An apparatus for removing folding box blanks from a folding box magazine and transferring them to between drivers of a conveyor system has a suction rotor with suction cups. The suction rotor is coupled to a four-bar mechanism, which erects the folding box blank along a stationary erecting shunt. By the engagement of the suction cups with a trailing side wall of the folding box blank, which wall stands vertically with reference to the feeding direction, and because of the disposition of the erecting shunt, a high output can be attained with the conveyor system driven incrementally, and folding box blanks can be processed whose front lower edge, in terms of the feeding direction, is located frontmost in the folding box magazine.

A carton pulling assembly pulls a partially formed carton from a mandrel on a form, fill and seal packaging machine. The machine has a vacuum source for providing a vacuum and includes a machine controller. The partially formed carton has a sealed bottom wall. The carton pulling assembly includes a carton puller element movable in a reciprocating manner toward and away from the mandrel. A vacuum head assembly is mounted to the carton puller element for reciprocating movement therewith. The vacuum head assembly includes a cylinder and a finger configured for reciprocating movement within the cylinder having a suction element mounted thereto. The finger has a vacuum channel for communicating vacuum from the cylinder to the suction element. The finger is movable between an extended position in which the suction element contacts and engages the partially formed carton sealed bottom wall and a retracted position in which the reciprocating finger pulls the carton from the mandrel. The reciprocating finger moves toward the extended position by application of the vacuum to the vacuum head assembly while communicating vacuum to the suction element. A method for pulling a partially formed carton from a mandrel is also disclosed.