According to the method, single compact discs (1) are removed from a magazine (10) by a pick up group (14) which is carried by a drum (13). The drum (13) rotates continuously on a vertical axis. The pick up group (14) is operated to move in a combined translation motion along a vertical axis and along a circumference around the drum (13), so as to move in a direction opposite to the movement direction imposed by said drum (13), from a first remote position, which is situated forward with respect to a median plane (M), to a close disk taking position. The combined translation motion of the pick up group (14) is continued, so as to bring the removed compact disc (1) to a second remote position. The removed compact disc (1) is then transferred to a conveying line (5) by a corresponding combined translation motion of the pick up group (14) with respect to the movement direction imposed by the drum (13), from a remote forward position to a close position, in which the compact disc (1) is released.

A compact disc (CD) dispenser mounted on a bagging machine is disclosed. The dispenser includes turret and transfer assemblies. The turret assembly includes an indexing system to sequentially and one at a time position mandrels carrying CD disc sets at a dispensing location. The transfer assembly includes a pair of pickup heads driven by the rotary actuator. The pickup heads are adapted sequentially and one at a time to remove discs from a set positioned at the dispensing location and after 180.degree. rotation of the fluid actuator, drop a picked up disc into a waiting bag in the bagging machine.

A compact disc manufacturing machine carrying out a plurality of manufacturing stages including a vacuum stage. A central manipulator has a plurality of radially and outwardly extending manipulator arms which move the discs successively into program-determined working locations necessary for carrying out successively the manufacturing process. The vacuum chamber houses a multi-arm inner manipulator. The disk is moved to and from the vacuum chamber through a vacuum sluice having upper, intermediate and lower parts. The lower part is mounted on an outer end of an arm of the internal manipulator, and the upper part is affixed to an outer end of one of the arms of the central manipulator. When a disk is to be introduced into the vacuum chamber, the arm of the central manipulator delivers the disk into the intermediate part, and the upper part is positioned by the arm over the intermediate part. The internal manipulator positions the lower part beneath the intermediate part, whereby the disk is received by the lower sluice part of the internal manipulator. This co-action of the manipulators with the vacuum sluice to operate it, and to transfer a disk through the vacuum sluice into and out of the vacuum chamber, represents a significant improvement in compact disk manufacture.

A lid infeed system includes a pair of adjacent and parallel spinning rods for holding a stack of lids thereon; a rotatable transfer plate at one end of the spinning rods and rotatable in a plane substantially transverse to an axial direction of the spinning rods, the transfer plate having three spaced openings through which a vacuum is applied for holding and carrying a forwardmost lid from the stack of lids during rotation of the transfer plate, and the transfer plate reducing in thickness from a center thereof to a periphery thereof, so as to provide an annular sloping front face against which the forwardmost lid is held; an adjustable hold down bar positioned above the spinning rods and in front of the transfer plate for holding down the stack of lids on the spinning rods; a vacuum block for limiting the supply of the vacuum through each opening, for a predetermined angular extent of rotation of the transfer plate, the vacuum block having a front face with a recess therein which extends for a predetermined angular extent, and the transfer plate is positioned against the front face of the vacuum block such that the vacuum is applied to each opening in the transfer plate during alignment of each opening with the recess; and a vacuum roller for carrying the forwardmost lid after the vacuum is released at an end of the predetermined angular extent of rotation.

A method and apparatus for automatic sample preparation and handling which includes a computer controlled arm capable of both rotary and vertical movement wherein the arm has disposed at the distal end thereof two different part acquisition tools. There is a vacuum cup capable of acquiring sample disks, and there is a pair of tongs movable from a converged, non-engaging position to a diverged engaging position such that sample cups and/or weighted rings can be engaged on an inner surface thereof and lifted. A sample retrieval mechanism delivers individually retrieved samples from a sample magazine to a sample transport mechanism. The sample is then automatically positioned within a punch and a sample disk is punched therefrom. The computer controlled arm then automatically assembles the sample disk in a sample cup and delivers the assembled sample cup to a spectrometer or other downstream test device. When testing of the sample disk is completed, the computer controlled arm automatically reacquires the assembled sample cup from the spectrometer, disassembles the sample cup, and discards the tested sample disk.