Abstract: An apparatus for separating nested foam cups, includes a support for guiding a stack of nested foam cups in a first direction to a mandrel for printing thereon; a first annular opening in the support for supplying an annular supply of pressurized air to a position between a forwardmost foam cup and a next adjacent nested foam cup such that the pressurized air travels in a second direction having a component opposite to the first direction and such that the pressurized air travels in a cavity between the forwardmost cup and the nested adjacent cup to separate the forwardmost cup from the next adjacent cup; and second openings in the support downstream of the first annular opening for supplying pressurized air to the separated forwardmost cup in order to further advance the forwardmost cup toward the mandrel.

Abstract: A tube loading system includes two flat conveyor belts which are perpendicular to each other for holding a tube having an open end thereagainst with two lines of contact; a motor drive for moving the conveyor belts; a gap between the two lines of contact at meeting edges of the conveyor belts; a vacuum source positioned behind the conveyor belts for supplying a vacuum to the gap so as to pull the tube against both conveyor belts in engagement with the two lines of contact; a pin chain having a plurality of pins spaced therealong for receiving the open ends of the tubes thereon, the pins being positioned adjacent the conveyor belts; and a delivery device for supplying the tubes in sequence to the conveyor belts such that each tube is held in engagement against both conveyor belts with the two lines of contact by the vacuum at the gap, and as the belt moves, each tube is deposited on a respective pin of the pin chain.

Abstract: A tube loading system includes an endless vacuum belt wrapped about two rollers; a servo motor for incrementally rotating at least one of the rollers so as to move the vacuum belt; a vacuum plenum in contact with an inner side of the belt and over which the belt rides for applying a vacuum to one side of a portion of the vacuum belt in order to hold a tube having an open end on an opposite side of the portion of the vacuum belt; a source of vacuum fluidly connected to the vacuum plenum; a pin chain having a plurality of pins spaced therealong for receiving the open ends of the tubes thereon, the pin chain being positioned adjacent the vacuum belt and the pins extending in a direction substantially parallel to the portion of the belt such that the open ends of the articles are positioned over the pins; and a conveyor for supplying the tubes in a line one at a time to the portion of the vacuum belt such that each tube is held by the vacuum thereat and as the belt moves, each tube is deposited on a respective pi

Abstract: A lid infeed system includes a pair of parallel and adjacent spinning rods for holding a stack of lids thereon; a feed plate assembly including a back plate at a forward end of the spinning rods against which the lids are moved against by the spinning rods, a front plate in front of the back plate, an inlet opening defined by the front plate and the back plate, an outlet opening defined by the front plate and the back plate, a vertically elongated vacuum opening arranged at a position offset to one side of a center plane between the spinning rods so as to pull only one side of the forwardmost one of the lids against the back plate and away from a next one of the lids of the stack, a finger rotatably mounted adjacent the vacuum opening, a drive for rotating the finger to force the forwardmost one of the lids toward the inlet opening after the forwardmost one of the lids has been pulled against the back plate and away from the next one of the lids of the stack at the vacuum opening, and a vacuum release opening

Abstract: An apparatus for positioning a handle of a pail for a printing operation on the pail, includes a mandrel assembly for rotatably supporting a pail thereon, the mandrel assembly including a backstop; a first stopper mechanism for restraining second and subsequent pails of a stack; a puller mechanism movably mounted on a track and including a pulling arm for pulling a first pail of the stack from the stack while the first stopper mechanism holds the second and subsequent pails of the stack; a brush roller mounted in contact with a free end of a handle of the first pail of the stack; a motor rotating the brush roller to move the handle of the first pail to a first position out of engagement with remaining pails of the stack; a temporary holding device positioned at the first position which releasably holds the handle in the first position, and releases the handle after disengagement of the first pail from the stack; a pusher mechanism movably mounted on the track and including a pusher arm for engaging a bottom o

Abstract: A two stage feeding apparatus and method for feeding articles to a printing machine are disclosed. The apparatus comprises a transfer tray between a conventional stack loading mechanism and a conventional printing machine feeding mechanism. The transfer tray is both movable between a horizontal loading position and an inclined transitional position, and rotatable between the inclined transitional position and an inclined unloading position. The method comprises two stages of which a first stage involves moving the transfer tray between the horizontal loading position and the inclined transitional position, and a second stage involves rotating the transfer tray between the inclined transitional position and the inclined unloading position.