A packaging machine having several work stations, a transport chain and a chain deflection pulley on which the transport chain is mounted. The transport chain comprises chain clips, each chain clip having an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part and/or the lower part may be moveable relative to each other to move the chain clips between an open position and a closed position. The material blank may be introduced into the open chain clips and secured in the closed chain clips to transport the material blank in a direction of transport using the transport chain. A chain opening mechanism may be actively and operably changed between an opening state and a closing state in order to open and close at least one chain clip disposed on a planar oriented section of the transport chain and/or to maintain an already opened chain clip in an open state.

A method for operating a packaging machine including one or more of the method steps advancing a transport chain along a chain deflection pulley, wherein chain clips are arranged on the transport chain and moved during the advancing motion of the transport chain along a run-on contour, to open at least one of the chain clips; introducing a flat material blank into the at least one open chain clip using a feed device or by entraining the flat material blank using a connection to a second material blank preceding the flat material blank, wherein the material blank enters the open chain clip during an advancing motion of the transport chain; closing the chain clip by leaving the run-on contour, to grip and secure the material blank in the chain clip; and transporting the material blank to a work station using the transport chain.

An apparatus for separating blanks from a stack of blanks includes a drive shaft that interacts with the drive unit and that drives a belt arranged in a cassette. The drive shaft is neither enclosed nor carried by the cassette. A reversible securing means secures the cassette to a carrying structure of the apparatus in a detachable manner in such a way that the cassette can be repeatedly removed or detached and then refitted.

The invention relates to a machine for dispensing perfume-testing supports, comprising support storage means for storing a batch of supports, support-dispensing means for transporting the supports one by one to a delivery point, and support impregnation means for depositing a perfume sample on each dispensed support, before the dispensing thereof. The dispensing means comprise support-marking means for marking each dispensed support at the moment of the dispensing thereof, the marking means and the impregnation means being automatically actuated during the dispensing process.

A substrate-feeding device has at least two acceleration devices, which are arranged one beside the other, beneath a storage region, and having a framework and a lifting frame, which lifting frame can be moved relative to the framework. The at least two acceleration devices are arranged for movement jointly with one another, and with the lifting frame. Each of the acceleration devices has at least one body of rotation, which is driven via a common shaft which has at least two shaft portions arranged one behind the other. Directly adjacent shaft portions are arranged in a state in which they are connected in each case, via a coupling. There are subassemblies provided which each have a deflecting device, a shaft portion and at least one transporting belt and which are each one of fastened on the lifting frame, and are arranged for movement jointly with the lifting frame and are connected to one another by virtue of their shaft portions being connected via couplings to form the common shaft. The invention also relates to a sheet-processing machine.

A device for feeding sheet products into a thick sheet feeding machine including an insertion gantry, a feed carriage sliding on rails. The device includes an insertion head configured as a gantry. The insertion head includes a crosspiece and support legs positioned on the rails and a system of suction cups located in the crosspiece through a forward movement mechanism allowing the system to move. The device includes an insertion module moving vertically on guides of the insertion gantry, a base for placing the sheets, and an alignment control device for aligning the sheets with respect to the insertion module. The sheets are suctioned by the suction cups, which are moved by the forward movement mechanism in the direction of the insertion gantry.

A friction sheet feeding machine is provided. The friction sheet feeding machine comprises a hopper configured to hold a stack of items. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a receiver configured to receive an item from the stack of items. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a separating mechanism configured to separate the item from the stack of items. The separating mechanism comprises a drive mechanism. The drive mechanism is configured to operate in a forward direction and a reverse direction. The friction sheet feeding machine also comprises a controller configured to generate signals to the drive mechanism to operate in the forward direction for a first period of time, and in the reverse direction for a second period of time.

A packaging machine having several work stations, a transport chain and a chain deflection pulley on which the transport chain is mounted. The transport chain comprises chain clips, each chain clip having an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part and/or the lower part may be moveable relative to each other to move the chain clips between an open position and a closed position. The material blank may be introduced into the open chain clips and secured in the closed chain clips to transport the material blank in a direction of transport using the transport chain. A chain opening mechanism may be actively and operably changed between an opening state and a closing state in order to open and close at least one chain clip disposed on a planar oriented section of the transport chain and/or to maintain an already opened chain clip in an open state.

A method for operating a packaging machine including one or more of the method steps advancing a transport chain along a chain deflection pulley, wherein chain clips are arranged on the transport chain and moved during the advancing motion of the transport chain along a run-on contour, to open at least one of the chain clips; introducing a flat material blank into the at least one open chain clip using a feed device or by entraining the flat material blank using a connection to a second material blank preceding the flat material blank, wherein the material blank enters the open chain clip during an advancing motion of the transport chain; closing the chain clip by leaving the run-on contour, to grip and secure the material blank in the chain clip; and transporting the material blank to a work station using the transport chain.

An assembly (100) and method for bottoming feeding sheets from a stack of sheets to a top-feed sheet feeding mechanism (F) on a device (P), such as a copy machine. The assembly (100) includes a sheet feeder (200), a transport arm (300), and a final height adjustment block (420) translatably attached to and extending along the distal end (302) of the transport arm (300) for limited transverse (T) translation relative to the machine direction (MD).