Abstract: A system and method are described herein for tracking and instructing assembly of flexible modular products on a single assembly line. The systems enable methods for tracking components and procedures as well as tools used in the assembly of components using various sensors and devices along the line. The systems also enable methods for instructing and tracking usage of tools for procedures. Data from various sensors, stations, nodes, and relating to each particular assembly item are stored in a distributed ledger that is verified and secured for use as a production log including each action taken on the assembly item which may later be used for audit purposes as well as to increase confidence in the assembly of product variations on the assembly line.

Abstract: A food-product loader has a conveyor passing through its cabinet, and the cabinet is formed with a bulk hopper. The loader is loaded with elongate pieces of food-product by way of dumping a heaping mass of the food-product pieces into the bulk hopper all at one time. The loader ultimately handles the heap of food-product pieces such that, the loader loads the pieces onto the conveyor in neat lanes, with individual pieces slightly spaced apart from one another. To do this, the loader is constructed with a series or array of soft-sided dispensing sleeves or funnels which are mechanically massaged to tease out one piece at a time, and only one piece at a time.

Abstract: A food-product loader (16) has a conveyor (18) passing through its cabinet (26), and the cabinet (26) is formed with a bulk hopper (28). The loader (16) is loaded with elongate pieces of food-product by way of dumping a heaping mass of the food-product pieces into the bulk hopper (28) all at one time. The loader (16) ultimately handles the heap of food-product pieces such that, the loader (16) loads the pieces onto the conveyor 18 in neat lanes, with individual pieces slightly spaced apart from one another. To do this, the loader (16) is constructed with a series or array of soft-sided dispensing sleeves or funnels (20) which are mechanically massaged to tease out one piece at a time, and only one piece at a time.

Abstract: Device of the type including a system against which a side of meat suspended from the conveyor of a slaughterhouse line bears, capable of orientating the side of meat about its hanging point, a system for taking shots which is located on one side of the conveyor, a luminous or contrasting background situated facing the system for taking shots, on the other side of the conveyor, a system for processing the shots and a control system. The system against which each side of meat bears includes a vertical post, the axis of which passes through the axis of the hook of the conveyor, this post being driven in terms of rotation by a gear motor unit and associated with a mechanism for indexing its angular position, the post having, diametrically opposite each other, two series of bearing limit stops for a side of meat, each limit stop including a support fixed to the post used for mounting a horizontal bar forming the limit stop proper.

Abstract: A turntable means regulates the flow of animals, for example, ratites (includes ostrich and emu) through a slaughtering facility. The turntable means has a circular turntable rotating about an axis within a circular perimeter wall. The perimeter wall has a first opening leading to a holding area and a second opening leading to a stunning area. The turntable has a plurality of upstanding walls extending radially from the axis and forming confinement sectors for receiving the animals. The turntable means moves the animals from the first area to the second area by moving the animals about the axis while on the turntable via the confinement sectors from the first opening to the second opening. The rotation of the turntable is controlled in order to regulate the flow of the animals from the first area to the second area.

Abstract: An apparatus for the timed feeding of fish into fish processing machines serves to supply such fish into a conveyor pushing them along in a direction transversal to their longitudinal axis and being provided with receiving troughs or entrainers. In order to be able to obtain the high performance non-mechanical feeding required in view of the high yield of modern processing machines while restricting as much as possible the physical stress on the staff responsible therefor, or to increase the non-mechanical performance without increasing the stress, a feeding apparatus is provided above the conveyor of the processing machine which apparatus includes a rotary entraining table or spider driven in synchronism with the conveyor.