of places of the endless belt, the guide configured to hold a downstream end of the sheet in a conveyance direction of the sheet, wherein the endless belt is configured to rotate to move the sheet held by the guide in the conveyance direction.