A method of positioning a tape that includes determining an estimated position of a test element on the tape and rotating a spool that carries the tape in order for the test element to be positioned at a reading station. The estimated position of the test element is determined based on detected rotation of the spool, which can be measured at any shaft in the drive train. Also disclosed is a testing process for testing a sample deposited on a test element of a tape held on a spool of a cassette, a system for determining an estimated position of a test element on a tape which is carried by a cassette, and a memory storage medium associated with an in vitro diagnostic test cassette.

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.

The rewinding machine (1) comprises: a winding station (3) with winding members (5, 7) operated by winding motors (8.1, 8.2); an unwinder (31.1, 31.2) with an unwinding member (35.1, 35.2) operated by at least one unwinding motor (38.1, 38.2); guide roller (43.1, 43.2) along a feed path (P) of the web material (N, N2). There is associated with the guide roller (43.1, 43.2) at least one load sensor (42.1, 42.2), adapted to detect a parameter proportional to the tension of the web material (N; N2) guided around the guide roller (43.1, 43.2). There is also provided a control unit (71) adapted to modulate a difference in speed between the winding members (5, 7) and the unwinding member (35.1, 35.2) as a function of a signal coming from the load sensor (42.1, 42.2).

A tensioning control device having a first motor that applies a torque to a first end of a substrate in a first direction and a second motor that applies a torque to a second end of the substrate in a second direction that is generally opposite the first direction is disclosed. In this manner, the first motor and the second motor apply torque to the substrate in opposing directions, thereby placing the substrate in tension. In one embodiment, the first motor applies a torque to the first end of the substrate that is equal to the torque applied to the second end of the substrate by the second motor. By placing the substrate in tension in this manner, an actuator is able to incrementally move the substrate in a forward direction and a backward direction independent of the tension applied to the substrate.

A conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance roller, a conveyance motor, a back tension roller, a conveyance speed detector, a brake, and a controller. The controller is configured to: based on a conveyance speed of a web detected by the conveyance speed detector, control a value of a drive control parameter of the conveyance motor such that the conveyance speed of the web is equal to a target speed; and, based on an output torque of the conveyance motor corresponding to the value of the drive control parameter, adjust a braking force of the brake applied to the back tension roller which applies a tension to the web such that the tension of the web is equal to a target tension.

Systems for providing efficient manufacturing of paper, sheet, and/or box products of varying size and structure, often with pre-applied print (pre-print), are provided herein. Efficient customer ordering/tracking, job aggregation, print imposition, corrugator planning, and tracking and adjustments throughout the manufacturing process are contemplated. A reel editor is configured to edit the roll based on waste and/or errors that occurred during various manufacturing processes (e.g., during printing). A control plan defining what is on each roll of printed web product may be updated after editing. Depending on the configuration, the reel editor may be integrated with various manufacturing components. The reel editor may be configured to determine if there is enough waste on the roll to even making editing worthwhile, such as based on desired quality of the images, customer requirements, different price points, among other possible factors.

A slitter device includes a first tension detecting unit for obtaining a raw-cloth tension value which is a tension value of a sheet material fed out from a let-off mechanism, a second tension detecting unit for obtaining a divided material tension value which is the sum of the tension values of each of divided sheet materials, and a drive control device which includes a comparator to which the first tension detecting unit and the second tension detecting unit are connected, and which compares the raw-cloth tension value and the divided material tension value with each other; and a drive controller which controls an operating state of a roll driving motor such that the raw-cloth tension value and the divided material tension value coincide or substantially coincide with each other based on the comparison result of the comparator.

A system to re-configure an input material into an output material includes an input material feeder reconfigurable to accept and feed an input material, an output material spooler, the input material feeder re-configurable relative to the material cutter to cut the input material at a re-configurable cut angle to produce a first intermediate cut section of material, a positioning and alignment system to position and align a leading edge of the first intermediate cut section of material with a trailing edge of a second intermediate cut section of material, a welder having a configurable position to weld the first intermediate cut section of material to the second intermediate cut section of material, and a control system comprising logic to set at least intensity of the welder, a contact pressure of the welder, temperature of the weld-table surface, and a tension applied by the output material spooler.

A transport control method for use in transporting a medium in a predetermined direction by an upstream drive roller and a downstream drive roller, to operate the downstream drive roller by using PID control based on a detection value of a tension sensor disposed downstream of the upstream drive roller and upstream of the downstream drive roller for detecting tension. The transport control method includes a stable state determining step for determining, at time of the operation, whether a difference between the detection value of the tension sensors and a target value is within a stable width to make a stable state which maintains a stability time; and a gain decreasing step for decreasing a gain of the PID control to be less than an initial value when the difference is determined to be in the stable state.

Provided is a slitter device capable of quickly supplying metal bands to a cutter stand and cutting same into strips with high speed and accuracy. The metal band slitter device comprises an unwinder that unwinds a metal band wound into a coil, a cutter stand that cuts the unwound metal band into narrow width strips, and a winder that winds the cut metal band into coils. The metal band slitter device is configured to comprise a tension adjustment unit on the winder side between the unwinder and the cutter stand that provides a constant tension to the metal band and a tension separating unit on the cutter stand side that separates the constant tension on the input side and tension on the output side.