Abstract: A vacuum deadplate is provided which has a surface with a low coefficient of friction and spaced longitudinal slots through which a vacuum can be drawn. The vacuum deadplate can be used in conjunction with a vacuum transfer device or a palletizing device and the position of the vacuum plenum slot under the longitudinal slots can be varied to provide optimum results.

Abstract: A deadplate construction is provided for maintaining an equilateral contiguous triangular configuration of flexible walled containers as they move across the deadplate. The containers are held in this alignment by side rails which engage the containers at their rigid bottom-most portion and has a downstream edge whose most downstream portion is truncated so that the downstream container is subjected to the vacuum of the transfer belt before the other containers in the diagonal row. In addition, adjacent the downstream edge of the deadplate are slots which correspond in width and positioning to the openings in the transfer belt for the outside container and a narrower slot is provided over one of the rows of openings in the transfer belt for the center container.