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 tray is provided for conveying a workpiece placed on the tray inside a heat treatment furnace. The tray includes plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts for respectively regulating horizontal positional displacements of plural kinds of workpieces with different sizes, wherein the plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts are arranged concentrically in a plane shape.

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 threading apparatus for transporting an electrode plate includes an oven, a first guide rail and a second guide rail, and a threading assembly. The first guide rail and the second guide rail are spaced apart from each other inside the oven in a first direction. A first opening and a second opening are respectively provided on a surface of the first guide rail and a surface of the second guide rail that face each other. Two ends of the threading assembly in the first direction are movably disposed in the first guide rail and the second guide rail through the first opening and the second opening, respectively. The threading assembly is configured to be connected to the electrode plate for transporting the electrode plate inside the oven.

A device for separating interconnected transport boats that are movable in a first plane in an intended direction of motion includes a substantially oval, non-circular separation disk aligned parallel to the first plane and connected to a rotary drive and a lifting device via a drive shaft. The separation disk is movable by means of the lifting device in the direction of the transport boats to be separated in order to engage with a corresponding total recess in the transport boats to be separated. In addition, the separation disk is rotatably movable in, and/or parallel to, the first plane by means of the rotary drive in order to separate the transport boats to be separated from each other by rotating the separation disk.

A tray is provided for conveying a workpiece placed on the tray inside a heat treatment furnace. The tray includes plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts for respectively regulating horizontal positional displacements of plural kinds of workpieces with different sizes, wherein the plural kinds of positional displacement regulating parts are arranged concentrically in a plane shape.

A method of producing a ceramic fired body may includes a step of passing a first accommodating shelf through a firing kiln, the first accommodating shelf including a stack of units of a shelf plate and a frame placed on the shelf plate, one or more ceramic bodies placed on the shelf plate being surrounded by the frame extending in a circumferential direction between the shelf plates; a step of retrieving one or more frames from the first accommodating shelf which has passed through the firing kiln; a step of using the one or more retrieved frames to build a second accommodating shelf for passing through the firing kiln; and a step of rotating the retrieved frame such that a rotational position of the retrieved frame when the second accommodating shelf passes through the firing kiln is different from a rotational position of the retrieved frame when the first accommodating shelf passed through the firing kiln.

A device for separating interconnected transport boats that are movable in a first plane in an intended direction of motion includes a substantially oval, non-circular separation disk aligned parallel to the first plane and connected to a rotary drive and a lifting device via a drive shaft. The separation disk is movable by means of the lifting device in the direction of the transport boats to be separated in order to engage with a corresponding total recess in the transport boats to be separated. In addition, the separation disk is rotatably movable in, and/or parallel to, the first plane by means of the rotary drive in order to separate the transport boats to be separated from each other by rotating the separation disk.

A threading apparatus for transporting an electrode plate includes an oven, a first guide rail and a second guide rail, and a threading assembly. The first guide rail and the second guide rail are spaced apart from each other inside the oven in a first direction. A first opening and a second opening are respectively provided on a surface of the first guide rail and a surface of the second guide rail that face each other. Two ends of the threading assembly in the first direction are movably disposed in the first guide rail and the second guide rail through the first opening and the second opening, respectively. The threading assembly is configured to be connected to the electrode plate for transporting the electrode plate inside the oven.