A system for replacing a reel of material for the production of electrical energy storage devices and comprising a self-driving vehicle for transporting a reel from a storage or receiving station to a change station is described; at least one support spindle carried by the vehicle and configured to support the reel and to transfer it, at the change station, to a feeding unit of an automatic machine for the production of the storage devices; and a gripping member carried by the vehicle and comprising at least one gripper configured to receive and grip an initial flap of the reel supported by the support spindle and to keep such initial flap tensioned along an unwinding path of the same.

A roll accommodation unit includes: a roll support shaft; a pair of side walls; and a pair of roll bearings that are attached to the pair of side walls, recessed portions are formed at upper ends of the pair of side walls, the pair of rolling bearings are attached to the side walls at positions corresponding to bottoms of the recessed portions such that the rolling bearings project upward beyond inclined surfaces of the recessed portions, the roll support shaft includes a support shaft main body, and a pair of small-diameter portions that are provided at both ends of the support shaft main body, and the roll support shaft is supported with the small-diameter portions abutting on outer circumferential surfaces of the pairs of rolling bearings in a state in which the support shaft main body is located at an interval from the recessed portions.

A printing apparatus and a conveying apparatus are provided. The printing apparatus is provided with a main body unit including a printing unit configured to print on a medium and legs supporting the printing unit. The printing apparatus includes a pair of holding members configured to hold both ends, in an axial direction, of a roll of media at a position vertically above a floor surface on which the main body unit is placed. The roll of media is formed by winding the medium. A drive unit is configured to rotate the roll of media held by the holding members. A guide member connected to the main body unit is configured to support the holding members moveably in a width direction X. The guide member is disposed at a position horizontally closer to the main body unit than the holding members.

A baseboard dispensing assembly includes a pair of plates including an upper plate and a lower plate. The upper plate is positioned on and attached to the lower plate. The upper and lower plates are rotatable with respect to each other. The upper plate has an upper surface and the lower plate has a lower surface. A securing member is attached to the upper surface and is configured to restrict the coil of the flexible baseboard from sliding off of the upper surface. The upper plate receives a coil of flexible baseboard such that the coil is uncoiled while the securing member retains the coil on the upper plate.

The invention describes a roll-removal device by means of which a plurality of rolls which have been wound to completion are transported away from a winding shaft having a displacement device for displacing the rolls relative to the winding shaft, in order to withdraw the rolls from the winding shaft, having a receiving device for receiving the rolls, and having a transfer device for transferring the rolls from the displacement device to the receiving device, wherein the rolls can be rolled freely at least in certain regions, the rolls rolling about their rolling axes.

By means of this device for changing the position of the rolls axes, the roll axes of two adjacent rolls can be moved to an angle of less than 180 degrees in relation to one another.

A roll accommodation unit includes: a roll support shaft; a pair of side walls; and a pair of roll bearings that are attached to the pair of side walls, recessed portions are formed at upper ends of the pair of side walls, the pair of rolling bearings are attached to the side walls at positions corresponding to bottoms of the recessed portions such that the rolling bearings project upward beyond inclined surfaces of the recessed portions, the roll support shaft includes a support shaft main body, and a pair of small-diameter portions that are provided at both ends of the support shaft main body, and the roll support shaft is supported with the small-diameter portions abutting on outer circumferential surfaces of the pairs of rolling bearings in a state in which the support shaft main body is located at an interval from the recessed portions.

A method for unwinding includes loading a first reel of web material into a first unwind position where the web is unwound. A splicing unit is then moved in the machine direction toward the first unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into a second unwind position where the web from the second reel is unwound once loaded. Then, the web from the first reel is spliced to the second reel, and the web of the first reel is thereafter cut. The process continues in the opposite direction after removing the first reel from the first unwind position. The web of the second reel is unwound in the second position, the splicing unit is moved toward the second unwind position until there is sufficient space to allow a further reel to be loaded into the first unwind position.

A roll accommodation unit includes: a roll support shaft; a pair of side walls; and a pair of roll bearings that are attached to the pair of side walls, recessed portions are formed at upper ends of the pair of side walls, the pair of rolling bearings are attached to the side walls at positions corresponding to bottoms of the recessed portions such that the rolling bearings project upward beyond inclined surfaces of the recessed portions, the roll support shaft includes a support shaft main body, and a pair of small-diameter portions that are provided at both ends of the support shaft main body, and the roll support shaft is supported with the small-diameter portions abutting on outer circumferential surfaces of the pairs of rolling bearings in a state in which the support shaft main body is located at an interval from the recessed portions.

A stamping strip reel replacing system includes an autonomous mobile robot and an automatic guide vehicle. The autonomous mobile robot is adapted to autonomously move to a position where a reel driving shaft for mounting the reel is located, and includes a grabbing tool for grabbing the reel. The automatic guide vehicle moves together with the autonomous mobile robot, and carries an empty reel wound with no stamping strip. The autonomous mobile robot is further adapted to unload a full reel wound with the stamping strip from the reel driving shaft and place the unloaded full reel onto the automatic guide vehicle by operating the grabbing tool. The autonomous mobile robot is further adapted to grab the empty reel from the automatic guide vehicle and mount the grabbed empty reel onto the reel driving shaft by operating the grabbing tool.

A method for transferring unwinders (36) using a transfer facility (38) comprising a control unit (39) for controlling the unwinders, and at least one autonomous mobile platform (40) is disclosed. The facility comprises measurement means for measuring the quantity of product wound on reels (22) supported by the unwinders and communication means. The method comprises the following successive operations: measuring the quantity of product wound on the reels and communicating the measured data to the control unit; on the basis of the measured data, determining the moment at which to transmit a removal or supply mission instruction to a mobile platform; transmitting to a mobile platform at the previously-determined moment, a mission instruction to remove or to supply a unwinder; and moving the mobile platform in such a way that it becomes positioned under a unwinder.