An agitator for agitating sheets of material passing through a sheet transport device that has upper and lower guide sections defining a sheet transport path therebetween. The agitator includes first and second sets of rollers each having a roller axis of rotation and a width, and the rollers are mounted to at least one holder such that the axes of rotation of the rollers are radially spaced from a line and such that rotating the at least one holder around the line causes the rollers to orbit around the line. At least one support supports the holder for rotation around the line, and the set of first rollers is spaced from the set of second rollers in the direction of the line by a distance greater than the width of the rollers. Also a sheet transport device including the agitator.

A layboy includes an upper belt section with a plurality of transversely spaced upper belts that extend in a longitudinal direction such that bottom portions of the upper belts lie in a first plane that defines an upper boundary of a transport path through the layboy and a lower belt section having a plurality of transversely spaced lower belts that extend in the longitudinal direction such that top portions of the lower belts lie in a second plane that defines an upper boundary of the transport path. The bottom portion of one of the top belts and/or the top portion of one of the bottom belts extends away from the transport path to define a gap in the transport path at which scrap moving through the layboy can fall out of the transport path.

A feeding unit for feeding a plastic film in packaging machines for wrapping paper rolls, including: a unit for unwinding the film from a reel; a cutting device adapted to cut the film transversely; a transfer device including, on the right and on the left side of the feeding unit, drive belts configured for engaging the upper and lower faces of the film; and a positioning device including, on the right and on the left side of the unit, a predetermined number of drive belts configured for engaging the upper and lower faces of the film. On each side of the feeding unit, the transfer device comprises two pairs of belts. On each side of the feeding unit, the positioning device comprises a third pair of belts. The three pairs of belts are actuated by independent actuators.

Described is an apparatus for packaging tissue products and a relative packaging method.

A front end conveyor includes a frame having a first side and a second side, a lower deck and an upper deck. The lower deck includes a plurality of sheet supports, and upper portions of the sheet supports lie in a first plane. The upper deck includes a plurality of sheet guides that define with the sheet supports a sheet transport path through the front end conveyor. A chad wall extends transversely to the sheet transport direction and has a top edge located below the sheet transport path and a front surface facing in the upstream direction and a plurality of fingers projecting from the front surface in the upstream direction. The top edge of the chad wall is positioned relative to the sheet transport path such that hanging chads depending from the sheets will impact the chad wall.

A front end conveyor includes a frame having a first side and a second side, a lower deck and an upper deck. The lower deck includes a plurality of sheet supports, and upper portions of the sheet supports lie in a first plane. The upper deck includes a plurality of sheet guides, and the plurality of sheet supports and the plurality of sheet guides define therebetween a sheet transport path for moving sheets in a sheet transport direction toward the downstream end of the front end conveyor. A transverse scrap conveyor is mounted below the lower deck to carry scrap in a direction perpendicular to the sheet transport direction. The transverse scrap conveyor is secured to and supported by the frame such that the transverse scrap conveyor is movable with the frame as a unit.

A front end conveyor include a lower deck having a plurality of lower sheet supports, an upstream upper deck having an upstream end at the upstream end of the front end conveyor, a downstream end and a plurality of first upper sheet guides and a downstream upper deck having an upstream end, a downstream end at the downstream end of the front end conveyor, and a plurality of second upper sheet guides. The lower sheet supports and the upper sheet guides define a sheet transport path for moving sheets of material though the conveyor. The downstream end of the upstream upper deck and the upstream end of the downstream upper deck are independently pivotably mounted to the frame such that the upstream end of the upstream upper deck and the downstream end of the downstream upper deck shiftable toward and away from the lower deck.

A front end conveyor includes a frame having a first side and a second side, a lower deck including a plurality of sheet supports and an upper deck including a plurality of sheet guides. Upper portions of the sheet supports lie in a first plane, and the plurality of sheet supports and the plurality of sheet guides define therebetween a sheet transport path for moving sheets in a sheet transport direction toward the downstream end of the front end conveyor. At least one helical brush is positioned at the sheet transport path and is configured to engage scrap material on the plurality of sheets. The conveyor also includes a drive configured to rotate the helical brush.

A front end conveyor includes a frame having a first side and a second side, a lower deck having a plurality of sheet supports and an upper deck having a plurality of sheet guides. Upper portions of the sheet supports lie in a first plane. The plurality of sheet supports and the plurality of sheet guides define therebetween a sheet transport path for moving sheets in a sheet transport direction toward the downstream end of the front end conveyor, and the front end system includes at least one blower directed at the sheet transport path and configured to dislodge scrap material from the sheets.

A rewinding machine winds web material into a log. The machine has a winding drum that is rotatable about a center axis and about which the web material to be wound is directed. A continuous loop is spaced from the winding drum and with the winding drum defines a nip through which the web material is directed when winding the web material into the log. The continuous loop is configured to move in a direction generally opposite of a direction of the winding drum at the nip. The continuous loop is configured to change speed relative to a speed of the winding drum during winding the web material into the log about a lead edge of the web material. The continuous loop is positionable relative to the winding drum at the nip to accommodate winding the web material into the log about the lead edge of the web material and to sever the web material.