To prevent a failure or the like caused by winding of a tape in a reverse direction to a proper direction, a paper sheet circulation device includes a travelling-direction mark having a pattern that is formed along a travelling-direction of a detection tape and indicates the difference of the travelling-direction of the tape, and a sensor module that detects the travelling-direction mark and outputs a detection signal. The paper sheet circulation device determines a travelling-direction of the tape from a pattern signal in accordance with the travelling-direction of the tape acquired on the basis of a temporal change of the detection signal, and determines a winding direction of the tape on a drum from the travelling-direction of the tape and a rotation direction of the drum.

A bag-making and packaging apparatus includes a bag-making and packaging unit, a film feeding unit, a splicing device, and a control unit. The control unit allows a bag-making operation to continue by utilizing an auto-feeding function that feeds to the bag-making and packaging unit a film F spliced by the splicing device to take the place of a film F currently being fed to the bag-making and packaging unit. When the control unit judges that at least one of the film feeding unit and the splicing device is malfunctioning in a case where the control unit is utilizing the auto-feeding function, the control unit stops the auto-feeding function and executes a non-auto-feeding mode. The non-auto-feeding mode allows the bag-making operation to be continued by the bag-making and packaging unit and a film roll holding unit that is operable among plural film roll holding units.

A method for film production includes the steps of obtaining information on the position of a defect (D) in a separator (12a) and providing marks (LA, LB) at the respective positions in the vicinity of the defect (D), the marks indicating the position of the defect.

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.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a roll-to-roll apparatus may include an unwinding unit, a winding unit, at least one supporting unit, at least one breakage sensor, and at least one holding unit. The at least one supporting unit is disposed between the unwinding unit and the winding unit, and supports the flexible substrate to move from the unwinding unit to the winding unit. The at least one breakage sensor may sense whether the flexible substrate is broken or not. The at least one holding unit may grip the flexible substrate while a breakage of the flexible substrate is sensed by the at least one breakage sensor.

A printing system having: a print head arranged with a predetermined nip for printing to a recording medium; a sensor positioned upstream of the print head, and configured to detect possible joints of the recording medium; a spacer arranged in a region of the print head, the spacer being configured to be displaceable to deflect the recording medium and increasing a distance between the print head and recording medium; an actuator to displace the spacer element; and a controller configured to activate the actuator to displace the spacer upon detection of a joint by the sensor.

A machine for weaving or winding a fiber preform on a mandrel having an axis of rotation that is substantially horizontal and that serves to receive the preform, the machine having a plurality of cameras pointing towards the underside of the fiber preform in order to scan the hidden face of the fiber preform and acquire images of the hidden face; an image analysis module for processing these images of the hidden face of the fiber preform in a plurality of adjacent scan windows, and for extracting weaving patterns therefrom and comparing them with reference weaving patterns previously stored in the module; a motor for driving the mandrel in rotation about its axis of rotation; and a control unit for stopping rotation of the mandrel if the result of the comparison reveals a difference of appearance between the two weaving patterns.

A machine for weaving or winding a fiber preform on a mandrel having an axis of rotation that is substantially horizontal and that serves to receive the preform, the machine having a plurality of cameras pointing towards the underside of the fiber preform in order to scan the hidden face of the fiber preform and acquire images of the hidden face; an image analysis module for processing these images of the hidden face of the fiber preform in a plurality of adjacent scan windows, and for extracting weaving patterns therefrom and comparing them with reference weaving patterns previously stored in the module; a motor for driving the mandrel in rotation about its axis of rotation; and a control unit for stopping rotation of the mandrel if the result of the comparison reveals a difference of appearance between the two weaving patterns.

This disclosure describes techniques for automatically controlling the operation of a slitter (40) to convert a web (20) of material into smaller slit rolls (64, 66, 68). A slitter director (60) may automatically control the operation of a slitter (40) for defect removal, web splicing, and/or slit roll rejection based on continually registering previously-generated anomaly data (62) with physical locations of the web (20).