In order to thread a web material in a converting machine a system is provided, with a first continuous flexible member and a second flexible member. An anchoring element, to which there can be fixed the web material leading edge, may be transferred from one to the other of the two flexible members so as to facilitate the threading operations.

This disclosure relates to a winding machine which has a plurality of equi-rotating rolls, at least two guide elements arranged mirror-wise, between which the sheets to be rolled up pass, with arched distal portions arranged in a mirror-like manner, the two guide elements being connected to a support configured to position in a mutually exclusive manner only one guide element at a time in the rolling space defined between the winding rollers. Moreover, the winding machine is equipped with a motor unit controlled so as to rotate the winding rollers in a direction or in the opposite direction depending on which of the two guide elements has its respective distal portion facing the rolling space.

A self-threading lamination head has a material supply drum, a backing layer collection drum, and a material threading system. The material supply drum supports a material roll of layup material backed by a backing layer. The material threading system includes at least one threading belt located on one side of the lamination head. The threading belt is supported by belt rollers driven by a belt drive motor. A belt-mounted layer engagement device is coupled to the threading belt for engaging a backing layer leading edge portion. The backing layer collection drum collects the backing layer as the lamination head applies the layup material onto a substrate. The belt drive motor drives the threading belt over the belt rollers and causes the belt-mounted layer engagement device to thread the backing layer through the lamination head, and position the backing layer leading edge portion proximate the backing layer collection drum.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting unit that rotatably supports a roll sheet formed by winding a continuous sheet into a roll shape, a conveying path forming member that is placed in a position spaced apart from the roll sheet supported by the supporting unit, and forms a conveying path of the sheet, and a displacing unit that includes a guide portion capable of being displaced between a guide position and a retracting position set farther from a start position than the guide position. The guide portion is displaced from the retracting position to the guide position when a leading edge of the sheet separated from the roll sheet supported by the supporting unit is positioned between the guide portion in the retracting position and the start position.

A roll sheet, in which a continuous sheet is wound in a roll form, is caused to rotate in a forward direction to supply the sheet to a printing unit. First and second sensors are arranged at positions facing an outer circumferential surface of the roll sheet and deviated in an axis line direction of the roll sheet. Outputs of the first and second sensors are changed in accordance with a distance to a sheet of the roll sheet. A rotation direction of the roll sheet is switched from a forward direction to a reverse direction on the basis of the outputs of the first and second sensors while the roll sheet is being rotated in the reverse direction.

A web unwinding and splicing system includes a turret unwind having a turret arm with rotatable shafts at opposing ends thereof to unwind a running web of an expiring web material roll and unwind a waiting web of a new web material roll. A web splicing unit operable with the turret unwind includes a web deflection device that bumps the running web onto the waiting web to splice the running web with the waiting web and a cutting device that selectively severs the running web, thereby creating a leading portion of the running web that is spliced to the waiting web and a trailing portion of the running web that remains separate from the waiting web. A vacuum system is positioned proximate the running web to suction in the trailing portion of the running web left on the expiring web material roll.

A feed assist apparatus for a flexible sheet material spreader, comprising a first arm attached at a first end to one side of the material spreader, a second arm attached at a first end to another side of the material spreader, and a material retainer attached at a second end of each of the first and second arms, the material retainer having a first configuration for feeding flexible sheet material there-through and a second configuration for retaining flexible sheet material. The first arm and the second arm are moveable together from a first position adjacent a flexible material supply and a second position adjacent entry to the material spreader, and the material retainer is in the second configuration when the moveable arms are in the first position, and the material retainer is in the first configuration when the moveable arms are in the second position.

An air nozzle apparatus that includes an air orifice and a nozzle housing, said nozzle housing configured as u-shaped having a first elongated sidewall, a second elongated sidewall, and a third curved sidewall formed continuous with said first elongated sidewall and said second elongated sidewall to form a channel having an open end opposite said third curved sidewall, said air orifice positioned centered in said channel and proximate a base of said third sidewall facing said open end, wherein said first elongated sidewall, said second elongated sidewall, and said third curved sidewall are configured having an arched top surface, and, thus, functions to optimize the Coanda effect to position and convey the paper web through an air threading chute to thread a paper web from the end of the drying step through the dry-end to the paper winding step.

A device and a method for feeding a sheet material are provided. A conveying machine is disposed above a holding machine. A sensor detects a lateral position of a rubber sheet fed from the holding machine. At a position between a grip position below the conveying machine and a release position at an upstream side in a conveying direction above the conveying machine, a leading edge of the rubber sheet is gripped by a gripping machine. The gripping machine is revolved and moved to the release position using, as a revolution center, a position in a vertical direction midway between the grip position and the release position. The leading edge being released is pressed against a placement surface of the conveying machine by a pressing portion. The rubber sheet is placed on the placement surface and conveyed to a downstream side in the conveying direction by the conveying machine.

Rewinder for the production of paper logs adapted to guide and transversely pre-cut a paper web along a predetermined path, adapted to wind a predetermined amount of the paper web on a core in a winding station, and including a threading mechanism for threading the web along said path. The threading mechanism includes a dragging unit provided to engage the web to drag it along the path with a predetermined feed direction and at least one dragging member to engage a respective flap of the web preceding the production of the logs. The dragging unit is located downstream of the winding station and is adapted to release the flap of the web from the dragging member, the release means being arranged downstream of the dragging so as to intercept the flap of the web and disengage it from the dragging while the web is fed.