Abstract: Apparatus and process for producing a clay slurry from raw clay in a substantially dust-free manner including a water-driven vacuum eductor for metering the removal of clay from a super bag container and mixing the clay with a carrier water that also serves as the motive force for the eductor for producing a clay slurry and feeding it to an equalization tank that de-aerates and equalizes the slurry. A bag shaker is provided in the source of clay to assist feeding where needed, and a vacuum breaking valve is provided for the eductor to control the flow of raw clay into the eductor. The bag of clay is suspended from a load cell that continuously delivers a weight signal to a programmable logic controller adjustable to set the rate of clay being fed to the eductor and to activate the bag shaker if the clay flow rate lags the set rate and the vacuum breaker if the clay flow rate exceeds the set rate.

Abstract: In a sheet-supply device, a substantially T-shaped cutaway portion is provided in a projected portion, which is provided to an inclined wall and at a position corresponding to a sheet-supply roller near a lower end of the inclined wall that holds a stack of sheets loaded to a hopper portion. A first friction member is slidably supported in the cutaway portion so as to slide along the inclined wall from a downstream, normal position to an upstream position in a sheet feed direction. The first friction member includes a base portion and a pad portion, the pad portion is made of corkrubber and adhered to a surface of the base portion. A frictional coefficient ? of the pad portion is relatively high, i.e., frictional coefficient between adjacent sheets (approximately 0.6)???1.0.

Abstract: Transporting an essentially sheet-shaped element, particularly for transporting a print material sheet in a printing press in which the sheet-shaped element is taken hold of by at least one rotating transport having at least one mouth-like receptacle for introducing the front-edge region of the sheet-shaped element at a grasping location in its front-edge region, entrained up to a delivery location and delivered there, the sheet-shaped element being bent during the entraining over a rotation or curvature radius. The sheet-shaped element is taken hold of by at least one grasping device in the region of the mouth-like receptacle, particularly actively and in a compulsory manner.

Abstract: In a spring-action suction head for separating sheets from a sheet stack, a first suction chamber, which can be subjected to vacuum is provided for lifting the sheet. The first suction chamber is surrounded coaxially by a second suction chamber, which can be subjected to vacuum, for holding and lowering the spring-action suction head in a controlled manner.

Abstract: A paper sheet detection apparatus comprising a conveying belt which conveys a paper sheet along a conveying surface, a detection sensor which is provided opposite to the conveying surface and detects a paper sheet conveyed by the conveying belt, a sensor guide which is provided in at least the paper sheet take-in side of the detection sensor and formed with upper and lower guide members disposed opposite to each other at both side of the conveying surface, a nozzle which is provided in the opposite surface of the upper and lower guide members, and a gas supply device which supplies compressed gas to the upper and lower guide members and ejects the gas from the nozzle between the pair of guide members.

Abstract: Process for recovering at least 70% of hollow glass microspheres having an average diameter, according to the ASTM D1214-1989, ranging from 5 to 200 ?m contained in a mixture of drilling mud and cuttings which comprises: a) screening, if necessary, the mixture through one or more 5 to 20 mesh sieves; b) feeding the screened mixture to one or more cyclones and/or hydrocyclones arranged in series, each of which is fed with a volume flow-rate from 1.5 to 10 times higher than the maximum nominal operating value.

Abstract: A paper pickup mechanism located on one side of a feeding paper tray consists of a pickup roller, a plurality of gears and a plurality of linkage bars to form a highly free mechanism that drives the pickup roller rotating in the paper feeding direction and generating a torque to enable the pickup roller exerting a force on the top paper of the paper tray and provide an automatic compensating paper pickup force. By rearranging the structural locations of the elements, fewer gears are required to transmit the driving power, and energy loss and noise generation are reduced.

Abstract: A delivery device for stacking cut flat articles such as rotary cross cut sheets has a braking table downstream of a sheet feeder which is provided with two counterrotating disks which are perforated and communicate with suction passages on the table beneath the disks to brake the sheets as they are supplied to a stacker. At the edge of this table, there is a broad slit nozzle directing a sheet of air upwardly onto the underside of the sheets which are delivered to the stacker.

Abstract: A substrate manager for a substrate exposure machine is used, in one example, as a platesetter. As such, it comprises a substrate storage system, containing one or more stacks of substrates, such as plates in one implementation. A substrate picker is provided for picking substrates from the stack of substrates. The substrates are then handed to a transfer system that conveys the substrates to an imaging engine. According to the invention, a substrate inverter system is also provided. This system inverts the substrates from being imaging or emulsion side down to emulsion side up in the present implementation. This allows plates, for example, which are stored emulsion side down in cassettes to be flipped to an emulsion side up orientation, and then transferred, using the substrate transfer system to the imaging engine. This flipping process has two advantages. First, the plates can be emulsion side up during the transfer. This prevents any damage to the sensitive plate emulsions.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an image forming device includes an image forming mechanism for forming an image onto print media. The device includes a media pusher having at least one flexible arm for moving the imaged media along a media path.

Abstract: A device is provided for monitoring sheets from which cards with a monetary value and/or identity cards are punched, where the cards are arranged in rows on the sheets. The device is configured such that the number of cameras used is independent of the number of rows of cards. The device has a table on which at least two sheets can be laid. A camera can be moved along and across the table, and a conveyor device travels along the table above the camera.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a media tray for an imaging apparatus for receiving a sheet of media. The media tray includes a base having a first side region and a second side region, a first sheet support member, a second sheet support member, a first mechanism, a second mechanism, and a force applying mechanism. The first and second mechanisms pivotally couple the first and second sheet support members to the side regions of the base, respectively. The force applying mechanism applies a force on the first and second sheet support members such that each of the first and second sheet support members diverge upwardly and outwardly from the base. The force applying mechanism includes a first cam member or first spring mechanism positioned between the first sheet support member and the base and a second cam member or second spring mechanism positioned between the second sheet support member and the base.