Abstract: A retrieval system for rapidly removing articles from a plastic molding machine or other manufacturing process includes a pair of lightweight carbon fiber tubes arranged for telescoping motion into and out of an open mold. The telescoping tubes are driven by a low inertial cable drive system. A high volume, low pressure vacuum is supplied to the telescoping tubes and, in turn, to a set of receivers mounted on the pair of telescoping tubes to rapidly draw molded articles from the mold as they are conventionally ejected therefrom. A differential vacuum sensing system provides confirmation that all of the molded articles have been drawn from the mold by the receivers. Withdrawal of the pair of telescoping tubes, with the molded articles just retrieved, from the open mold is then initiated simultaneously with initiation of closure of the mold in preparation for a new molding cycle.

Abstract: A stacked container handling system includes an input section having an input conveyor onto which a box, containing a multiplicity of empty stacked containers arranged in a matrix of rows and columns of vertical stacks of containers, is manually or automatically placed in upside down position. Following removal of the box to expose the matrix of vertical stacks of containers, the vertical stacks of containers are moved forward by the input conveyor to a hinged lay-down table that rotates from an upright position in which one row at a time of the stacked containers is received to a horizontal position from which the received row of stacked containers is unloaded. The stacked container handling system may also include an output section having an output accumulation conveyor that serves to move a desired number of horizontal stacks of containers onto a lift table having a hinged bed that rotates from a horizontal position to an upright position.