A machine for applying spouts to containers includes a heating tunnel for heating spouts, and a conveyor for conveying spouts through the heating tunnel for heating. The conveyor is a loop conveyor including a plurality of spout holding rack assemblies mounted thereon, wherein the loop conveyor defines a conveyor path from a spout loading zone, through the heating tunnel and then back to the spout loading zone. The machine includes (i) multi-material warp resistant rack holding assemblies, and/or (ii) a spout infeed track at a spout infeed side of the conveyor that includes an adjustment assembly for permitting adjustment of a number of spouts fed from the spout infeed track into an aligned spout holding rack assembly, and/or (iii) a spout emptying passage at a spout outfeed side of the conveyor, and/or (iv) a controller configured to track the position of each spout holding rack assembly along the conveyor path.

A machine for applying spouts to containers includes a heating tunnel for heating spouts, and a conveyor for conveying spouts through the heating tunnel for heating. The conveyor is a loop conveyor including a plurality of spout holding rack assemblies mounted thereon, wherein the loop conveyor defines a conveyor path from a spout loading zone, through the heating tunnel and then back to the spout loading zone. The machine includes (i) multi-material warp resistant rack holding assemblies, and/or (ii) a spout infeed track at a spout infeed side of the conveyor that includes an adjustment assembly for permitting adjustment of a number of spouts fed from the spout infeed track into an aligned spout holding rack assembly, and/or (iii) a spout emptying passage at a spout outfeed side of the conveyor, and/or (iv) a controller configured to track the position of each spout holding rack assembly along the conveyor path.

A mobile removable hearth skid for a furnace and/or cooling chamber including: a base, the base including a top horizontal surface supporting a refractory platform which possesses a perimeter edge including a front perimeter edge, a rear perimeter edge, and at least two side perimeter edges. The rear perimeter edge and the at least two side perimeter edges form a continuous shoulder extending beyond the base perimeter edge. Also disclosed is a furnace and/or cooling chamber including a refractory lining with a continuous ledge at the bottom edges of the refractory linings mounted on the rear wall and the at least two side walls. A gap is formed by the furnace supports between a bottom surface of the ledge and a surface supporting the furnace supports. The shoulder and ledge form a removable refractory seal.