Apparatus

Method for receiving, conveying and depositing a planar object by a vacuum conveyor belt comprising:

• a circulating drive (16), a U-profile (3), wherein the U-profile (3) comprises a conveying passage and a return passage, and a conveyor belt (8), wherein the U-profile (3) on the return passage side includes a holder element (5) and at least one retaining arm (7), the U-profile includes a chamber (11) for supplying the conveyor belt (8) with negative pressure, a valve for regulating a negative pressure, the valve comprises an inlet (12), a housing (23) and an inner chamber (24), an outlet (6), and a compressed air intake (28), the method comprising the steps of:
• supplying a planar object to the return passage of the vacuum conveyor belt (2),
• blowing compressed air into the inner chamber (24) of the valve (1), suitable for displacing the diversion element (25),
• establishing a connection between the inlet (12) and the outlet (6) of the valve (1), whereby vacuum is generated in the chamber (11) and thus also in the vacuum basin (13) and the supply line (14),
• drawing the planar object onto the side of the return passage,
• moving the conveyor belt (8) by the circulating drive (16) up to an intermediate destination station,
• blowing compressed air into the inner chamber (24) of the valve (1), so that the diversion element (25) is displaced and closes off the inlet (12) and the connection between the inlet (12) and the outlet (6) is broken,
• triggering an ejector pulse by the introduction of compressed air via an ejector pulse inlet (29) into the interior of the housing (23), suitable for separating the planar object from the conveyor belt (8),
• delivering the planar object to the intermediate destination station, and
• evacuating the planar object from the intermediate destination station.