Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for loading and unloading a tray of a freeze drying plant with a number of vials. An example apparatus includes a transfer table upstream of the freeze drying plant for receiving temporarily said vials and a pusher apparatus for displacing said vials between said transfer table and said tray. The pusher apparatus includes right and left transport carriages and a loading element. With the example apparatus, the vials are securely transferred with little friction onto/from the tray, and the transport carriages are disposed on the transfer table and/or on the tray to form a lateral limitation of the transfer table and/or of the tray for the vials located on the edge of the transfer table and/or of the tray to directly abut a transport carriage during loading or unloading.

Abstract: Described in the examples herein are devices for loading and unloading of an adjusting plate of a freeze-drying apparatus with a number of vials, with a transfer table provided upstream of the freeze-drying apparatus for temporary accommodation of the vials, with a shifting device for shifting the vials from the transfer table onto the adjusting plate or from the adjusting plate onto the transfer table, and with a right and/or left side limit. According to one example, the creation of a device, so that the vials can be brought into and out of the freeze-drying apparatus by maintaining their sequence and order, is achieved by the side limit being provided with elements which are movable with low friction by striking vials.

Abstract: The subject matter of the disclosure is an apparatus for loading and unloading a tray (16) of a freeze drying plant (10) with a number of vials (18), with a transfer table (20) provided upstream of the freeze drying plant (10) for receiving temporarily said vials (18), and with a pusher apparatus for displacing said vials (18) from said transfer table (20) to said tray (16) or from said tray (16) to said transfer table (20), said pusher apparatus including a right-handed and a left-handed transport carriage (30) and a loading element (38).

Abstract: The object of the disclosure is an apparatus for loading and unloading a tray (16) of a freeze drying plant (10) with a number of vials (16), with a transfer table (20) provided upstream of the freeze drying plant (10) for receiving temporarily said vials (18), and with a pusher apparatus for displacing said vials (18) from said transfer table (20) to said tray (16) or from said tray (16) to said transfer table (20), said pusher apparatus including a right-handed and a left-handed transport carriage.(30). To provide an apparatus for loading and unloading a tray of a freeze drying plant that allows for proper unloading of the tray even if the distance between neighbouring trays of the freeze drying plant is reduced to a minimum is achieved in that the pusher apparatus further includes a loading element (38) and an unloading pusher (50), said loading element (38) being disposed outside of the freeze drying plant (10) whilst the unloading pusher (50) is arranged inside the freeze drying plant (10).