Apparatus for conveying viscous material

An apparatus for conveying viscous material out of a barrel-like container that has a container bottom and a container mantle that extends upward from the container bottom, the apparatus comprising:

• a follower plate that can be moved in the direction toward the container bottom and away from the container bottom, lying against the inner surface of the container mantle, which faces the container interior, and that has a material outlet opening and at least one deaeration opening and/or at least one aeration opening,
• a de-aeration device for drawing off air from the container interior through the de-aeration opening(s) and/or an aeration device for introducing compressed air into the container interior through the aeration opening(s),
• a lifting and lowering device for lifting and lowering the follower plate, and
• a control device for alternately controlling the lifting and lowering device in a movement mode and the de-aeration device or the aeration device in a de-aeration mode or in an aeration mode,
• wherein a cover layer composed of a material that is permeable for air and impermeable for liquids and covers the de-aeration opening(s) and/or the aeration opening(s) and leaves the material outlet opening free is arranged on the underside of the follower plate, which cover layer is connected with an elastically stretchable ring on a circumferential edge of the cover layer,
• wherein the elastically stretchable ring is configured to be stretched and pulled over a circumferential edge of the container mantle and, when the follower plate is introduced into the container and impacts the cover layer, to be pulled off the container mantle and laid around an outer mantle surface of the follower plate.