An apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a transducer to transform a load in the housing to an electric current, upon receipt of a load exceeding a load threshold. The apparatus further comprises a light source coupled to the transducer to emit light upon receiving the electric current.

A folding apparatus for a continuous web being fed in a plant for the production of hygienic absorbent articles and intended to be folded into a “V” or “U” shape in a first and in a second longitudinal portion according to a longitudinal folding line parallel to a feeding line of the continuous web comprises a folding section including a first and a second power-driven, movable suction belt and an adjusting system for adjusting a relative position of the longitudinal edges of the continuous web once it has been folded; the adjusting system is configured to adjust the position of the first belt and/or of the second belt depending on at least a first information sent by the first sensor to the computerised control unit.

A feed assist apparatus for a flexible sheet material spreader, comprising a first arm attached at a first end to one side of the material spreader, a second arm attached at a first end to another side of the material spreader, and a material retainer attached at a second end of each of the first and second arms, the material retainer having a first configuration for feeding flexible sheet material there-through and a second configuration for retaining flexible sheet material. The first arm and the second arm are moveable together from a first position adjacent a flexible material supply and a second position adjacent entry to the material spreader, and the material retainer is in the second configuration when the moveable arms are in the first position, and the material retainer is in the first configuration when the moveable arms are in the second position.

A feed assist apparatus for a flexible sheet material spreader, comprising a first arm attached at a first end to one side of the material spreader, a second arm attached at a first end to another side of the material spreader, and a material retainer attached at a second end of each of the first and second arms, the material retainer having a first configuration for feeding flexible sheet material there-through and a second configuration for retaining flexible sheet material. The first arm and the second arm are moveable together from a first position adjacent a flexible material supply and a second position adjacent entry to the material spreader, and the material retainer is in the second configuration when the moveable arms are in the first position, and the material retainer is in the first configuration when the moveable arms are in the second position.

A header for a combine harvester includes a conveyor belt for conveying crop material in a conveyance direction, and an adjusting device for adjusting a tension of the conveyor belt. The adjusting device includes a link that is movable with respect to a frame member of the header. The link is movable in a direction that is either orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to a tensioning direction of the conveyor belt for adjusting the tension of the conveyor belt. The conveyor belt may be an infeed conveyor belt or a lateral conveyor belt of a draper header, for example.

A web handling system is described, including a plurality of web handling controllers and a web handling process logic controller networked to form a ring network. A processor of the web handling process logic controller being configured to determine whether a fault exists within the ring network, and responsive to determining that a fault exists within the ring network, to generate and send signals throughout the ring network to switch the configuration of the ring network to at least one linear network.

A web handling system is described, including a plurality of web handling controllers and a web handling process logic controller networked to form a ring network. A processor of the web handling process logic controller being configured to determine whether a fault exists within the ring network, and responsive to determining that a fault exists within the ring network, to generate and send signals throughout the ring network to switch the configuration of the ring network to at least one linear network.

The invention relates to a method and a vacuum-coating system (10) for coating a band-type material (11), in particular made of metal. For this, the band-type material (11) is moved, via a conveying section (12), in a transport direction (T) and is vacuum-coated within a coating chamber (14), in which a vacuum is applied. As seen in the transport direction (T) of the band-type material (11), at least one flatness optimization device (39) is arranged upstream of the coating chamber (14), through which flatness optimization device the band-type material (11) can be guided. In this way, a desired flatness is generated for the band-type material (11).

There is provided a medium conveying device which includes a conveyance belt passed around a first roller and a second roller and configured to support and convey a medium on a supporting surface, and in which a controlling unit is able to execute first control to determine whether a first skewing direction and a second skewing direction are the same, the first skewing direction indicating whether, when the first roller and the second roller are caused to rotate in the first rotational direction, the conveyance belt moves toward one side or the other side in a width direction intersecting a moving direction of the conveyance belt, and the second skewing direction indicating whether, when the first roller and the second roller are caused to rotate in the second rotational direction, the conveyance belt moves toward the one side or the other side in the width direction.

A sensor (10) is used for detecting at least one edge of at least one product web (1) running in a run direction (2). The sensor (10) has active elements (11), which are arranged adjacent to one another and are formed by transmitters (12) and receivers (13). In this case, the transmitters (12) can emit waves (14) which are received by the receivers (13). The product web (1) is provided for influencing the waves (14) in the radiation path between the transmitters (12) and receivers (13). In this case, a first (21, 31) and second (22, 32) of the active elements (11) are adjacent and have a mutual first spacing (41). The second (22, 32) and a third (23, 33) of the active elements (11) are also adjacent to one another and have a second spacing (42), which corresponds to at least 1.2 times the first spacing (41).