A sheet delivery system includes: a joining unit which joins, to an intermediate section of a sheet being delivered from a delivery-side original material roll, an end section of a sheet W of a standby-side original material roll; and an operation robot which retrieves the end section of the sheet from the standby-side original material roll and which conveys the end section of the sheet to the joining unit. The sheet delivery system sets, in advance, a sheet retrieval position at which the sheet is retrieved from each of the original material rolls, for each of the original material rolls. The operation robot is configured to convey the end section of the sheet from each of the sheet retrieval positions to the joining unit.

A joining unit includes: a suction holding member having a suction surface configured to suction an end section of a sheet; a moving mechanism configured to move the suction surface toward an intermediate section of a sheet of a delivery-side original material roll along a path set in advance so that tension is applied to the sheet; and a regulating mechanism that is configured to switch between a regulated state in which a movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member due to the tension is regulated and an allowable state in which the movement of the end section of the sheet with respect to the suction holding member is allowed. The controller switches the regulating mechanism to the regulated state during the movement of the suction surface toward the intermediate section of the sheet of the delivery-side original material roll.

An automatic electrode supply apparatus configured to automatically supply an electrode in various processes for manufacturing a secondary battery includes a first chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a traveling electrode located thereon and a second chuck splicing unit including a splicing portion having a standby electrode located thereon, wherein each of the first and second chuck splicing units includes an edge position control (EPC) sensor configured to measure the position of the edge of a corresponding one of the traveling electrode and the standby electrode in order to prevent distortion or fracture defect of the electrode due to positional deviation between the traveling electrode and the standby electrode, and an automatic electrode supply method using the same.

A method is presented for providing a continuous web to an absorbent article manufacturing line. The method includes conveying a first roll of material through a splice box. The method also includes providing a second roll of the material extending into the splice box. The method also includes sensing upcoming expiration of the first roll of material. The method also includes using a first and second vacuum to hold a respective first portion of the first roll and a second portion of the second roll against first and second components of a thermal welding apparatus. The method also includes forming a thermal weld at the splice location between the first and second portions. The method also includes cutting the first roll of material upstream of the thermal weld. The method also includes conveying the second roll of material through the splice box without stoppage of the absorbent article manufacturing line.

The invention relates to a device for joining webs of material for the production of energy cells, in particular electrode webs, wherein a running-out web of material can be joined to a new web of material. A first pivoting element is provided for the new web of material and a second pivoting element is provided for the running-out web of material, wherein the first pivoting element is adapted to hold the leading end of the new web of material and wherein the second pivoting element is adapted to deflect the running-out web of material in the direction of the first pivoting element. A cutting device is provided, which is adapted to cut or weaken the running-out web of material deflected by the second pivoting element to produce a web end of the running-out web of material at a separating line. The device is adapted to accelerate the leading end of the new web of material with the first pivoting element and to synchronize with the running-out web of material at the speed at which the web end of the running-out web of material deflected by the second pivoting element is conveyed. The leading end of the new web of material can be joined to the web end of the running-out web of material between the first and second pivoting elements by means of at least one adhesive tape.