Web lifter and/or stabilizer and method of lifting and/or stabilizing a travelling web and coating a web. The device creates a web hold down force via a negative pressure slot at its exit side, which draws the web down against the surface on the entry side. The device can be actuated to move the web relative to slot die coater off the die lips and stop the application of slurry to the web, thereby creating uncoated regions on the web surface. The device can be actuated to move the web back into contact with the coater to start the application of slurry to the web, creating coated regions on the web surface. Web lifting can be accomplished by rotating the device in first and second directions to lift the web off of the slot die coater and return the web back into contact with the coater.

An apparatus can control the movement of a substrate through a manufacturing process. The apparatus can transport the substrate in the machine direction of the manufacturing process and can control the movement of the substrate in the cross-machine direction as well as the z-direction.

The present invention provides a guide device for guiding print medium onto a take-up roll in a printing system. The guide device comprises a first guide member presenting a substantially planar surface for limiting or preventing lateral deviation of a printed medium output from the printing system as the medium moves along a transport path towards a take-up roll for winding or taking up a length of the medium. The first guide member is stationary in use. A position of the first guide member is adjustable in a direction transverse to the transport path for setting the position to limit or prevent lateral deviation of the medium along the transport path. The guide device further comprises a second guide member presenting a support surface configured and arranged to support the medium thereon as the medium travels along the transport path towards the take-up roll. The first guide member and the second guide member are preferably integrally formed as a guide unit. Further, the invention provides a printing system which incorporates such a guide device.

An apparatus can control the movement of a substrate through a manufacturing process. The apparatus can transport the substrate in the machine direction of the manufacturing process and can control the movement of the substrate in the cross-machine direction as well as the z-direction.

A recording apparatus, including: a recording portion; a conveying portion that conveys the sheet, while imparting tension to the sheet, in a forward direction and a backward direction; a position detecting portion that detects a position of the sheet in a width direction of the sheet; a position adjustment portion that adjusts a position of the sheet in the width direction; and a control portion that executes a position adjustment operation in which, after conveying the sheet in the backward direction following a recording operation by the recording portion, the sheet is conveyed by the conveying portion in the forward direction while adjusting the position of the sheet in the width direction using the position adjustment portion. A conveying distance of the sheet in the backward direction in the position adjustment operation is determined on the basis of a detection result by the position detecting portion.

An image recording apparatus includes a pair of conveying rollers configured to convey a sheet in a conveying direction, a recording unit located downstream of the pair of conveying rollers in the conveying direction and configured to record an image on the sheet, a first side-guide located upstream of the pair of conveying rollers in the conveying direction and configured to come into contact with at least one of opposite ends of the sheet in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The first side-guide is movable in the width direction. The image recording apparatus further includes a second side-guide located downstream of the pair of conveying rollers and upstream of the recoding unit in the conveying direction, the second side-guide being configured to come into contact with at least one of opposite ends of the sheet in the width direction and movable in the width direction.

Web lifter and/or stabilizer and method of lifting and/or stabilizing a travelling web and for coating a web. The device creates a web hold down force via a negative pressure slot at its exit side, which draws the web down against the surface on the entry side. The device can be actuated to move the web relative to a slot die coater off the die lips and stop the application of slurry to the web, thereby creating uncoated regions on the web surface. The device can then be actuated to move the web back into contact with the coater to start the application of slurry to the web, thereby creating coated regions on the web surface. Web lifting can be accomplished by rotating the device in first and second directions to lift the web off of the slot die coater and return the web back into contact with the coater.

A printer includes a medium supply unit, a printing unit, a feed unit, which feeds a print medium along a feed direction that is any one of a first direction toward the printing unit from the medium supply unit or a second direction toward the medium supply unit from the printing unit on a reference surface, a depressed portion, which is disposed using the reference surface as a reference, and a movement restricting portion, which includes a guide piece and restricts a movement of the print medium to a direction perpendicular to the feed direction of the print medium by housing at least a part of the guide piece in the depressed portion and abutting a side edge of the print medium on the guide piece, and a side edge on a side of the printing unit of the guide piece is disposed at a position close to an inner wall surface on the printing unit side of the depressed portion with respect to an inner wall surface on a side of the medium supply unit of the depressed portion.

A tape feeder (part feeding device) includes a main body including a transporting passage for guiding a part feeding tape to a part removing position, a conveyor for positioning a storage of the part feeding tape which is inserted to the transporting passage to the part removing position, and a part detector for detecting the part stored in the storage in the transporting passage at the upstream side of the part removing position. The transporting passage includes a travelling surface for supporting the part feeding tape from underneath, a pair of side guides for guiding two side surfaces of the part feeding tape, and a squeezed portion in which a distance between the pair of side guides is gradually reduced from the upstream side of the part detector toward a part detecting position of the part detector.

The present invention provides a guide device for guiding print medium onto a take-up roll in a printing system. The guide device comprises a first guide member presenting a substantially planar surface for limiting or preventing lateral deviation of a printed medium output from the printing system as the medium moves along a transport path towards a take-up roll for winding or taking up a length of the medium. The first guide member is stationary in use. A position of the first guide member is adjustable in a direction transverse to the transport path for setting the position to limit or prevent lateral deviation of the medium along the transport path. The guide device further comprises a second guide member presenting a support surface configured and arranged to support the medium thereon as the medium travels along the transport path towards the take-up roll. The first guide member and the second guide member are preferably integrally formed as a guide unit. Further, the invention provides a printing system which incorporates such a guide device.