Production of batches of products for palletizing in layers

A device (1) for producing hatches (2) of products (3) from a plurality of products (3), said batches (2) having a predefined configuration for palletizing in layers downstream, said device (I) comprising an upstream acceptance surface (4) on which the products (3) are aligned in a lane (5) in a first direction (6), a downstream receiving surface (7) for receiving the batches (2), and displacement means (8) between the two surfaces (4, 7) that is formed by a series of rails and by a plurality of shuttles (9) that can move independently of one another and that run on said rails, each shuttle (9) configured to carry at least one product (3), wherein

• the series of rails has at least one outbound rail (10) configured to move the products (3) coming from the upstream surface (4) to the downstream surface (7), a return rail (11) arranged beneath the outbound rail (10) configured to return the empty shuttles (9) to the upstream surface (4), and an upstream lifting rail (12) and a downstream lifting rail (13) configured to transfer the empty shuttles (9) between the outbound and return rails (10, 11).
• and in that these lifting rails (12, 13) usually lie in a horizontal plane and are configured to effect at least one vertical translational movement between two positions, namely a high position and a low position;
• the high position entailing a lifting rail (12, 13) being arranged end-to-end with the outbound rail (10) and the low position entailing a lifting rail (12, 13) being arranged end-to-end with the return rail (11).