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.

There is provided a sheet feeding apparatus. A supporting unit rotatably supports a roll sheet formed by winding a continuous sheet into a roll shape. A first conveying path forming member is placed in a position spaced apart from the roll sheet supported by the supporting unit, and forms a first conveying path of the sheet. A displacing unit 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 feeding apparatus includes a roll support unit configured to rotatably support a roll sheet which is a sheet wound into a roll form, a drive unit configured to rotate the roll sheet in a first rotation direction for feeding the sheet into a conveyance path and a second rotation direction, an abutment portion provided so as to be capable of abutting against an outer peripheral surface of the roll sheet at a first position, and a rotation member configured to abut against the outer peripheral surface at a second position. The rotation member at the second position does not rotate with the roll sheet when the roll sheet is rotated in the first rotation direction, and rotates with the roll sheet when the roll sheet is rotated in the second rotation direction.

A sheet supplying apparatus, which is capable of winding a sheet tightly, includes a driving unit configured to cause a roll including a wound consecutive sheet to rotate in a first direction for feeding the sheet or a second direction opposite to the first direction, a sensor that detects a leading end portion of the sheet separated from an outer circumferential surface of the roll, and a contact body that presses the outer circumferential surface. Before the sheet is fed, in a state in which the contact body presses the outer circumferential surface, the driving unit causes the roll to continuously rotate in the second direction until a detection cycle of the leading end portion by the sensor is less than a predetermined value.

A machine for producing disposable products anticipates when a current run of a product size is coming to an end, and therefore begins loading of material rolls intended for the next product size or code that will be run. An integrated production facility layout automatically orders and stocks raw material based on production plans, and commands a production machine to produce specific products of differing configurations, and automatically loads appropriately sized raw materials into the process.

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.

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.

To form a web conveying path that bends and conveys a web, a web conveying device has: a plurality of foil supporting members that are disposed at prescribed intervals in a conveying direction of the web and that support a surface of the web that is being conveyed; a foil extending member stretched between the foil supporting members, which pulls an end of the web downstream in the conveying direction of the web such that the web extends from a starting point to an end point of the web conveying path that is formed by the foil supporting members; and a moving mechanism that moves the foil extending member from the starting point to the end point of the web conveying path.

A sheet supplying apparatus, which is capable of winding a sheet tightly, includes a driving unit configured to cause a roll including a wound consecutive sheet to rotate in a first direction for feeding the sheet or a second direction opposite to the first direction, a sensor that detects a leading end portion of the sheet separated from an outer circumferential surface of the roll, and a contact body that presses the outer circumferential surface. Before the sheet is fed, in a state in which the contact body presses the outer circumferential surface, the driving unit causes the roll to continuously rotate in the second direction until a detection cycle of the leading end portion by the sensor is less than a predetermined value.

The invention relates to a method of threading a fibrous web (W) onto a circular cylindrical object (3, 19) in a reel-up (2) for a paper-making machine (1). The reel-up (2) comprises an endless flexible belt (6) mounted for rotation along a predetermined path of travel. The endless flexible belt (6) is positioned adjacent the circular cylindrical object (3, 19) during winding and the fibrous web (W) residing on the outside surface (8) to engage the circular cylindrical object (3, 19) during winding such that the endless flexible belt (6) is deflected from the predetermined path of travel. When a fibrous web (W) is to be threaded onto the circular cylindrical object (3, 19), the circular cylindrical object (3, 19) is placed at a distance from the endless flexible belt (6) such that the endless flexible belt (6) is no longer deflected from the its path of travel. A narrow tail (17) is cut from a fibrous web (W) that is to be threaded and the narrow tail (17) is advanced on the outside surface (8) of the endless flexible belt (6). The circular cylindrical object (3, 19) is moved towards the endless flexible belt (6) such that the circular cylindrical object (3, 19) comes into contact with the narrow tail (17) and an adhesive substance is applied to the to the narrow tail (17) such that the narrow tail (17) will adhere to the circular cylindrical object and starts to be wound on the circular cylindrical object (3, 19), whereafter the narrow tail (17) is widened. The invention also relates to a reel-up (2) capable of carrying out the method.