A folding apparatus for a continuous web being fed in a plant for the production of hygienic absorbent articles and intended to be folded into a “V” or “U” shape in a first and in a second longitudinal portion according to a longitudinal folding line parallel to a feeding line of the continuous web comprises a folding section including a first and a second power-driven, movable suction belt and an adjusting system for adjusting a relative position of the longitudinal edges of the continuous web once it has been folded; the adjusting system is configured to adjust the position of the first belt and/or of the second belt depending on at least a first information sent by the first sensor to the computerised control unit.

A pair of conveyance rollers are arranged for signatures. The signatures is conveyed through the pair of conveyance rollers to a stacking unit while being sandwiched from both sides thereof between the pair of conveyance rollers. In response to passage of a signature for a sheet stack through the pair of the conveyance rollers, the conveyance rollers is switched from conveyance rotation to intermittent rotation to cause the pair of the conveyance rollers to keep the signatures for a next sheet stack from being conveyed to the stacking unit. In response to the stacking unit becoming ready to receive the signatures for the next sheet stack, the conveyance rollers is switched from the intermitted rotation or the stop to the continuous rotation to cause the pair of the conveyance rollers to convey to the signatures to the stacking unit.

Each of the sheets is conveyed by a horizontal conveyance unit in a state of being overlapped with a next sheet from above. Each of the sheets is conveyed out of the horizontal conveyance unit in a state of being folded along a fold line with the fold line oriented upward, the fold line extending in a conveyance direction of the horizontal conveyance unit. An oblique conveyance unit receives the sheet from the horizontal conveyance unit and successively conveys the sheets in an oblique downward direction. A sensor is arranged to detect passage of the sheets at a position where steps pass. Each of the steps is formed by two sheets adjacent to each other diverted to the oblique downward direction by the oblique conveyance unit.

A folding machine folding a sheet P1 into a predetermined folding pattern to form a signature P3, a saddle stitching machine 3 arranged downstream of the folding machine to staple and fold the signature and a control unit 15 controlling the folding machine and saddle stitching machine are provided. The folding machine has parameters adjustable depending on a thickness of the sheet. The saddle stitching machine has parameters adjustable depending on a thickness of the signature P3, P4. The control unit sets the parameters of the folding machine based on the information about the thickness of the sheet and sets the parameters of the saddle stitching machine based on the information about the thickness of the signature calculated using the information about the thickness of the sheet and the information about the folding pattern of the folding machine.

A paper sheet S is intermittently transported by a transport mechanism 6 and each processing unit 7, 8 operates while the transport mechanism pauses the transport operation. An information acquisition unit 9 obtains paper information from the paper sheet. A control unit 10 stores the paper information of the paper sheet to be processed for each processing unit, updates the data of the memory in a manner such that the paper information of the paper sheet associated with the previous processing unit is associated with the next processing unit every time the transport mechanism transports, and configures the settings of each processing unit for the next processing operation based on the paper information every time the processing operation of the processing unit is completed.

A paper sheet S is intermittently transported by a transport mechanism 6 and each processing unit 7, 8 operates while the transport mechanism pauses the transport operation. An information acquisition unit 9 obtains paper information from the paper sheet. A control unit 10 stores the paper information of the paper sheet to be processed for each processing unit, updates the data of the memory in a manner such that the paper information of the paper sheet associated with the previous processing unit is associated with the next processing unit every time the transport mechanism transports, and configures the settings of each processing unit for the next processing operation based on the paper information every time the processing operation of the processing unit is completed.

A continuous body folding device includes a conveying part having a moving surface that moves while suctioning and holding a first region of a continuous body, the conveying part conveying the continuous body in the longitudinal direction thereof; a first folding reference part in which a first endless belt, which moves in a first circulatory pathway along a first virtual plane including the moving surface, moves along a first reference segment adjacent to a virtual line of the continuous body in the same direction at the same speed as the moving surface; and first guiding members that are disposed along the first reference segment, contact a second region of the continuous body, and fold the continuous body along the virtual line and move the second region toward the first region so that the angle formed by the first and second regions becomes smaller as the continuous body is conveyed downstream.

A continuous body folding device includes a conveying part having a moving surface that moves while suctioning and holding a first region of a continuous body, the conveying part conveying the continuous body in the longitudinal direction thereof; a first folding reference part in which a first endless belt, which moves in a first circulatory pathway along a first virtual plane including the moving surface, moves along a first reference segment adjacent to a virtual line of the continuous body in the same direction at the same speed as the moving surface; and first guiding members that are disposed along the first reference segment, contact a second region of the continuous body, and fold the continuous body along the virtual line and move the second region toward the first region so that the angle formed by the first and second regions becomes smaller as the continuous body is conveyed downstream.

A folding machine for paper handkerchiefs is disclosed. The folding machine includes a longitudinal folding unit and a transverse folding unit, wherein the longitudinal folding unit executes a longitudinal folding procedure to a paper web to obtain a paper web with longitudinal folds, and the transverse folding unit receives the paper web with longitudinal folds from the longitudinal folding unit and cuts it into paper handkerchiefs before executing a transverse folding procedure to the paper handkerchiefs, thereby completing the folding process for paper handkerchiefs. After being folded longitudinally and transversely, the paper handkerchief is effectively reduced in size for packaging and is convenient for users to carry.

A method and associated system for cutting and placing individual nose wires in a facemask production line include supplying a continuous wire from a supply source to a cutting station where the continuous wire is cut into individual nose wires having a defined length. The nose wires are then conveyed to a treatment station prior to being deposited onto a carrier web. At the treatment station, a surface treatment is performed on a side of the nose wires that results in an increased surface attachment of the nose wires to the carrier web.