An antistatic device for reducing electrostatic charges on moving material webs may include an active positive electrode assembly having a plurality of active individual positive electrodes electrically connected to a positive high voltage source. The device may include an active negative electrode assembly having a plurality of active negative electrodes electrically connected to a negative high voltage source. A sensor system may be included for detecting a polarity of a neutralizing current between the material web and the antistatic device during operation of the antistatic device, and a controller for controlling the high voltage sources. The controller may be coupled to the sensor system and may be at least one of programmed and configured to one of active or leave activated the high voltage source required in each case and one of deactivate and leave deactivated the high voltage source not required in each case in response to the detected polarity of the neutralizing current.

An antistatic device for reducing electrostatic charges on moving material webs may include an active positive electrode assembly having a plurality of active individual positive electrodes electrically connected to a positive high voltage source. The device may include an active negative electrode assembly having a plurality of active negative electrodes electrically connected to a negative high voltage source. A sensor system may be included for detecting a polarity of a neutralizing current between the material web and the antistatic device during operation of the antistatic device, and a controller for controlling the high voltage sources. The controller may be coupled to the sensor system and may be at least one of programmed and configured to one of active or leave activated the high voltage source required in each case and one of deactivate and leave deactivated the high voltage source not required in each case in response to the detected polarity of the neutralizing current.

A production line of absorbent sanitary articles and production control method. The line includes production devices configured to perform production operations on the absorbent sanitary articles; sensors adapted to detect current values of operating parameters indicative of the current operation of the production devices; and a control unit including a memory and a processor configured to perform a comparison between the current values of the operating parameters and respective predetermined reference values stored in the memory and, in the presence of an anomalous operating parameter, to identify, among a plurality of possible malfunctioning causes, a current malfunctioning cause responsible for the anomalous operating parameter. The processor is configured to perform the comparison independently of a detection of any defects in the absorbent sanitary articles and is configured to identify the current malfunctioning cause, among a plurality of possible malfunctioning causes, starting from the anomalous operating parameter.

A production line of absorbent sanitary articles and method of predictive detection of defects of absorbent sanitary articles, wherein it is provided to: detect current values of operating parameters which are indicative of the current operation of at least one production device adapted to perform respective production operations on the absorbent sanitary articles being processed along the production line; perform a comparison between the current values of the detected operating parameters and respective predetermined reference values; in the presence of at least one anomalous operating parameter that does not comply with the respective predetermined reference values, identify, among a plurality of possible malfunctioning causes of the line, at least one current malfunctioning cause responsible for the at least one anomalous operating parameter; and make a prediction of any defects in the absorbent sanitary articles being processed along the line starting from the at least one current malfunctioning cause identified.

This invention provides web-cutting mechanism that can be mounted in line at an appropriate location between the web-handling peripheral (printer) and a web roll. The cutting mechanism operates before the available storage in the winder festoon has been exhausted, and decouples the roll's energy from the web. The cutting mechanism can employ a blade that is drawn through the web solely by the movement of the web itself. The blade is mounted at a (e.g.) 45-degree angle to web travel, causing it to be pulled through the web. A negator spring assembly and associated cable drives the blade into the side edge of the web when a slide-mounted blade shuttle assembly is released by a latching pawl of a solenoid assembly. The solenoid is triggered by a signal indicating an emergency stop condition, such as an upstream jam.

This invention provides web-cutting mechanism that can be mounted in line at an appropriate location between the web-handling peripheral (printer) and a web roll. The cutting mechanism operates before the available storage in the winder festoon has been exhausted, and decouples the roll's energy from the web. The cutting mechanism can employ a blade that is drawn through the web solely by the movement of the web itself. The blade is mounted at a (e.g.) 45-degree angle to web travel, causing it to be pulled through the web. A negator spring assembly and associated cable drives the blade into the side edge of the web when a slide-mounted blade shuttle assembly is released by a latching pawl of a solenoid assembly. The solenoid is triggered by a signal indicating an emergency stop condition, such as an upstream jam.

An apparatus and method for tracking defects in sheet materials. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading Abstract of the Disclosure. The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

An apparatus and method for tracking defects in sheet materials. The abstract of the disclosure is submitted herewith as required by 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b). As stated in 37 C.F.R. 1.72(b): A brief abstract of the technical disclosure in the specification must commence on a separate sheet, preferably following the claims, under the heading Abstract of the Disclosure. The purpose of the abstract is to enable the Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of the technical disclosure. The abstract shall not be used for interpreting the scope of the claims. Therefore, any statements made relating to the abstract are not intended to limit the claims in any manner and should not be interpreted as limiting the claims in any manner.

A sheet conveying device includes a detector configured to detect an attitude of a conveyance target medium, a corrector configured to perform a correcting operation based on a detection result of the detector, and circuitry configured to calculate an angular displacement correction amount and a lateral displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium, cause the corrector to perform the correcting operation in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction, based on the lateral displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium, and cause the corrector to rotate by the angular displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium before the corrector grips the conveyance target medium and to perform the correcting operation in a direction of rotation of the conveyance target medium, based on the angular displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium.

A sheet conveying device includes a detector configured to detect an attitude of a conveyance target medium, a corrector configured to perform a correcting operation based on a detection result of the detector, and circuitry configured to calculate an angular displacement correction amount and a lateral displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium, cause the corrector to perform the correcting operation in a direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction, based on the lateral displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium, and cause the corrector to rotate by the angular displacement correction amount of the conveyance target medium before the corrector grips the conveyance target medium and to perform the correcting operation in a direction of rotation of the conveyance target medium, based on the angular displacement correction amount, after the corrector grips the conveyance target medium.