Abstract: A system for handling various items with increased functionality and decreased mechanical complexity is disclosed. The system uses a plurality of rollers mounted between pairs of drive chains or belts to impart a driving force to the items to be moved. The drive chains or belts can be reversible to change the direction of travel. The angle of attack, ?, of the rollers can be adjusted between a negative angle and a positive angle by changing the phase between the drive chains or belts to change a component of the driving force. The rollers can be braked to increase a component of the driving force. The spin of the rollers can be changed with a roller belt to change another component of the driving force.

Abstract: A sheet feeder for feeding a single sheet of sheet material is disclosed. The sheet feeder can utilize a specially designed cutout and a suction cup to feed difficult, thin, or flimsy material one sheet at the time. The cutout can be located on a shuttle table, endless belt, or carousel, for example, and can be used in conjunction with one or more suctions cups. The cutout can be angled with respect to the sheet so that the leading edge of the sheet is substantially supported. A slot in the cutout can enable the suction cup to pull down the corner of the sheet. The slot can then continue to slice, or peel, the sheet of the bottom of a stack of sheets. The ability to pull only the corner of the sheet down initially prevents stiction from a variety of sources and enables a single sheet to be pulled from the stack.