Abstract: A conveyor oven for cooking food items, having a conveyor belt that passes through the oven. The conveyor belt may include a plurality of tablets composed of a stone-like material attached to a stainless steel linking assembly, or alternatively, a drive chain. Infrared radiation heat sources are provided above and below the conveyor belt. Food passing through the oven on the conveyor belt is cooked by heat transferred directly from radiant heat sources. Cooking is also facilitated by heating stone-like tablets of the conveyor belt with infrared heat sources inserted inside the conveyor belt loop. Heat is transferred from the tablets to the food items, producing superior qualities in the cooked food. Waste heat is reduced by providing a means for automatic control of the heating elements.

Abstract: Method and system are provided for the automated assembly of parts such as plastic parts into assemblies wherein assembly pallets loaded with their corresponding assemblies are stored and vertically indexed in an accumulator station to allow a previously applied material such as an adhesive to cure. Consequently, the system takes up little floor space. Entrance, dispensing and assembly stations, together with the accumulator station each has an enclosed chamber which is pressurized with an ambient at subatmospheric pressure in order to evacuate the enclosed chambers so that fumes from the adhesive utilized in securing the parts together are not allowed to escape at the stations during assembly of the parts.