The apparatus for combining tobacco sheets comprises a first shaft for carrying a first bobbin of tobacco sheet and a second shaft for carrying a second bobbin of tobacco sheet. The apparatus also comprises a splicing unit for combining an end portion of tobacco sheet from the first bobbin to a head portion of tobacco sheet from the second bobbin. The splicing unit comprises a cutting device for cutting the tobacco sheets such as to provide complementary cuts to the tobacco sheets from the first bobbin and from the second bobbin, a dispensing device for dispensing water to at least one of the tobacco sheets, and a combining device for applying force onto the tobacco sheets thereby producing a spliced tobacco sheet.

The invention concerns a splicing facility for splicing material webs. The splicing facility comprises a first dispensing device for dispensing a finite first material web from a first material web roll, a second dispensing device for dispensing a finite second material web from a second material web roll, a third dispensing device for dispensing a third material web, a first splicing device for splicing together the finite first material web and the finite second material web to an endless material web and a second splicing device for splicing together the third material web and the finite first material web or the finite second material web to the endless material web. The first splicing device and the second splicing device are arranged at different heights.

The invention concerns a splicing facility for splicing material webs. The splicing facility comprises a first dispensing device for dispensing a finite first material web from a first material web roll, a second dispensing device for dispensing a finite second material web from a second material web roll, a third dispensing device for dispensing a third material web, a first splicing device for splicing together the finite first material web and the finite second material web to an endless material web and a second splicing device for splicing together the third material web and the finite first material web or the finite second material web to the endless material web. The first splicing device and the second splicing device are arranged at different heights.

A method and system for joining strips of battery grid comprises feeding a first strip of battery grid into a processing station at a predetermined feed rate, and progressively increasing the path length of the first strip until a target path length is reached. When the end of the first strip is reached, the path length of the first strip is progressively decreased while holding the end of the first strip. The rate of decrease allows the first strip to continue to be delivered into the processing station at the predetermined feed rate. A second strip is advanced from a second feed supply to a position adjacent the end of the first strip. The adjacent ends are joined by laser welding. The decreasing of the path length is stopped, and the second strip of battery grid is fed into the processing station at the predetermined feed rate.