A processing machine includes at least one processing unit configured as at least one shaping unit following, in a transport direction of a substrate, at least one processing unit configured as at least one application unit. Additionally, at least one transport unit is arranged between the at least one application unit and at least one succeeding processing unit. The at least one transport unit includes a plurality of transport elements that are arranged one behind the other in the transport direction. At least one transport element is axially adjustable based on detection of at least one image-producing element of a substrate by at least one sensor for substrate alignment.

The invention relates to a method and a vacuum-coating system (10) for coating a band-type material (11), in particular made of metal. For this, the band-type material (11) is moved, via a conveying section (12), in a transport direction (T) and is vacuum-coated within a coating chamber (14), in which a vacuum is applied. As seen in the transport direction (T) of the band-type material (11), at least one flatness optimization device (39) is arranged upstream of the coating chamber (14), through which flatness optimization device the band-type material (11) can be guided. In this way, a desired flatness is generated for the band-type material (11).

A processing machine includes at least one further processing unit following at least one processing unit configured as an application unit in a transport direction of a substrate. At least one transport unit is arranged between the at least one processing unit configured as an application unit and the at least one succeeding processing unit. The at least one transport unit includes a plurality of transport elements arranged one behind the other in the transport direction. The plurality of transport elements are individually axially adjustable, or the plurality of transport elements are groupwise axially adjustable.

A wire supply module may include a plurality of spools and a joint machine. Wires may be wound on the spools. The joint machine may be arranged between the spools to join the wires to each other. The joint machine may include a housing, a jointer and a cutter. The housing may have a joint passage configured to receive ends of the wires. The jointer may be arranged in the housing to join the ends of the wires to each other. The cutter may be arranged in the housing to partially cut the joined ends of the wires. Thus, when all the wire on a currently used spool may be exhausted, the wire on another spool may be joined to the wire on the currently used spool so that the wire may be continuously supplied without a spool exchange.

Machine for feeding flatwork articles to an ironer-dryer machine, the machine including loading posts (1) with a load conveyor (2) for loading flatwork articles (53); one pair of transferring grippers (6) at each loading post (1), two or more spreading grippers (7) at a pickup station movable along one transverse guide (8); an outgoing feed conveyor (9) to transfer the flatwork article (53); and a vacuum chamber (44) below the spreading grippers (7) and below conveyor (9). The spreading grippers (7) are independent of each other, to spread a flatwork article (53) at several different zones with regard to the conveyor (9), operative in one or more lanes. A suction entrance (45) of vacuum chamber (44) has associated movable separating blades (59) temporally preventing insertion of a spread flatwork article (53) into vacuum chamber (44) and a controller coordinates the movements of the transferring grippers (6), spreading grippers (7) and separating blades (59).

A joining unit includes: a suction holding member having a suction surface configured to suction an end section of a sheet; a moving mechanism configured to move the suction surface toward an intermediate section of a sheet of a delivery-side original material roll along a path set in advance so that tension is applied to the sheet; and a regulating mechanism that is configured to switch between a regulated state in which a movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member due to the tension is regulated and an allowable state in which the movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member is allowed. The controller switches the regulating mechanism to the regulated state during the movement of the suction surface toward the intermediate section of the sheet of the delivery-side original material roll.

An apparatus is provided for positioning a substrate on a support body. The apparatus comprises the support body for supporting the substrate, at least one registration element, wherein said at least one registration element is positioned and arranged for registering the substrate in a preselected position on the support body when brought into a registering state. The apparatus further comprises a registration actuator movably arranged with respect to the support body for selectively arranging a registration element into the registering state.

A method for feeding a production line of absorbent sanitary articles with a layer of a virgin multilayer tape including providing a head free end of the virgin multilayer tape partially unwound from a respective virgin spool; providing a tail free end of a multilayer tape in use; applying a first connecting element on a first layer of the virgin multilayer tape and on a first layer of the multilayer tape in use at the head free end and tail free end; applying a second connecting element on a second layer of the virgin multilayer tape and on a second layer of the multilayer tape in use at the head free end and tail free end; pulling the first layer of the virgin multilayer tape in a first direction; pulling the second layer of the virgin multilayer tape in a second direction.

A gripper, which removes blanks from a web of material lying flat, includes gripping elements which can each be actuated separately. The gripping elements are mounted independently of one another in a frame so as to be displaceable perpendicularly to a reference plane parallel to the web of material. The gripping elements are set against the web of material and actuated in a takeover position of the gripper aligned with respect to the blank by means of a control device. In addition to the gripping elements located inside the contour line, there are also other gripping elements adjacent to the blank and located outside the contour line that are set against the material web as downholders. Gripping elements within the contour line of the blank are actuated and retracted from the material web, taking along the blank, before the gripper is lifted off the material web from the takeover position.

Thread-guiding device for a workstation of a textile machine which produces cross-wound bobbins. The workstation has an unwinding aid device for feed bobbins, a winding device for producing a cross-wound bobbin and a thread-guiding channel which surrounds the thread path and which can be subjected to negative pressure. The thread-guiding device is installed at the end face of the thread-guiding channel in the region of a suction head above the regular thread path in the workstation and is designed such that during a thread cutting process initiated during the winding operation, the thread end of the newly created upper thread, said thread end shooting upwards as a result of the thread tension in the running thread, enters the thread-guiding device and is guided in a controlled manner by the thread-guiding device in the direction of the center of the cross-wound bobbin.