An apparatus and method for supporting sheet material, comprising a frame including a first arm and a second arm, the second arm in communication with the first arm to support a roll of the sheet material there-between, and a drive roller for transporting the sheet material from the roll. The first arm and the second arm automatically resize the frame corresponding to the dimensions of the roll of the sheet material to provide constant tension in the roll of sheet material by controlling a position of the roll of the sheet material.

An apparatus and method for supporting sheet material, comprising a frame including a first arm and a second arm, the second arm in communication with the first arm to support a roll of the sheet material there-between, and a drive roller for transporting the sheet material from the roll. The first arm and the second arm automatically resize the frame corresponding to the dimensions of the roll of the sheet material to provide constant tension in the roll of sheet material by controlling a position of the roll of the sheet material.

In a method for removing a wrapping, such as plastic film, from a roll of material an apparatus is used, which has a roll supporting unit, and a cutting means. The roll supporting unit is configured to rotate the roll supported thereon, and the cutting means is movable into cutting abutment against the envelope surface of the supported roll for removal of the wrapping during rotation of the roll.

In a method for removing a wrapping, such as plastic film, from a roll of material an apparatus is used, which has a roll supporting unit, and a cutting means. The roll supporting unit is configured to rotate the roll supported thereon, and the cutting means is movable into cutting abutment against the envelope surface of the supported roll for removal of the wrapping during rotation of the roll.

A roll medium is accommodated in a medium cassette. The roll medium has a configuration where a continuous medium is rolled in a roll shape. The roll medium rotates in a direction that the roll medium is unrolled as the continuous medium unrolled from the roll medium is conveyed in a conveying direction away from the roll medium. The medium case includes a supporter which rotatably supports the roll medium in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a lower part of the roll medium in at least one support position on each of both sides between which a lower end of the roll medium is sandwiched, and a passage through which the continuous medium unrolled from the roll medium passes. The passage is formed below at least the support position located on a most downstream side with respect to the conveying direction.

A medium unit, having a tray, a casing, and a pullback assembly, is provided. The tray stores a roll of medium, in which a continuous medium is rolled. The casing supports the tray detachably attached thereto. The pullback assembly pushes the continuous medium from a lower side to pull a loose end of the continuous medium unrolled from the roll of medium in conjunction with a detaching action to move the tray to detach from the casing in an orthogonal direction intersecting orthogonally with a rotation axis of the roll of medium.

A roll medium is accommodated in a medium cassette. The roll medium has a configuration where a continuous medium is rolled in a roll shape. The medium cassette has a supporter including two sets of support roller pairs which rotatably support the roll medium. The two sets of the support roller pairs are in contact with an outer peripheral surface of a lower part of the roll medium at each of end positions, where a lower end of the roll medium is sandwiched between the support roller pair, of the roll medium in a direction of a rotation axis of the roll medium, and are not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the roll medium at a central portion of the roll medium in the direction of the rotation axis.

A roll supporting device includes: a pair of supporting rollers which support an outer circumferential surface of a rolled medium, and which are provided so as to rotate together with the rolled medium; a side wall which has a reference surface coming into contact with one end surface of the rolled medium in an axial direction along a central axis of the rolled medium; and a pair of restricting members which press another end surface of the rolled medium toward the reference surface. The pair of supporting rollers are disposed on both sides of the central axis of the rolled medium when viewed in the axial direction of the rolled medium. The pair of restricting members are disposed outside a space between the pair of supporting rollers in a circumferential direction of the rolled medium, and are respectively adjacent to the supporting rollers, and are provided so as to be movable independently from each other.

A roll supporting device includes: a pair of supporting rollers which support an outer circumferential surface of a rolled medium, and which are provided so as to rotate together with the rolled medium; a side wall which has a reference surface coming into contact with one end surface of the rolled medium in an axial direction along a central axis of the rolled medium; and a pair of restricting members which press another end surface of the rolled medium toward the reference surface. The pair of supporting rollers are disposed on both sides of the central axis of the rolled medium when viewed in the axial direction of the rolled medium. The pair of restricting members are disposed outside a space between the pair of supporting rollers in a circumferential direction of the rolled medium, and are respectively adjacent to the supporting rollers, and are provided so as to be movable independently from each other.

The present application relates to rolled good feeding device and method. Material feeding devices and methods are provided for conveying material from material rolls. The material roll may be adjusted in the longitudinal direction during the feeding process by a rectifying frame to aid in maintaining alignment during the unrolling. Tension of the unrolled material may be monitored and unrolling speeds of the feeding device can be adjusted to maintain tension of the material within a range for that material. Aspects also contemplate elements to feed multiple rolled materials simultaneously for subsequent processing in combination as layered materials.