Method and apparatus for the reduction of environmental pollution produced in material handling operations, especially but not exclusive in the transfer of material between two conveyor belts, one of material input and one of output of said material, are disclosed here. The pollution reduction mechanism is based on the reduction of the distance in free fall that the material travels from the material input conveyor belt, by means of maintaining live load of material inside the chute. To achieve this objective, the method considers: measuring the weight of the chute with material; the measurement of one of the two flows; the calculation of the rapidity of change of the weight of the chute; and the regulation of the mass flow of input to the chute or the regulation of the mass flow of output from the chute.

Automatic machine for inserting in an homogeneous and metered manner into stuffed articles of various kind, in particular but not exclusively clothes articles, of stuffing material of various kind such as polyester fibers, plumage and the like, adapted to maintain the heat into the same articles. Machine into which it is introduced the stuffing material contained into bags or containers provided by the producing and transforming firms of the same material, and such material is introduced and collected into a collecting and stocking container, from which the material is let to fall into underlying weighing containers communicating with the container, for weighing the material by loading cells, and the weighed material is subsequently transferred into an injection station adapted to insert and inject the same material into the pockets or spaces of each clothes article. There are described in detail the conformation of these component parts and the remaining operative component parts of the machine, as well as all the operations which are carried out for setting and controlling the different operative cycles of the machine.

Automatic machine for inserting in an homogeneous and metered manner into stuffed articles of various kind, in particular but not exclusively clothes articles, of stuffing material of various kind such as polyester fibers, plumage and the like, adapted to maintain the heat into the same articles. Machine into which it is introduced the stuffing material contained into bags or containers provided by the producing and transforming firms of the same material, and such material is introduced and collected into a collecting and stocking container, from which the material is let to fall into underlying weighing containers communicating with the container, for weighing the material by loading cells, and the weighed material is subsequently transferred into an injection station adapted to insert and inject the same material into the pockets or spaces of each clothes article. There are described in detail the conformation of these component parts and the remaining operative component parts of the machine, as well as all the operations which are carried out for setting and controlling the different operative cycles of the machine.

An addition system for introducing particulate material into an industrial process is disclosed. The addition system comprises a vessel for holding the particulate material, a weighing device, piping, a controller, and a frame to support the piping. The piping comprises a first valve for transferring the particulate material to the industrial process, and a second valve for transferring a first stream of pressurized gas from a source of pressurized gas to the vessel. The vessel comprises a quick-release hatch located on the top of the vessel.

An addition system for introducing particulate material into an industrial process is disclosed. The addition system comprises a vessel for holding the particulate material, a weighing device, piping, a controller, and a frame to support the piping. The piping comprises a first valve for transferring the particulate material to the industrial process, and a second valve for transferring a first stream of pressurized gas from a source of pressurized gas to the vessel. The vessel comprises a quick-release hatch located on the top of the vessel.