摘要 |
Apparatus for changing the direction of transport of cigarettes and analogous rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry has a horizontal guide rail which guides parallel first and second moving files of coaxial articles into the range of a first conveyor having a series of arms which orbit about a fixed axis and simultaneously rotate about discrete axes. Each arm has first and second flute-like conveying elements each serving to remove a discrete article from the respective file and to hold the received article against a change of orientation during orbital movement toward a transfer station where the articles are transferred from the first and second conveying elements of successive arms into the peripheral flutes of first and second rotary drum-shaped conveyors serve to transport two rows of articles at right angles to the axes of the articles. The rotary conveyors deliver articles into the flutes of an additional rotary drum-shaped conveyor which transports two rows of parallel articles sideways into or in a filter tipping or other processing machine. The conveying elements of the arms transport pairs of articles which are staggered axially relative to each other, and the first and second rotary conveyors are driven to rotate about parallel axes located in a plane in which the peripheral flutes receive articles from the conveying elements.
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