Vacuum assisted cut-and-seal apparatus with transfer wheel

A piece count and collation system comprising:

• a cut-and-seal apparatus including a pair of rotatable members positioned immediately adjacent each other, one side of said cut-and-seal apparatus acting as a receiving side for receiving a plurality of sequentially spaced objects partially wrapped by tube-wrapping and an exiting side for dispensing said plurality of objects individually wrapped, said rotatable members rotating in opposite directions to one another and each comprising:
• a first cutting edge having a first bonding surface positioned immediately adjacent thereto;
• a second cutting edge spaced apart from said first cutting edge and having a second bonding surface positioned immediately adjacent thereto;
• a first vacuum grasping member for grasping one of said plurality of partially wrapped objects while said tube-wrapping is cut and bonded on both ends to form a fully wrapped object;
• a third rotatable member including a second vacuum assisted grasping member for receiving said fully wrapped object from said first vacuum grasping member;
• a vacuum conveyor for receiving said fully wrapped object and transporting said object in a linear direction away from said third rotatable member;
• counting means positioned adjacent said conveyor;
• a diverter positioned downstream from said third rotatable member, said diverter having a receiving portion, three exiting areas and two air diverting gates on opposing sides of said conveyor and operated to direct said wrapped object into one of said three selected exiting areas, wherein each said exiting area diverts wrapped objects into a respective hopper for collecting a plurality of fully wrapped objects.