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.

An automatic splice preparation process for splicing between two rolls of a material in web format, such as paper, and a system for carrying out same, wherein the positioning system for positioning the paper web of the new roll is displaced automatically by a robotic arm, the displacement of which is verified and corrected through machine vision device, to locate and capture the edge of the web in a controlled manner. The robotic arm is provided with a head incorporating the machine vision device and gripping areas, such that the movement of the assembly established by a program, verified and corrected, if needed, through the signals generated by machine vision system which are preferably made up of at least three machine vision cameras positioned in the central area and at the ends of the head.

There is described a web alignment device for aligning a web comprising an engagement surface for supporting the web, a clamp assembly for clamping the web on at least a clamp portion of the engagement surface, an alignment control assembly for controlling a correct alignment of the web. The alignment control assembly comprises a control unit for generating a trigger signal if the web is correctly aligned, a first sensor device for detecting and/or determining a desired position of a first section of the web and to send at least a first signal to the control unit if the first section is positioned in the desired position, and a second sensor device for detecting and/or determining a desired position of a second section of the web and to send a second signal to the control unit if the second section is positioned in the desired position.

The present invention relates to an electrode connection apparatus including a transfer unit configured to transfer a start portion of a standby electrode roll in a state of gripping the start portion, a leading unit configured to move upwards in a state of gripping the start portion of the standby electrode roll transferred by the transfer unit, a first connection unit configured to fix the standby electrode roll transferred by the leading unit, a second connection unit configured to fix an end portion of a moving electrode roll, and a taping unit configured to connect the standby electrode roll and the moving electrode roll to each other, whereby it is possible to automatically connect the electrode rolls to each other during an electrode manufacturing process performed as a roll-to-roll process.

Disclosed is a feedstock device (1) to deliver film (2) to a bundle-wrapping machine and including, on the one hand, at least one reel (3) to receive a roll (4) of the film (2) to be delivered, and, on the other hand, a joining unit (5) to attach the next film (2) to the film (2) that is currently being fed. This device includes a support (6) on which the at least one reel (3) is mounted, with the support (6) being mobile in relation to the joining unit (5) to bring the delivered film (2) to the latter. The invention also has as its object a machine and a corresponding method.

The present disclosure relates to a method for splicing a web of packaging material, comprising: guiding the web of packaging material through a splicing device comprising one or more imaging devices, a slitter, and a sealing unit; acquiring a first set of images of one or more areas of the packaging material, storing the acquired first set of images, slitting the web of packaging material in one or more locations to form a tail end and a head end of a web of packaging material, aligning the head end and the tail end and superimpose one on the other in preparation for forming a splice, utilizing the imaging devices and the stored acquired first set of images to fine tune the alignment of the head end and the tail end, sealing the splice.

The apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material (10) comprises a transport unit (1) for transporting a first substantially flat continuous material (70) and a second substantially flat continuous material (71) to a splicing location. The transport unit is adapted to transport the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material parallel to each other forming an overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location. A pressure unit (3) is arranged in the splicing location. The pressure unit is adapted to apply a mechanical impact onto at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby at least partially merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

A bag-making and packaging machine includes a film supply unit that supplies film to a bag-making and packaging unit. The film supply unit has a film roll holding unit that rotatably holds a first film roll, a film temporary placement member on which a vicinity of a leading end portion of a first film wound into the first film roll is manually temporarily placed when attaching the first film roll to the film roll holding unit, a leading end portion detection sensor configured to detect that the leading end portion of the first film is positioned in a prescribed position, and a controller configured to control a rotating mechanism to convey the first film along a predetermined conveyance path until the leading end portion detection sensor detects that the leading end portion of the first film is positioned in the prescribed position.

The apparatus and method for splicing substantially flat continuous material comprises a transport unit for transporting a first substantially flat continuous material and a second substantially flat continuous material to a splicing location. The transport unit is adapted to transport the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material parallel to each other forming an overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material in the splicing location. A pressure unit is arranged in the splicing location. The pressure unit is adapted to apply a mechanical impact onto at least a part of the overlap portion of the first substantially flat continuous material and the second substantially flat continuous material, thereby at least partially merging the first substantially flat continuous material with the second substantially flat continuous material.

A sheet-feeding system includes a holding part which holds an end portion of a sheet, a nozzle part for discharging an adhesive agent for joining sheets to each other, and a nozzle moving unit which supports the nozzle part such that the nozzle part is made movable within a region including both temporarily holding parts, in which when a sheet joining condition is established where a remaining amount of the sheet on one original sheet roll becomes equal to or below a predetermined remaining amount, an end portion of the sheet on the other original sheet roll is conveyed to the temporarily holding part by the holding part and, thereafter, the nozzle part is moved to the temporarily holding part, and the adhesive agent is discharged to the end portion of the sheet from the nozzle part.