A substance weighing system and method are provided. The system includes a balance, and axle, a substance dish, an axle support bracket, and an axle rotator. The axle has a rotational axis extending between first and second axial ends. The substance dish is fixed to the axle adjacent the first axial end. The axle support bracket mounts the axle relative to the balance and in a manner that permits the axle to rotate about its rotational axis. The axle rotator has a motor and a clutch mechanism. The clutch mechanism communicates with the motor and is configured to cause the axle to rotate between first and second rotational positions. In the first rotational position the substance dish is positioned to hold a substance, and the axle rotator is in a contactless state. In the second rotational position, the substance dish is positioned to release the substance.

A substance weighing system and method are provided. The system includes a balance, and axle, a substance dish, an axle support bracket, and an axle rotator. The axle has a rotational axis extending between first and second axial ends. The substance dish is fixed to the axle adjacent the first axial end. The axle support bracket mounts the axle relative to the balance and in a manner that permits the axle to rotate about its rotational axis. The axle rotator has a motor and a clutch mechanism. The clutch mechanism communicates with the motor and is configured to cause the axle to rotate between first and second rotational positions. In the first rotational position the substance dish is positioned to hold a substance, and the axle rotator is in a contactless state. In the second rotational position, the substance dish is positioned to release the substance.

A material handling machine dispenses uniformly metered charges of smoking material from a bulk supply, by means of a metered material feeder that has a first hopper with an opening disposed over a first horizontal chute. The first chute is mounted on slanted springs and has a dispensing end above a second chute also mounted upon slanted springs. The second chute discharges onto a tippable weighing tray above a set of nested hoppers in which one is fixed and the other is vertically movable. A weight sensor may be attached to the tippable tray or the fixed hopper, or both. The move-able hopper may comprise a forming belt indenter to form a trough in a cigarette rolling apparatus. The first hopper may include an agitator that has at least one vertical rod for stirring the bulk material. The dispensing end of the first chute may also include a rotating rake.

A material handling machine dispenses uniformly metered charges of smoking material from a bulk supply, by means of a metered material feeder that has a first hopper with an opening disposed over a first horizontal chute. The first chute is mounted on slanted springs and has a dispensing end above a second chute also mounted upon slanted springs. The second chute discharges onto a tippable weighing tray above a set of nested hoppers in which one is fixed and the other is vertically movable. A weight sensor may be attached to the tippable tray or the fixed hopper, or both. The move-able hopper may comprise a forming belt indenter to form a trough in a cigarette rolling apparatus. The first hopper may include an agitator that has at least one vertical rod for stirring the bulk material. The dispensing end of the first chute may also include a rotating rake.

Produce sorting systems and methods that utilize a conveyor system to move produce through stages such as singulation, camera inspection, weight, and sorting. The sorting systems and methods may utilize conveyor systems having carrier segments that provide for increased speed, efficiency, accuracy, reliability, durability, and lower maintenance.

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a bulk material handling method includes receiving bulk material on a first level of a system at receiving stations equipped with dust control filtration equipment, pneumatically conveying the bulk material up to a third level into bulk material storage hoppers, storing the bulk material, dispensing the stored bulk material to a bulk material transporter on the first level, including dosing the stored bulk material to an interior of a bulk material dosing hopper to create a bulk material dose, docking the dosing hopper with the transporter via a docking apparatus, and releasing the dose into the interior of the transporter, through a reduced pressure region in an internal volume of the docking apparatus. Other disclosed aspects include a related system, subsystems, and apparatuses.

A cigarette rolling machine deposits uniformly metered charges of smoking material into a trough formed in a belt as dispensed from a bulk supply. A length of smoking paper sufficient for the combined length of two cigarettes is deposited nearby on the belt on a movable platen. As the platen moves, the belt glides over a fixed arbor and at least one other movable arbor, and the belt forms into a bight, rolling the material into a cylindrical volume. Filters are delivered and abutted to the ends of the volume and the smoking paper is entrained into the bight to encircle the smoking material and filters. A pre-moistened adhesive along a leading edge of the paper adheres to its trailing edge as a circular ouroboros and forming a tube. The twinned pair of cigarettes is then drawn across a cutting plane knife and parted into two individual cigarettes.

A cigarette rolling machine deposits uniformly metered charges of smoking material into a trough formed in a belt as dispensed from a bulk supply. A length of smoking paper sufficient for the combined length of two cigarettes is deposited nearby on the belt on a movable platen. As the platen moves, the belt glides over a fixed arbor and at least one other movable arbor, and the belt forms into a bight, rolling the material into a cylindrical volume. Filters are delivered and abutted to the ends of the volume and the smoking paper is entrained into the bight to encircle the smoking material and filters. A pre-moistened adhesive along a leading edge of the paper adheres to its trailing edge as a circular ouroboros and forming a tube. The twinned pair of cigarettes is then drawn across a cutting plane knife and parted into two individual cigarettes.

The hopper body has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall that face each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and that connect between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a first corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the third sidewall and a second corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the fourth sidewall are bent in direction away from the distal end portion of the trough and also a first edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the first corner portion and a second edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the second corner portion are bent in direction closer to the distal end portion of the trough.

The hopper body has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall that face each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and that connect between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a first corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the third sidewall and a second corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the fourth sidewall are bent in direction away from the distal end portion of the trough and also a first edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the first corner portion and a second edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the second corner portion are bent in direction closer to the distal end portion of the trough.