PRODUCT ARRANGING AND LOADING APPARATUS AND METHODS

摘要

Nestable product is conveyed by the meter conveyor (12) through a guide rail unit (82) including an infeed portion (84) for conveying product in a conveying direction, a nesting portion (86) at an arranging angle (N) to the conveying direction, and an aligning portion (88) at a grid angle (Z) to the nesting portion (84) to align the product in a square grid pattern when transferred unto a transfer device (42). Similarly, product in a grid pattern can be conveyed by the meter conveyor (12) through the guide rail unit (82) onto a loader conveyor. A pack pattern is pushed by a pusher from the loader conveyor between a loader guide abutting with the leading row of the pack pattern and a retractable loader guide abutting with the last row of the pack pattern.