To provide a spindle supporting a roll body on which a sheet-shaped medium is wound and rotationally driving the roll body. The spindle includes a shaft member to be inserted into the roll body, a gear fixed on a tip side of the shaft member in an axial direction, a spacer member contacting both of the shaft member and the gear, and a coupling member coupling the shaft member to the gear. In the axial direction of the shaft member, a contact area of the spacer member and the gear is larger than a contact area of the shaft member and the spacer member. The gear is coupled to the coupling member in the axial direction and the shaft member is coupled to the coupling member in an intersecting direction intersecting the axial direction.

Disclosed is a web handling system that includes a spindle having a spindle magnetic coupling portion and a roll core configured for receiving the spindle for mounting thereon and having a roll magnetic coupling portion, wherein the spindle and roll magnetic coupling portions are configured for magnetically attracting each other to hold the roll on the spindle.

A machine for producing disposable products anticipates when a current run of a product size is coming to an end, and therefore begins loading of material rolls intended for the next product size or code that will be run. An integrated production facility layout automatically orders and stocks raw material based on production plans, and commands a production machine to produce specific products of differing configurations, and automatically loads appropriately sized raw materials into the process.

Provided is a printing apparatus including: a holder unit provided with a holding member, a contact portion, and a shaft member, and an apparatus body provided with a support portion, and a fixing portion, wherein the shaft member is configured to be detachably attached to the support portion, the holder unit is configured to be rotatable between a first position and a second position with reference to the shaft member in a state where the shaft member is supported on the support portion, the first position is a position where the shaft member is attached to the support portion, and the second position is a position where the apparatus body fixes the holder unit by the fixing portion, the second position being a position where the contact portion is separated from the installation surface.

The unwinder includes an unwinding station, in which to arrange a reel to be unwound. In the unwinding station there is arranged a series of guide rollers, defining a feed path of the web material. There are also provided: a cutting member adapted to cut a web material coming from an exhausted reel, and splicing members, to splice a trailing edge of a first web material coming from an exhausted reel to a leading edge of a second web material coming from a new reel. A pick-up device is configured to pick up the leading edge of the second web material from a temporary retaining element, carried by a transfer unit to transfer reels to the unwinding station.

A mobile reel transport device includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV) having a mobile cart with wheels for maneuvering through a facility. The AGV includes a reel manipulator mounted to the mobile cart. The reel manipulator has a movable component movable relative to the mobile cart and an end effector at a distal end of the movable component. The end effector is configured to pick up and manipulate a reel. The AGV includes a reel positioning device at the distal end of the movable component. The reel positioning device includes an imaging device for imaging the reel and environment and generating an image. The reel manipulator is operable to move the end effector based on the image.

A mobile reel transport device includes an automated guided vehicle (AGV) having a mobile cart with wheels for maneuvering through a facility. The AGV includes a reel manipulator mounted to the mobile cart. The reel manipulator has a movable component movable relative to the mobile cart and an end effector at a distal end of the movable component. The end effector is configured to pick up and manipulate a reel. The AGV includes a reel positioning device at the distal end of the movable component. The reel positioning device includes an imaging device for imaging the reel and environment and generating an image. The reel manipulator is operable to move the end effector based on the image.

A method for unwinding includes loading a first reel of web material into a first unwind position where the web is unwound. A splicing unit is then moved in the machine direction toward the first unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into a second unwind position where the web from the second reel is unwound once loaded. Then, the web from the first reel is spliced to the second reel, and the web of the first reel is thereafter cut. The process continues in the opposite direction after removing the first reel from the first unwind position. The web of the second reel is unwound in the second position, the splicing unit is moved toward the second unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into the first unwind position.

A method for unwinding includes loading a first reel of web material into a first unwind position where the web is unwound. A splicing unit is then moved in the machine direction toward the first unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into a second unwind position where the web from the second reel is unwound once loaded. Then, the web from the first reel is spliced to the second reel, and the web of the first reel is thereafter cut. The process continues in the opposite direction after removing the first reel from the first unwind position. The web of the second reel is unwound in the second position, the splicing unit is moved toward the second unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into the first unwind position.

The invention relates to a method for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23), the method including: providing a rotating wheel (10) having at least a first, a second, a third and a fourth bobbin holder (103, 104, 105, 106) defining a first, a second, a third and a fourth station; unwinding a first sheet of material (201) wound in a first bobbin (20) provided in the first station; detecting the amount of first sheet of material remaining in the first bobbin (20) in the first station; depending on the amount of first sheet of material (201), splicing the first sheet of material (201) unwound from the first bobbin with a second sheet of material (211) unwound from a second bobbin (21) present in the second station; preparing for splicing a third sheet of material in a third bobbin (22) present in the third station including: reading information about the third bobbin (22) contained in a sticker, label or tag; removing the sticker, label or tag from the third bobbin (22); and rotating the wheel (10) so that the substantially empty first bobbin (20) is moved to the fourth station and the third bobbin is moved to the second station. Further, the invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and splicing materials wound in bobbins (20, 21, 22, 23) for conducting the above method.