GB2440647A

GB2440647A - Plant for producing wafer fingers

Info

Publication number: GB2440647A
Application number: GB0714580A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Rolf Dolezel; Stefan Jiraschek
Original assignee: Haas Franz Waffel & Keksanlagen Industrie GmbH
Current assignee: Haas Franz Waffel & Keksanlagen Industrie GmbH
Priority date: 2006-08-02
Filing date: 2007-07-26
Publication date: 2008-02-06
Anticipated expiration: 2027-07-26
Also published as: GB0714580D0; AT504037A1; AT504037B1; DE102007036650A1; GB2440647B; DE102007036650B4

Abstract

A plant (1, Fig 1) for the production and forwarding of wafer fingers, having a wafer block cutter (3, Fig 1), which cuts up large-format wafer blocks (2, Fig 1) in a first cutting station (12, 13, Fig 1) transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer strips and in a second cutting station (14, 15, Fig 1) cuts these up parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer fingers arranged side by side. In the second cutting station at least every other cutting tool is arranged in an oblique plane running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant. This produces wafer fingers 16, 16' arranged side by side and alternately wider and narrower at the top side, each having at least one oblique lateral face. Downstream of the wafer block cutter is a work station (5, Fig 1), in which first the wafer fingers wider at the top side are lifted out of a cut wafer block and turned through 180{ and then all wafer fingers are discharged lying on their wider side.

Description

1 2440647 Plant for producing wafer fingers The invention relates to a

plant for producing wafer fingers, having a wafer block cutter producing the wafer fingers and downstream thereof a facility for spreading the wafer fingers laterally apart.

Such plants represent an important main section in confectionery production plants, in which wafer fingers of different size are produced and then packed individually or in blocks or undergo further processing in the production plant to different confectionery products containing wafer fingers, such as for example, confectionery bars containing wafer fingers, chocolate bars containing wafer fingers, chocolate blocks containing wafer fingers, wafer fingers coated with chocolate etc., which are then in turn packaged individually or in multiples.

Such confectionery production plants each comprise three main sections. In the first main section, multi-layer, large-format, rectangular wafer blocks are produced, the size of which corresponds in each case to a plurality of transverse rows, arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction, of small-format wafer fingers arranged transversely side by side. In the second main section, the wafer blocks are cut up and separated into small-format wafer fingers, which are subsequently brought into a formation suitable for entry into the third main section. In the third main section, depending on the lay-out of the production plant, the wafer fingers are packed or processed to confectionery products containing wafer fingers, which are then packaged in turn.

In the first main section of these confectionery production plants, large-format, rectangular wafer blocks are produced, in which baked wafer sheets and filling layers of approximately the same thickness lie alternately one above the other. The baked wafer sheets have a crispy-brittle consistency and are formed with large cavities inside and with fine cavities on their top side and underside. The baked wafer sheets are produced in the two-part baking moulds of a continuously operating baking oven from a liquid wafer batter, which comprises chiefly water and wheat flour. In its baking chamber the wafer oven has a continuously revolving endless chain of baking tongs, which is provided with openable and closable baking tongs, which receive the two-part baking moulds producing the wafer sheets. In the wafer baking oven, a portion of liquid batter is introduced into each baking mould; by virtue of the water vapour that develops in it, the batter froths up in the closed baking mould heated to the baking temperature (150 C -250 C) and is distributed in the cavity of the closed baking mould before the resulting batter product filling the baking mould then becomes increasingly firm and turns into a rigid, crispy-brittle wafer sheet, which is removed from the baking mould before the next portion of liquid batter is introduced. The hot wafer sheets coming out of the wafer baking oven are cooled and then fed to what is known as a wafer sheet spreading machine, in which the wafer sheets are covered with a soft filling and stacked one above the other to form multi-layer wafer blocks. The multi-layer wafer blocks complete with filling are cooled to render the filling firm before they are fed to the second main section of the confectionery production plant.

In the second main section of the confectionery production plant, the large-format wafer blocks are cut up in a wafer block cutter in two directions perpendicular to one another and thus separated into numerous small-format wafer fingers. Here, each individual wafer block is cut up into numerous, small-format wafer fingers, which are arranged side by side and one behind the other in longitudinal and transverse rows perpendicular to one another. The wafer fingers produced from a single wafer block form transverse rows arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction of the plant; in each of these transverse rows, a plurality of wafer fingers are arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

The wafer block cutter provides two cutting stations through which the wafer blocks pass in succession, in which each wafer block is cut up first in the transverse direction and then in the longitudinal direction. The first cutting station is equipped with cutting tools arranged in succession in the longitudinal direction of the plant. As they pass through this cutting station, the wafer blocks are cut up transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, each wafer block being cut into a plurality of wafer strips of elongate form transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, which are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the plant and in each case correspond to a transverse row of wafer fingers arranged side by side. These wafer strips are conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the plant through the second cutting station of the wafer block cutter and there are cut up parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer fingers arranged side by side. This second cutting station is equipped with cutting tools arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

The wafer blocks pass, in each case horizontally oriented, through the two cutting stations of the wafer block cutter and are there cut up by the cutting tools, each vertically oriented, into rectangular wafer fingers, which are defined by vertical end faces and vertical lateral faces.

The problem of invention is to specify a novel plant for the production of wafer fingers.

The invention proposes a plant for the production of wafer fingers, in which a wafer block cutter is provided, which cuts up large-format wafer blocks having a wafer sheet at its top and underside in two directions perpendicular to one another into small-format wafer fingers. This wafer block cutter comprises a first cutting station equipped with cutting tools arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the plant, in which the wafer blocks are cut up transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer strips, and a second cutting station equipped with cutting tools arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, in which the wafer strips are cut up parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer fingers.

In this plant, to produce wafer fingers having at least one oblique lateral face, according to the invention at least every other cutting tool of the cutting tools disposed side by side in the second cutting station is arranged according to the invention in an oblique plane running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant, so that when the wafer strips are cut up in each case transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant wafer fingers arranged side by side and having at least one oblique lateral face are produced; these fingers have top sides and undersides of different width, each formed by a wafer sheet, and face each other with their oblique lateral faces, a wafer finger with a narrowçr top side being arranged in each case next to a wafer finger with a wider top side. In the case of this plant, downstream of the wafer block cutter there is furthermore provided a work station in which the wafer fingers having different width top and undersides are received, the wafer fingers wider at the top side are turned over so that the top side faces downwards, and all wafer fingers are discharged each lying on the wider side formed by a wafer sheet.

The plant according to the invention enables wafer fingers of different width at the top and underside to be produced with a triangular or trapezoidal cross-section, and for these wafer fingers to be forwarded lying in each case on the wider side formed by a -wafer sheet.

In a plant constructed according to the invention it is possible to produce and forward wafer fingers having lateral oblique faces and a trapezoidal cross-section and a top or underside corresponding to the shorter side of the trapezium that is too narrow to support the wafer fingers without toppling.

In a plant constructed according to the invention it is possible to produce and forward wafer fingers having a triangular cross-section, in which the wide base surface formed by a wafer sheet and corresponding to the base of the triangle lies opposite to a narrow edge likewise formed by a wafer sheet and corresponding to the tip of the triangle.

In a plant constructed according to the invention it is possible to produce and forward wafer fingers that have a vertical lateral face on one longitudinal side and an oblique lateral face on the opposite longitudinal side. To produce these wafer fingers, the cutting tools in the second cutting station of the wafer block cutter are arranged in planes running in each case parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant; the planes are arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant and are alternately vertical and inclined relative to the vertical to the left or to the rght.

According to a further feature of the invention, in the second cutting station of the wafer block cutter the cutting tools may be arranged in oblique planes running in each case parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant, which are arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant and are inclined to the vertical to the left and the right alternately.

This construction is advantageous for the manufacture of wafer fingers of triangular or trapezoidal cross-section, in which in each case a very broad base lies opposite a very narrow and in some cases merely linear tip or longitudinal edge.

Jn both cutting stations, the cutting tools of the wafer block cutter may be in the form of tautly tensioned cutting wires, or in the form of tautly tensioned band saw blades or in the form of rotating circular saw blades. In the second cutting station, these cutting tools are arranged in the respective vertical and oblique plane.

According to a further feature of the invention, downstream of the wafer block cutter there may be arranged a work station that contains a receiving device for the wafer fingers of different width at top and underside arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, a turning device for the wafer fingers wider at the top side and at least one transport device forwarding the wafer fingers in the longitudinal direction of the plant.

According to a further feature of the invention, the receiving device may be provided with a vacuum belt, which receives the wafer fingers of different width at top and underside arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

According to a further feature of the invention, the turning device may have a holding plate that can be brought into engagement with the wafer fingers wider at the top side and is movable back and forth in a guided motion between a receiving position and a delivery position. The turning device can be equipped with a one-arm handling robot performing the guided motion, to the work arm of which the holding plate is secured.

According to a further feature of the invention, the holding plate of the turning device may be pivotable about a horizontal axis. This allows a simplified construction of the turning device compared with a turning device equipped with a handling robot.

According to a further feature of the invention, the holding plate of the turning device may be provided with holding elements for the wafer fingers wider at the top side.

These holding elements can be channels let into the holding plate and receiving the wider top side of the wafer fingers. Pins that can be extended from the holding plate to pierce into the wafer fingers can also be used as holding elements.

According to a further feature of the invention, the holding plate of the turning device may be provided with suction elements for the wafer fingers wider at the top side.

According to a further feature of the invention, a transport device forwarding the wafer fingers in the longitudinal direction of the plant can be associated with the delivery position of the holding plate of the turning device.

The invention is explained in detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. I shows in plan view a plant for the production and forwarding of wafer fingers; Fig. 2 shows in plan view the twin wafer block cutter of the plant of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows in cross-section a first embodiment of a wafer strip cut up into wafer fingers; Fig. 4 shows in cross-section a second embodiment of a wafer strip cut up into wafer fingers; Fig. 5 shows in cross-section a third embodiment of a wafer strip cut up into wafer fingers; -.

Fig. 6 shows a cutting frame for the second cutting station of a wafer block cutter, producing oblique lateral faces; Fig. 7 shows an oblique view of a work station with a wafer finger turning device; and Fig. 8 shows the work station of Fig. 7 in plan view, with a fully opened out waler finger turning device.

Fig. 1 shows a plant for the production and forwarding of wafer fingers. The plant provides a feed section 1, in which large-format wafer blocks 2 are fed to a twin wafer block cutter 3. This cuts up the wafer block 2 into elongate wafer fingers 4, which have at least one long side provided with an oblique lateral face. In the work station 5 downstream of the twin wafer block cutter 3, all wafer fingers 4 are arranged with their wider side formed by a waler sheet facing downwards and then discharged in the longitudinal direction. Adjoining the work station S is a device 6, in which the wafer fingers 4 each lying on the wider side formed by a wafer sheet are brought into a regular lateral arrangement.

In the feed section 1, a transport device 7 extending in the transverse direction of the plant is provided, on which the wafer blocks 2 are conveyed in the transverse direction to two laterally far apart transport devices 8 and 9, which extend parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant and convey the wafer blocks 2 in the longitudinal direction to the two wafer block cutters 10 and 11 of the twin wafer block cutter 3 arranged side by side and mirror-symmetrically with respect to one another.

The two wafer block cutters 10 and 11 each have a first cutting station 12 and 13 respectively arranged in extension of the transport devices 8 and 9 respectively. in these cutting stations the wafer blocks 2 are pushed by respective block pushers 12a, 13a movable back and forth transversely to the longitudinal direction through the respective cutting frames 12b, 13b arranged at the inner lateral edge of the cutting stations 12, 13, and in the process are cut up into elongate wafer strips, which are provided with vertical lateral faces on their longitudinal sides running transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant. The cutting frame 12b, 13b extends parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant. It is provided with a plurality of vertically oriented cutting wires, which are arranged at intervals in succession in the longitudinal direction of the plant.

Each of the two wafer block cutters 10, 11 moreover has a respective second cutting station 14, 15, which towards the inside adjoins its first cutting station 12, 13 transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant. As a wafer block is cut up in the first cutting station 12, 13, it is pushed inwards by the respective block pusher 12a, 13a transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant and at the same time beyond the inner lateral edge of the first cutting station 12, 13 and into the second cutting station 14, 15. The wafer strips cut from the wafer block and of elongate form in the transverse direction then lie in the second cutting station one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the plant.

Each second cutting station 14, 15 is provided with a respective block pusher 1 4a, I 5a movable back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the plant. The block pushers push the wafer strips transversely to their longitudinal direction through respective cutting frames 14b, 15b arranged at the front edge of the second cutting station 14, 15 and extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant. A plurality of cutting wires are arranged side by side spaced at intervals in the cutting frames. As they pass through these cutting frames 1 4b, 1 5b, the wafer strips are cut up into a plurality of wafer fingers arranged side by side, which have long sides running in the longitudinal direction of the plant and are pushed by the block pushers 14a, iSa in the longitudinal direction of the plant out of the second cutting station 14, 15 and into the work station 5 arranged downstream of the twin wafer block cutter 3.

In the drawings, the wafer block cutters 10 and 11 of the twin wafer block cutter 3 are illustrated for the sake of clarity without material for cutting, i.e. with no rectangular wafer blocks in the first cutting station 12, 13 and with no wafer strips of elongate form in the transverse direction in the second cutting station 14, 15. Regarding the wafer block cutter 11, the drawings show the first cutting station 13 with a block pusher 13a retracted in the transverse direction and the second cutting station 15 with a block pusher ISa retracted in the longitudinal direction; in the case of the wafer block cutter 10, the drawings show the first cutting station 12 with a block pusher 12a pushed forward in the transverse direction and the second cutting station 15 with a block pusher 14a pushed forward in the longitudinal direction.

In the case of both wafer block cutters 10, 11, the second cutting stations 14, 15 are provided with a special cutting frame 14b, 15b, which cuts up the transversely elongate wafer strips transversely to their longitudinal direction in so doing producing a plurality of wafer fingers arranged side by side, each of which is laterally defined by at least one oblique lateral face and which emerge from the cutting frames 14b, 15b in the longitudinal direction of the plant with their oblique lateral faces facing each other. The oblique lateral faces of the wafer fingers are produced by cutting wires, which are arranged in oblique planes running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

The vertical lateral faces of the wafer fingers are produced by cutting wires that are arranged in vertical planes running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

To produce wafer fingers having a vertical and an oblique lateral face, a cutting frame is used in which a cutting wire arranged in a vertical plane and a cutting wire arranged in an oblique plane alternate with one another. This cutting frame produces a row of wafer fingers 16, 16' of approximately triangular cross-section (Fig. 3) or of trapezoidal cross-section 17, 17' (Fig. 4), each finger having one vertical lateral face and one oblique lateral face. These wafer fingers 16, 16' and 17, 17' are arranged side by side with their vertical lateral faces facing one another and their oblique lateral faces facing one another; next to each wafer finger 16, 17 having a wide underside and narrow top side is a wafer finger 16', 17' having a narrow underside and wide top side.

To produce wafer fingers 18, 18' each having two oblique lateral faces (Fig. 5), a cutting frame is used in which cutting wires 19 each lying in a plane inclined to the left relative to the vertical and cutting wires 20 each lying inclined to the right relative to the vertical, alternate with one another in the transverse direction of the plant (Fig. 6). Such a cutting frame produces wafer fingers that have an approximately triangular cross-section (Fig. 5) when its cutting wires 19,20 are arranged closely side by side (Fig. 6).

These wafer fingers lie side by side with their oblique lateral faces facing one another, each upwardly tapering wafer finger being followed by a downwardly tapering wafer finger (Fig. 5). If the cutting wires 19,20 of the cutting frame are arranged laterally somewhat further apart, wafer fingers are produced with a trapezoidal cross-section, which has two parallel trapezium sides, one of which is longer than the other. The wafer fingers 18, 18' lie side by side with their oblique lateral faces facing each other in this case as well, and a wafer finger 18' having a narrow underside and a wide top side and a downwardly tapering cross-section lies next to a wafer finger 18 having a wide underside and narrow top side and an upwardly tapering cross-section.

In the twin wafer block cutter 3 the wafer blocks 2, which each have a top side and a underside formed by a baked wafer sheet, are cut up, in two separate transport flows, first into individual wafer strips and then into numerous wafr fingers 4, 16, 16', 17, 17', 18, 18' of different width at top and underside and having at least one oblique lateral face. Like the wafer blocks, the wafer strips each have top sides and undersides formed by a baked wafer sheet and the wafer fingers each have top sides and undersides formed by a strip of a baked wafer sheet, and they lie with their undersides on the particular transport support.

The wafer blocks cut up by the two wafer block cutters 10 and 11 into individual wafer fingers 4 leave the front end of the twin wafer block cutter 3 in two separate transport streams, in which the wafer fingers 4 are arranged side by side in a formation produced in the second cutting station 14, 15 of the wafer block cutter 10 and 11 respectively.

In this formation, in each case a wafer finger 16', 17', 18' having a wide top side lies next to a wafer finger 16, 17, 18 having a narrow top side.

The two transport streams emerging from the twin wafer block cutter 3 are received in.

the work station 5 in two separate work areas, which are arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant. Each work area contains a receiving device 21, 22 respectively, in which a cut-up wafer block is received, and a turning device 23, 24 respectively, by which the wafer fingers of the cut wafer block having a wide top side are turned with their top side facing downwards. The work station 5 is also provided with a transport arrangement 25 (Fig. 1) conveying the turned wafer fingers of both transport streams in the longitudinal direction of the plant out of the work station 5. . ii Figs 7 and 8 show a work station 26, which is arranged downstream of a waler block cutter (not illustrated here) that cuts the wafer block into elongate wafer fingers of approximately triangular cross-section, where in each case a wide base surface lies opposite a narrow longitudinal edge. The wafer block cutter pushes the wafer blocks it has cutup out of its second cutting station in the longitudinal direction of the plant and at the same time into the receiving device 27 of the work station 26 adjoining its second cutting station. The receiving device 27 has a vacuum belt 27a revolving in the longitudinal direction of the plant, on which the cut wafer block pushed out of the wafer block cutter is deposited. In the cut wafer block, wafer fingers 28 with the narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards and wafer fingers 29 with the wide base surface facing upwards lie alternately side by side transversely to the revolving direction of the vacuum belt 27a.

A turning device 30 for the wafer fingers 29 with the wide base surface facing upwards is provided next to the receiving device 27. The turning device 30 has a holding plate 31 that can be brought into engagement with the wafer fingers 29 and is pivotable about a horizontal pivot axle 32 aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant. A drive 34 generating the pivoting motion of the holding plate 31 acts on the pivot axle 32 via a drive belt 33. The holding plate 31 is in the form of a suction plate and carries on its front side a plurality of suction elements. The holding plate 31 is movable back and forth between a receiving position, in which it is oriented horizontally and arranged with the front side facing downwards just above the receiving device 27, and a delivery position, in which it is oriented horizontally and arranged with the front side facing upwards next to the receiving device 27 (Fig. 8).

The turning device 30 is operated as soon as a wafer block cut up into individual wafer fingers 28, 29 has been transferred onto the receiving device 27 and lies on the vacuum belt 27a. Then the holding plate 31 is pivoted into its receiving position and then lies with its front side facing downwards just above the top side of the cut wafer block. The suction elements of the holding plate 31 are then activated. The wafer fingers 29 of the cut wafer block with their wide base surface facing upwards are attracted by suction to the holding plate 31 and are lifted upwards between the wafer fingers 28 of the cut wafer block with their narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards. The holding plate 31, together with the waler fingers 29 attached by suction to its front side, is then pivoted through 1800 and brought into its delivery position. In the delivery position of the holding plate 31, the wafer fingers 29 lie with the narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards on the upwardly facing front side of the holding plate 31 and their wide base surfaces are located in the same plane as the wide base surfaces of the waler fingers 28 lying with the narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards on the vacuum belt. The suction elements of the holding plate 31 are deactivated in the delivery position of the holding plate 31.

A transport device 35, which has a pusher 36 movable horizontally back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the plant is associated with the delivery position of the holding plate 31. The pusher pushes the wafer fingers 29 down from the holding plate 31 and out of the work station 26.

The waler fingers 28 in the cut waler block with their narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards remain on the suction belt 27a and are conveyed by this synchronously with the transport pusher 36 in the longitudinal direction of the plant out of the work station 26.

The wafer fingers 29 in the cut wafer block with their wide base surface facing upwards as well as the waler fingers 28 in the cut wafer block with their narrow longitudinal edge facing upwards are conveyed out of the work station 26, each with the wide base surface facing downwards and simultaneously in the longitudinal direction of the plant.

Claims

Claims A plant for the production of wafer fingers, having a wafer

block cutter, which cuts up large-format wafer blocks having a wafer sheet at the top side and underside in two directions perpendicular to one another into small-format wafer fingers, the wafer block cutter comprising a first cutting station equipped with cutting tools arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the plant, in which the wafer blocks are cut up transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer strips, and a second cutting station equipped with cutting tools arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, in which the wafer strips are cut up parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant into individual wafer fingers, cbaractcrised in that to produce wafer fingers having at least one oblique lateral face, at least every other cutting tool of the cutting tools disposed side by side in the second cutting station is arranged in an oblique plane running parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant, so that cutting of the wafer strips transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant produces wafer fingers arranged side by side having at least one oblique lateral face, which have top sides and undersides of different width, each formed by a wafer sheet, and face each other with their oblique lateral faces, in each case a wafer finger with a narrower top side being arranged next to a wafer finger with a wider top side, and in that downstream of the wafer block cutter there is arranged a work station which receives the wafer fingers of different width at the top side and underside, turns over the wafer fingers wider at the top side so that the top side faces downwards and discharges all wafer fingers each lying on the wider side formed by a wafer sheet.

2. A plant according to claim 1, characterlsed in that the cutting tools of the second cutting station are arranged in oblique planes running in each case parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plant, the pianes being arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant and being inclined relative to the vertical to the left and to the right alternately.

3. A plant according to claim 1 or 2, characterlsed in that in the work station arranged downstream of the wafer block cutter there are provided a receiving device for the wafer fingers of different width at the top side and underside arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant, a turning device for the wafer fingers wider at the top side and at least one transport device for forwarding the wafer fingers in the longitudinal direction of the plant.

4. A plant according to claim 3, characterised in that the receiving device is provided with a vacuum belt, which receives the wafer fingers of different width at the top side and underside arranged side by side transversely to the longitudinal direction of the plant.

5. A plant according to claim 3 or 4, characterised in that the turning device has a holding plate engageable with the wafer fingers wider at the top side, which is movable back and forth in a guided motion between a receiving position and a delivery position.

6. A plant according to claim 5, characterised in that the holding plate is pivotable about a horizontal axis.

7. A plant according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the holding plate is provided with holding elements for the wafer fingers wider at the top side.

8. A plant according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the holding plate is provided with suction elements for the wafer fingers wider at the top side.

9. A plant according to any one of claims 5 to 8, characterised in that a transport device forwarding the wafer fingers in the longitudinal direction of the plant is associated with the delivery position of the holding plate of the turning device.