A moulded fibrous end plug (3) and dispenser system comprising the same, the end plug for use in mounting a roll of sheet material to a dispenser and having a roll facing side comprising formations configured to be insertable into an opening in an end of a roll of sheet material and for securing the end plug to the roll of sheet material, the end plug further comprising an opposite dispenser facing side comprising formations configured to cooperate with formations of a roll holder portion of a dispenser in use for mounting the end plug to the dispenser. The formations of the roll facing side configured to be insertable into the opening in the end of the roll of sheet material include a plurality of domes (7). The formations of the roll facing side for securing the end plug to the roll of sheet material include protuberances (26) configured to provide an interference fit securing the end plug to the roll.

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 system for dispensing a flexible hose includes a hose dispensing carousel having a frame, a spool support plate rotatably mounted to the frame and having a plurality of spool axles for rotatably supporting a plurality of spools of hose, and a lock adapted to fix a position of the spool support plate relative to the frame in a plurality of discrete positions. The system further includes a guide defining an opening adapted to receive a free end of a hose held on one of the plurality of spools. The guide defines at least one rotatable bearing surface positioned at the opening, and is adapted to guide the hose toward a tool for performing a manufacturing operation on the hose.

A tension-inducing shaft system includes a shaft, two shaft caps, and a biasing mechanism. A bore extends through the shaft between two ends of the shaft. The shaft caps are positioned on the two ends of the shaft. Each shaft cap includes a collar having a size that is larger than the bore, a keyed end, and an anchor. The biasing mechanism is arranged inside the bore and is coupled to the anchors of the shaft caps so that the biasing mechanism exerts inward forces on the shaft cap. The keyed ends of the shaft caps can be coupled to a housing so that the shaft caps do not rotate with respect to the housing. The shaft is configured to rotate with respect to the shaft caps such that, when the keyed ends are coupled to the housing, the shaft is capable of rotating with respect to the housing.

A device is provided for protecting a spool, such as, for example, a wire reel. An example of the device is useful for both preventing damage to spools and permitting damaged spools to be continued to be used. The elastic spool protector may include a disk-shaped member and a rim portion. In one example, an elastic spool protector is capable of being positioned on a flange of a wire reel. In one example, and an edge region of a flange may be received between a main portion and a lip portion of the elastic spool protector. The elastic spool protector may include one or more of various elastomeric materials.

A reel apparatus and method comprising an inner flange assembly, an outer flange assembly, and a bearing assembly coupled to the inner flange assemblies. The inner flange assembly is capable of freely rotating relative to the outer flange assembly. In another embodiment, wire is spooled from a reel assembly comprising an inner flange assembly and an outer flange assembly.

A reel apparatus and method comprising an inner flange assembly, an outer flange assembly, and a bearing assembly coupled to the inner flange assemblies. The inner flange assembly is capable of freely rotating relative to the outer flange assembly. In another embodiment, wire is spooled from a reel assembly comprising an inner flange assembly and an outer flange assembly.

The reel which can mount substantial amounts of information for identifying the type of a wire wound thereon without increasing the hub size. The reel includes a hub that includes a winding part, a pair of flanges that face each other with the winding part interposed therebetween, first information display portions that are disposed on a first circumference about a shaft center of the hub of at least a surface of the flange, and a second information display portion that is disposed on a second circumference having a smaller diameter than that of the first circumference. The second information display portion is disposed in a region surrounded, in a circumferential direction, by both inner ends of the adjacent first information display portions and the shaft center of the hub.

A material tracking system is provided for tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel. The material tracking system may include a reel, detection element, digital logic components, battery and power components, transceiver and communication components, location receiver, enclosure, analytic component and interface component. One or more sensors relative to the reel may detect a position indicative of forward or reverse reel rotation. A processor may analyze signals to count rotations of the reel, which is savable in memory. A battery may provide power. The system may also record the time and location associated with rotations. A method to operate a tracking material stored on and drawn from a reel using the material tracking system is also provided.

A fabric roll is produced by winding a fabric (4) around at least two reels, that are coaxially aligned, spaced from each other, and have a total length (L) that is less than the width (Wr) of said fabric roll (11).