There is provided a film dispenser including a pre-stretch assembly, a dancer bar and a dancer bar control assembly. In response to a variation of a film feed requirement, the dancer bar is movable over a displacement range between a first position and at least one second position. The dancer bar is in the first position when a tension in the material web is below a threshold and in the at least one second position when the tension in the material web is equal to or above the threshold. The dancer bar control assembly is connected to the pre-stretch assembly and the dancer bar and is configured to bias the dancer bar with a constant force over the displacement range, monitor a displacement of the dancer bar and generate a speed command based thereon, and send the speed command to a motor to adjust the film delivery speed.

The present invention relates to a device (20) for winding a longitudinally cut material web having multiple longitudinal strips (12) on a plurality of winding tubes (16) to form in each case a wound roll. The device comprises an axle (24) and, mounted on the axle, a plurality of ring-shaped winding drives (22) that are individually controllable in their operating position. Each winding drive (22) forms an external-rotor electric motor and comprises a static interior tube (40) and a rotatable external tube (50). The external tube (50) that is rotatable on the rolling bearings (48) bears, on its interior, a device for providing an excitation magnetic field (52) that forms the external rotor of the electric motor.

A control system for controlling operation of main and secondary drive units in a web winder system to provide tension control of a continuous material web is disclosed. The control system causes the main drive unit to operate in a velocity mode to set a linear velocity of the continuous material web. The control system receives inputs from tension and speed detectors in the web winder system that detect a tension and speed of the continuous material web and causes the secondary drive unit to operate in a modified torque regulated closed-loop tension control mode so as to control a tension in the web material, with the control system causing the secondary drive unit to operate according to a torque regulated closed-loop tension control mode and integrate a speed feedback loop into the torque regulated closed-loop tension control mode so as to introduce active damping into the tension control.

Provided is a roller with pressure sensor. The roller includes a pressure sensor mounted to the roller. The pressure sensor includes a plurality of pressure sensing units distributed on a thin film. The pressure sensing units are electrically connected to each other with a metal wire but not in contact with each other. Also provided is a roll-to-roll device, which includes a roller mechanism and a pressure sensor.

An apparatus and method for stretch wrapping of a palletized load uses film tension feedback derived from a film tension control load cell to control film dispensation. The load cell measures film tension and the film payout rates is determined by the film tension. Film tension values are used to determine when an out of bounds condition occurs, namely, when a film break has occurred, or when a possible film break is about to occur or when the film has been cut at the end of a wrapping cycle. To prevent film free end entanglement caused by a break, clamps engage the film so the film tail is controlled, eliminating the risk of recoil. The broken film tail may then be quickly and reliably reattached to the rotating load in a desired position.

Disclosed is a buffer system for buffering a length of a strip, wherein the buffer system includes a buffer member, a buffer drive and a control unit, wherein the control unit is configured for receiving control data having information indicative of an input amount of the strip at the input side and information indicative of an output amount of the strip at the output side, and for generating, based on said control data, a computed value indicative of a theoretical length of the strip in the buffer system between the input side and the output side, wherein the control unit is further configured for positioning the buffer member at a buffer position based on the computed value. The disclosure also provides a method for buffering a length of a strip, and a computer program product.

A method for manufacturing a sheet-like member, associated with an absorbent article, using a continuous sheet. The method includes a supplying step, a processing step, and a detecting step. In the supplying step, the continuous sheet is supplied by transferring the continuous sheet to a processing section by transporting the continuous sheet in a direction of transport. The processing step is performed at a predetermined position in the direction of transport, and a portion of the continuous sheet which is to be the absorbent article is processed by the processing section at an interval in the direction of transport. In the detecting step, a trace of the processing left on the continuous sheet is detected. In the supplying step, a direction-of-transport tension value of the continuous sheet at a time of transferring the continuous sheet to the processing section is adjusted based on the detection result.

A conveying apparatus includes: a conveyor including a brake to apply brakes to a web, the conveyor configured to convey the web while giving tension to the web by applying brakes to the web using torque of the brake; and a controller configured to control the conveyor. The controller performs at least one of a first control or a second control. The first control includes determining a first torque of the brake during acceleration of the web to be a value depending on a first inertial load at the conveyor during the acceleration of the web. The second control includes determining a second torque of the brake during deceleration of the web to be a value depending on a second inertial load at the conveyor during the deceleration of the web.

A method, apparatus and program product may utilize packaging material quality compensation to sense changes in certain characteristics of a packaging material that can be associated with increased risks of film breaks, and automatically make certain changes in machine settings to mitigate the impact of those enhanced risks.

A machine for unwinding and rewinding a covering tape (800) includes a first support shaft to coaxially receive a reel of covering tape, a second support shaft, parallel to and distanced from the first support shaft, which is adapted to coaxially receive a tubular support, a motor adapted to put the second support shaft in rotation around its own axis, a plurality of contrast rollers arranged around the second support shaft and oriented parallel thereto, and a movement apparatus adapted to move the contrast rollers towards and away from the axis of the second support shaft.