A conveying device includes a sheet conveyor configured to convey a medium in a conveyance direction of the medium, a sheet winder including a winding roller and a winding motor, and circuitry to control the sheet conveyor and the sheet winder. The circuitry is configured to convey the medium intermittently while repeating: causing the sheet conveyor and the sheet winder to convey the loosened medium by a predetermined conveyance amount; rotating the winding motor in a normal direction by a predetermined torque according to an outer winding diameter of the medium to apply a predetermined tension force to the medium; and rotating the winding motor in a reverse direction to loosen the medium by a predetermined slack amount. The circuitry is configured to determine the predetermined tension force according to the width of the medium intersecting with the conveyance direction of the medium.

A liquid ejection apparatus includes a conveying unit, a winding unit, a printing unit, and a rotation control unit. The conveying unit is configured to intermittently convey a printing medium by a predetermined feed amount. The winding unit is configured to wind the printing medium conveyed by the conveying unit. The printing unit is configured to perform printing on the conveyed printing medium. The rotation control unit is configured to control the winding unit to rotate in a winding direction at a predetermined timing after the conveying unit has started to convey the printing medium intermittently, and then cause the winding unit to rotate in a reverse direction opposite to the winding direction.

A method is provided for controlling a web in a printing apparatus The printing apparatus includes a transport assembly for moving the web through a transport path along a printing unit for printing an image onto a print area of the web. The method includes feeding the web from a supply roll through the transport path to the transport assembly; and switching the printing apparatus to a ready-to-print mode, wherein the printing unit does not print an image on the web and the web is maintained ready to be printed on. In a printing mode after the ready-to print mode, the following steps are performed: moving the web through the transport path in a transport direction along the printing unit by the transport assembly; and printing the image onto the print area of the web by the printing unit. The image is printed by applying an image material, which solidifies on the web during the printing step. The ready-to-print mode includes the step of: operating the transport assembly to prevent a deformation of the print area of the web in the transport path, while maintaining the web in the ready-to-print mode. The web is maintained ready to print while preventing a deformation of the print area of the web in the transport path.

A machine to produce stacks of folded pop-up wipes from material that is threaded along a path having a direction through the machine. The machine includes a holder, a first tension unit, a perforation unit to generate perforations in the material in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the path, and a folding unit to fold the material in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the path. The material is threaded along a path through the machine via the first tension unit, the perforation unit and the folding unit. A control unit controls the machine to produce folded pop-up wipes by individually controlling tension of material along one or more sections of the path and to increase tension of the material in a section of the path located after the perforation unit to stretch a generated perforation in the section of the path by a target distance.

A manually-operated dunnage conversion apparatus includes a housing with an outlet opening, a supply of slit sheet stock material supported within the housing for dispensing from the outlet opening, and a pair of opposed expansion members rotatably coupled to the housing for rotation about respective, parallel expansion axes between the supply and the outlet opening. The expansion members are biased towards each other via a biasing member to provide a gripping force on sheet stock material fed therebetween to apply friction to the sheet stock material that causes the sheet stock material to expand in length and thickness as an operator pulls the sheet stock material from the outlet opening in the housing. With the possible exception of the biasing member, the apparatus may be made of paper-based products, making the apparatus recyclable, reusable, and composed of a renewable resource, as well as inexpensive to manufacture.

A roller-type lateral force generation device includes a roller, a first plate, a second plate, a connection plate, a first spring, a rotation shaft, a second spring, a fixing element and an adjustment element. The connection plate is disposed along a set direction, which is perpendicular to a paper-feeding direction. The first spring is disposed between the first plate and a first shaft portion of a roller shaft of the roller. The second spring is disposed between the second plate and a second shaft portion of the roller shaft. The adjustment element has a limitation plate perpendicular to the first plate. The limitation plate has a limitation groove. The first shaft portion is penetrated through the limitation groove. The set direction and the connection line of the rotation shaft and the roller shaft have an angle larger than 0 degree. A lateral force is generated, thereby avoiding paper squeezing inward.

A contact-and-separation system includes a first roller, a second roller, and a contact-and-separation device. The first roller contacts a belt. The second roller is opposed to the first roller. The contact-and-separation device contacts or separates the belt to or from the second roller via a sheet conveyed. The contact-and-separation device includes an eccentric cam, a motor, and a circuitry. The eccentric cam is mounted on an end of a rotation shaft of the first roller. The motor rotates the eccentric cam. The circuitry controls the motor to rotate the eccentric cam to contact or separate the belt to or from the second roller via the sheet conveyed. The circuitry controls the motor to decelerate a rotation speed of the motor on contact or separation of the belt to or from the second roller between the first roller and the second roller.

A contact-and-separation system includes a first roller, a second roller, and a contact-and-separation device. The first roller contacts a belt. The second roller is opposed to the first roller. The contact-and-separation device contacts or separates the belt to or from the second roller via a sheet conveyed. The contact-and-separation device includes an eccentric cam, a motor, and a circuitry. The eccentric cam is mounted on an end of a rotation shaft of the first roller. The motor rotates the eccentric cam. The circuitry controls the motor to rotate the eccentric cam to contact or separate the belt to or from the second roller via the sheet conveyed. The circuitry controls the motor to decelerate a rotation speed of the motor on contact or separation of the belt to or from the second roller between the first roller and the second roller.

A film winding system is disclosed having a first winding station which is configured in a winding position to wind the film web into a film bale. A contact roller and a compensating roller are provided, wherein the contact roller is arranged adjacent to the first winding station in the winding position and is configured to guide the film web to the first winding station. The compensating roller is located before the contact roller in the direction of travel of the film web and is configured to guide the film web to the contact roller and to set a film tension. A first adjustment device is provided and configured to move the contact roller towards the winding station or away from the winding station, thereby enabling the setting of a specific contact pressure between the contact roller and the film bale. The first adjustment device comprises a slide system or an adjusting spindle.

A machine comprises a pick and place stage and includes a plurality of releasable connectors.

A support material is wound over rollers onto a storage roller or spool. The backing support material provides a substantially flat surface upon which a sheet of flexible material is placed by the pick and place stage.

The sheet of material and the backing support material are then wound onto the storage roller or spool which may be removed for storage and/or transportation.

Delicate sheets of pieces of flat material, such as carbon fibre, may thus be protected from damage during handling, storage and transportation that may otherwise result in damage to the material.

The process is reversed to lay down the material, for example into a mould, during manufacture of, for example, an aeroplane wing.