Stacking system and method

A system for stacking a plurality of containers into a stacked group, comprising:

• an orienting screw set including an upper orienting screw disposed above a lower orienting screw;
• an orienting channel axis defined by the orienting screw set;
• the upper orienting screw and the lower orienting screw defining a receiving pocket and a series of orienting pockets distributed axially along the orienting channel axis;
• the receiving pocket configured to receive a container in a vertical orientation from an infeed conveyor;
• the series of orienting pockets configured to translate the container from the vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation as the container is progressed axially through the series of orienting pockets via rotation of the orienting screw set;
• a tilt angle defined by each orienting pocket of the series of orienting pockets;
• wherein the tilt angle of each respective orienting pocket is different from the tilt angle of each of the other orienting pockets;
• and
• wherein each respective orienting pocket is configured to translate the container to the tilt angle defined by the respective orienting pocket via rotation of the orienting screw set.

An orienting screw set comprising:

• a first orienting screw;
• a first thread form defined by the upper orienting screw;
• a second orienting screw;
• a second thread form defined by the lower orienting screw;
• an orienting channel defined by the first orienting screw and the second orienting screw;
• a orienting channel axis defined by the orienting channel;
• a first end defining a receiving pocket configured to receive a container;
• wherein the container defines a container axis;
• the receiving pocket configured to receive the container in a vertical orientation such that the container axis in the vertical orientation is substantially perpendicular to the orienting channel axis;
• a second end configured to discharge the container in a substantially horizontal orientation such that the container axis in the horizontal orientation is substantially parallel to the orienting channel axis;
• a series of orienting pockets configured for translating the container from the vertical orientation to the horizontal orientation by rotation of the first and second orienting screws;
• and
• wherein the first thread form is different from the second thread form such that each of the orienting pockets defined by the orienting screw set is asymmetrical relative to the orienting channel axis.