A sheet interleaver is provided for a slicing machine that includes a slicing plane for slicing an elongated food product and a sheet of web material beneath the elongated product. The interleaver includes a supply of web material, a drawing station, and a feed station. A tensioning station is disposed between the supply of web material and the drawing station to maintain the tension of the web material at a pre-determined tension. A web accumulation station is between the drawing station and the feed station to provide a slackened length of web material within an acceptable range of slack between the drawing station and the feed station. The supply of web material is disposed on a spool which rotates about a cylindrical shaft. The cylindrical shaft has a braking mechanism which protrudes from the shaft to generate a frictional force against the spool.

Systems and methods for aligning preprinted images on a roll of substrate to the moving components of a web press are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment includes determining the speed of the moving components of the press, determining the speed of the web of preprinted images and adjusting the speed of the web of preprinted image to match the speed of the web. In particular embodiments, a press which produces rolls of preprinted material can be modified to change the equivalent cutoff length of the press. In further embodiments, a method of pasting new rolls of material to expiring rolls of material is accomplished by modulating the drive speed of the new roll of material to match the expiring roll of material while at the same time aligning the images on the new roll with the expiring roll.

Systems and methods for aligning preprinted images on a roll of substrate to the moving components of a web press are disclosed. A method in accordance with one embodiment includes determining the speed of the moving components of the press, determining the speed of the web of preprinted images and adjusting the speed of the web of preprinted image to match the speed of the web. In particular embodiments, a press which produces rolls of preprinted material can be modified to change the equivalent cutoff length of the press. In further embodiments, a method of pasting new rolls of material to expiring rolls of material is accomplished by modulating the drive speed of the new roll of material to match the expiring roll of material while at the same time aligning the images on the new roll with the expiring roll.

Provided is a printer that can appropriately handle a paper (media) wound into a roll with one end of the paper affixed to a core, when the trailing end of the paper is detected, the trailing end of the paper being attached to the winding core in multiple ways. The printer has: a roll paper support that supports the core of a roll of paper; a roll driver that turns the core and delivers the paper; a conveyance device that conveys the delivered paper; a tension detection switch that outputs a first detection value when tension produced on the paper delivered from the roll is greater than or equal to a threshold; and a controller that drives the roll driver in the direction delivering the paper when the output of the tension detection switch changes to the first detection value in response to rotation of the core.

Technology enabling correctly detecting that paper has been delivered from a paper roll to the trailing end A printer has an inkjet head; a roll paper support; a delivery motor configured to rotate the roll paper supported by the roll paper support; a guide member configured to guide roll paper conveyed from the paper roll; and a detection switch disposed to a position where it detects the conveyed roll paper when the delivery point on the circumference of the paper roll moves to the part of the circumference of the roll on the same side of an imaginary line as the guide member; the delivery point being from which the conveyed roil paper separates from the roil when the paper roll turns; and the imaginary line being tangent to the guide member and passing through the center of the roll.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a detection tension acquiring unit that acquires a detection tension which is a tension applied during an (n1)-th feeding operation in a plurality of feeding operations in which the medium is fed, a corrected tension calculating unit that calculates a corrected tension obtained by correcting a target tension which is a target value of a tension to be applied during a n-th feeding operation based on the detection tension, and a driving controlling unit that controls a roll motor during the n-th feeding operation based on the corrected tension.

A medium feeding apparatus includes a detection tension acquiring unit that acquires a detection tension which is a tension applied during an (n1)-th feeding operation in a plurality of feeding operations in which the medium is fed, a corrected tension calculating unit that calculates a corrected tension obtained by correcting a target tension which is a target value of a tension to be applied during a n-th feeding operation based on the detection tension, and a driving controlling unit that controls a roll motor during the n-th feeding operation based on the corrected tension.

A printing apparatus includes first and second supplying portions, a printer, and a winding unit. The first supplying portion can supply a recording medium on a conveyance route to the printer for first surface printing. The winding unit then rotates in a first direction to wind the printed recording medium. A wound recording medium edge is located at a specific location and then guided to a conveyance route opening portion if the wind direction is a second direction. After the edge is at the specific location, the recording medium is supplied through the opening portion to the printer for second surface printing. If the second supplying portion supplies the recording medium for first surface printing, then it supplies the medium for second surface printing. If a user sets a wound-in-advance recording medium to the second supplying portion, the second supplying portion supplies the set recording medium to the printer.

A medium supply apparatus supplying a rolled medium includes a tension member contacts to the medium to apply a tension to the medium, a state switching part that switches states of the tension member between first and second states, and a control unit. The tension member is swingable between a first position at which a first corner angle (1) and a second position at which a second corner angle (2) is formed, the second corner angle (2) being greater than the first corner angle (1). The control unit causes the state switching part to switch the state of the tension member to the fixed state in the first position when the medium is supplied, the control unit causes the state switching part to switch the state of the tension member to the releasing state in the first position when the control unit does not receive an image forming start signal for a predetermined period, and the control unit causes the state switching part to switch the state of the tension member to the fixed state when the tension member reaches the second position.

A suspended surface assembly is provided having a trainable surface support element, a spindle component configured for training of the trainable surface support element therearound, a take-up action module configured to drivingly rotate the spindle component to thereby effect winding of the trainable surface support element onto the spindle component or to effect unwinding of the trainable surface support element from a partially or fully wound-up condition, and a lift complex for adjusting the vertical position of the trainable surface support element and the spindle component, the lift complex including a motive power element operable to both drivingly rotate the spindle component and to drivingly raise and lower the trainable surface support element and the spindle component. A method for operating the suspended surface assembly is also provided.