Abstract: A stacking device for articles to be contained that comprises a first station placed downstream of a longitudinal article infeed line, and a second station, downstream with respect to the former, connected to a horizontal plate. The second station comprises two longitudinal rollers, each of which is provided with a longitudinal flat part in the region of which is locked a longitudinal sustaining strip. With the rollers in the non-operative position, the two sustaining strips are side by side and define a channel for receiving the articles coming from the first station. Inside the channel, sensors are provided for detecting the formation of one layer of articles placed transversely side by side.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an apparatus that comprises grasping suction pads designed to grip the bottom blank in a pile and, in cooperation first of all with second grasping suction pads, then with an intermediate arm, and finally with third grasping suction pads, to open the blank while it is held stably in a forming station through the contemporaneous gripping of two lateral walls that are maintained orthogonal by the first and second grasping suction pads. At the forming station, first folding devices attend to the folding of the flaps that define the bottom of the container, subsequently to which a pile of articles is placed inside the container. Once this has been done, second folding devices attend to the folding of the flaps that define the cover of the container.