A sheet suction device includes a sheet carrier, a suction unit, and a rotary body. The sheet carrier has a carrying region. The carrying region includes a plurality of suction openings. The sheet carrier is configured to rotate while holding a sheet. The suction unit is configured to communicate with the plurality of suction openings and suck air via the plurality of suction openings. The rotary body is disposed between the plurality of suction openings and the suction unit. The rotary body is configured to rotate to change a number of suction openings that communicate with the suction unit, among the plurality of suction openings of the sheet carrier.

A sheet suction device includes a sheet bearer having a plurality of suction holes, a suction unit, a first member, and a second member. The first member has grooves arranged in a radial direction, and each of the grooves extends in a circumferential direction. The second member has a plurality of hole rows including a plurality of holes. The plurality of holes in each of the plurality of hole rows is arranged in the circumferential direction, and the plurality of hole rows is arranged in the radial direction. When the first member rotates with respect to the second member, the number of holes communicating with the grooves is changed to change the number of the plurality of suction holes communicating with the suction unit. The plurality of holes includes two or more holes that simultaneously communicate with the suction unit when the first member rotates by a unit rotation amount.

A method and apparatus for transporting a discrete element is disclosed. A preferably rotatably driven vacuum commutation zone (or internal vacuum manifold), preferably internal to a preferably independently driven porous vacuum roll or drum is disclosed. The vacuum manifold applies vacuum through pores in the driven porous vacuum roll or puck in order to hold material against an external surface of the vacuum roll or puck. By independently controlling the vacuum commutation zone and the driven porous surface, unique motion profiles of the vacuum commutation zone relative to the driven porous surface can be provided. Micro vacuum commutation port structures are also disclosed.

An image forming system includes a transport section that includes a support surface supporting a sheet-like medium and transports the medium while supporting the medium on the support surface, a first pressure generating section that generates pressure used to suck the medium supported on the support surface, and an image forming section that forms an image on the medium transported by the transport section. First suction holes that communicate with the first pressure generating section, first protrusions, and sealed portions that are disposed at positions where end portions of the medium in the medium width direction are supported and restrict inflow of air to regions, in which the first suction holes are arranged, from the outside of the end portions of the medium in the medium width direction are arranged on the support surface in a medium support region where the medium can be supported.

A medium transporting device and a liquid jetting device, which can suppress the lifting of both ends of a medium in a width direction of a medium and can suppress the occurrence of wrinkling of the medium, are provided. The medium transporting device includes a gripping unit that grips a leading end region of a medium, a medium supporting unit that has a first adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs and supports a trailing end region of the medium and a second adsorption supporting unit which adsorbs a non-end region of the medium and generates an adsorption pressure less than an adsorption pressure generated by the first adsorption supporting unit, a medium position moving unit that moves a position in a medium width direction in the medium width direction, and a medium transporting unit that transports the medium. Regarding the width direction, the first adsorption supporting unit has a length, which is obtained by adding a length twice a moving distance of the medium to a medium length, and a distance from a center position in the width direction to one end in the width direction is the same as a distance from the center position in the width direction to the other end in the width direction.

An interfolding machine (1) is described, including folding rollers (3). Such a roller has a cylindrical sleeve (3C) having a rotation axis (3A), an outer surface (3X) and an inner surface (3Y) defining an inner axial cavity (23) of the cylindrical sleeve (3C). The cylindrical sleeve includes, furthermore, a plurality of suction holes (41, 43) which extend from the outer surface (3X) to the inner surface (3Y) of the cylindrical sleeve (3C). The suction holes are arranged depending on longitudinal alignments (42, 44), parallel to the rotation axis (3A) of the cylindrical sleeve (3C) and angularly staggered in relation to one another. Inside a suction chamber (23A) in the cylindrical sleeve (3C), shutters are stationarily arranged having closing surfaces (37A) cooperating with the inner surface (3Y) of the cylindrical sleeve (3C) to selectively close the suction holes.

A printer includes a platen including a loading surface on which a target printing medium is loaded and in which through holes are formed, a printing unit performing printing on the target printing medium, a platen stand on which the platen is loaded, the platen stand including air chambers communicating with the through holes, communication tubes that individually communicate with the air chambers, an air blower configured to suck and exhaust air in the air chambers, and suction opening/closing valves individually provided in the communication tubes, the suction opening/closing valves configured to open and close communication between the air blower and the plurality of air chambers. The plurality of air chambers are provided at different positions adjacent to one another in a length direction and a width direction of the target printing medium loaded on the loading surface.

A sheet suction device includes a drum having multiple suction ports in a circumferential surface of the drum, the drum configured to bear a sheet on the circumferential surface and rotate in a circumferential direction of the drum, and a suction device configured to suck the sheet through the multiple suction ports to attract the sheet on the circumferential surface. The drum includes multiple suction regions aligned in the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface, each of the multiple suction regions includes the multiple suction ports aligned in the circumferential direction and in an axial direction of the drum on the circumferential surface, the multiple suction regions include an upstream region, a middle region, and a downstream region in the circumferential direction, and the middle region has the multiple suction ports at both outer sides in the axial direction of the drum.

Provided are methods and apparatus for transporting either an entire web or discrete components of disposable products. The invention is a means of conveying the web or diaper components down the machine using mechanical forces to grip the nonwoven web and transfer it from one belt or roll to another without or reducing added vacuum. There is a carrier nonwoven web that goes down the length of the machine and other substrates are added on top of this. Methods and apparatus are disclosed to provide sufficient gripping to allow transport of diaper components through the fabrication process. Securing and releasing forces are supplied so that the components can be retained at some points and released at others.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for transporting a discrete element. A preferably rotatably driven vacuum commutation zone (or internal vacuum manifold), preferably internal to a preferably independently driven porous vacuum roll or drum is disclosed. The vacuum manifold applies vacuum through pores in the driven porous vacuum roll or puck in order to hold material against an external surface of the vacuum roll or puck. By independently controlling the vacuum commutation zone and the driven porous surface, unique motion profiles of the vacuum commutation zone relative to the driven porous surface can be provided. Micro vacuum commutation port structures are also disclosed.