Abstract: A compact depalletizer including a skeleton and a subassembly. Components of the skeleton are constructed of aluminum, which provides advantages over the prior art in terms of strength, rigidity, weight, and cost. The aluminum may be pretensioned or prestressed to provide these advantages. The subassembly is preferably mounted to the side of the skeleton. The compact depalletizer is readily portable, and robotic elements of the compact depalletizer do not need to be reprogrammed after transport, so installation time is substantially reduced compared with prior art depalletizers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for handling a metal strip. The device comprises a coiling device (110) with a coiling mandrel (112) for winding the metal strip to form a coil (200) on the coiling mandrel and a coil stripper car (120) with supports (124) for receiving the coil (200) from the coiling mandrel and removing the coil from the coiling device (110). In order to additionally secure the metal strip in the coiling device during the transfer from the coiling mandrel onto the coil stripper care and during a transport by means of the coil stripper car, a first hold-down arm (130) is provided for exerting a first hold-down force (F1) onto the outer circumference of the coil (200) in order to press the coil onto the supports of the coil stripper car.

Abstract: Withdrawing a hollow stem auger string from a well includes a retractor having C-shaped inter-coil insertions and a hoist having tong-arms, one which terminates in an inwardly disposed pin. The retractor connects to a drilling rig's hydraulic cylinder vertical drive system, the hoist to a winch system thereof. The retractor engages the string by the C-shaped inter-coil insertion disposed between one coil of the helical flight of the topmost section of the string. The hoist engaged the top collar of the topmost section by the at least one pin inserting into a pin hole thereof. The string is lifted about the height of one section by the retractor, which is promptly disengaged. The topmost section is detached, and carried by the hoist to elsewhere to be dropped. The method repeats by re-engaging the retractor and hoist and then returning to the activity of lifting.