Method and device for handling flat and/or film material wound onto rollers

Abstract

The present invention includes a method and an apparatus (1) for handling flat material and/or film material wound onto rolls (5) and that serves as packaging material for the packaging of piece goods, bundles, or the like sets of articles. Rolls (5), which are at least partially unwound, are alternately removed from at least one installation position (EB1; EB2) of a packaging machine (3), and in each case a new roll (5) of flat material and/or film material is mounted in the particular installation position (EB1; EB2). After each mounting, an externally arranged layer (15) is extracted from the particular new roll (5) near or in the area of its free end and attached to a section of a material web of a further roll (5) being guided in the packaging machine (3). This is done in a manner such that flat material and/or film material is unwound interruption-free.

Claims

1. A method for handling flat material or film material that is wound onto rolls (5) comprising: initially mounting a first roll (5) of flat material or film material on one of at least two installation positions (EB1; EB2) of a packaging machine (3) and guiding a material web (MB) of the first roll into the packaging machine (3); after at least partially depleting the first roll (5) of flat material or film material, mounting a new roll (5) of flat material or film material on the remaining installation position of the least two installation positions (EB1; EB2) of the packaging machine (3), after mounting the new roll (5), attaching an externally arranged layer (15) of the new roll (5) near or in the area of a free end of the new roll (5) to a section of a material web (MB) of the first roll (5) being guided in the packaging machine (3), and after the externally arranged layer (15) is attached to the material web (MB), sensor detecting and autonomously replacing, using a handling device (7), the first roll (5), when it is depleted or nearly depleted, with another new roll (5) at the installation position previously occupied by the first roll (5).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the direction of rotation or the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of the new roll (5) is determined or verified before, while, or after the new roll (5) is mounted, and, if a wrong direction of rotation or a non-rotation-direction-conforming orientation is determined, performing an alignment correction of the new roll (5) or the new roll (5) is replaced with another new roll with appropriate direction of rotation or rotation-direction-conforming orientation.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising verifying or determining the direction of rotation or the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of the new rolls (5) utilizing at least one detector (19, 21) that is part of the handling device (7).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising unmounting and remounting the new roll (5), wherein in the handling device (7) remounts the new roll (5) with the appropriate direction of rotation or rotation-direction-conforming orientation.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one detector (19, 21) is an optical detector.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each new roll (5) comprises at least one marker (22) in the area of a free end of the new roll (5), and each new rolls (5) is mounted such that the at least one marker (22) faces toward the other installation position (EB1, EB2).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one marker (22) is an optical marker that is applied onto the flat material or film material of the new roll (5) before the new roll (5) is mounted in its installation position (EB1, EB2) such that the optical marker largely immovably fastens the free end of the new roll (5) to the flat material or film material of the new roll (5).

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising inserting a retaining mandrel (17) of the handling device (7) into a face side of the new roll (5), which is designed as hollow body, and increasing a maximum cross-sectional diameter of the retaining mandrel (17) and thereby clampingly fixing the new roll (5) to the handling device (7).

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising moving new rolls (5) by way of at least one horizontal conveying device (13) and directly removing the new rolls (5) from the at least one horizontal conveying device (13) with the handling device (7).

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising controlling both the handling device (7) and the horizontal conveying device (13) with a control unit (S), wherein the control unit (S) controls a clocked operation of the horizontal conveying device (13) in consideration of removal of new rolls (5) from the horizontal conveying device (13) carried out by the handling device (7).

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising extracting the externally arranged layer (15) of the newly mounted roll (5) with a gripping device or handling device (14) operating with pneumatic suction pressure, mechanically clamping, or by electrostatic adhesion, wherein in the gripping device or handling device (14) moves back and forth between the at least two installation positions (EB1, EB2).

12. An apparatus (1) for handling flat material or film material that is wound onto rolls (5) and that serves as packaging material for the packaging of piece goods, bundles, or sets of articles, comprising: a packaging machine (3) with at least two installation positions (EB1; EB2), wherein each installation position (EB1; EB2) provides for the rotating reception of rolls (5) of flat material or film material, a gripping device or handling device (14) and a sealing bar (25), which cooperate to align and attach a free end section of flat material or film material of newly mounted rolls (5) to a moving material web (MB) of a roll (5) that is already being guided into the packaging machine (3) at the time of mounting the new roll, at least one sensor system (19), covering the rolls (5) installed at the least two installation positions (EB1, EB2), and a control unit (S) in communication with the sensor system (19) and a handling device (7), wherein the handling device (7) is activatable by the control unit (S) when an installed roll (5) is at least approximately completely unwound or depleted, for the purpose of the autonomous replacement of the roll (5) with a new roll (5).

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising at least one detector (19, 21) for verifying or determining a direction of rotation or a rotation-direction-conforming orientation of new rolls (5), and wherein the handling device (7) mounts the new rolls (5) with the direction of rotation or rotation-direction-conforming orientation that is appropriate for the particular installation position (EB1, EB2), or are alignable by the handling device (7) with the appropriate direction of rotation or rotation-direction-conforming orientation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one detector (19, 21) is a component of the handling device (7) and is movable with the handling device (7).

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the handling device (7) comprises a cylindrically formed retaining mandrel (17) with an adjustable maximum cross-sectional diameter.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a horizontal conveying device (13) arranged upstream from the handling device (7), and wherein the horizontal conveying device (13) is activatable in clocked operation by the control unit (S) in consideration of a removal of new rolls (5) by the handling device (7).

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one gripping device or handling device (14) is movable back and forth between the at least two installation positions (EB1, EB2), and is capable of temporarily gripping the free end sections of flat material or film material of new rolls (5) with pneumatic suction pressure, in a mechanically clamping manner, and/or by electrostatic adhesion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) In the following passages, the attached figures further illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and their advantages. The size ratios of the individual elements in the figures do not necessarily reflect the real size ratios. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in relation to other elements to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 1 moreover illustrates a conceivable implementation of an embodiment for the method according to the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention. FIG. 2 moreover illustrates a further conceivable implementation of an embodiment for the method according to the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of two installation positions as can be provided for an apparatus according to the exemplary embodiments from FIGS. 1 and 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows the installation positions of FIG. 3 with a mounted new roll for the second installation position;

(6) FIG. 5 shows the installation positions of FIGS. 3 and 4 with extracted outer layer of the new roll mounted in the second installation position;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a handling device as can be provided for conceivable embodiments of the apparatus according to the invention and for the implementation of the method according to the invention;

(8) FIG. 7 shows the handling device from FIG. 6 after taking a new roll with rotation-direction-conforming orientation from a pallet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) The same or equivalent elements of the invention are designated by identical reference characters. Furthermore and for the sake of clarity, only the reference characters relevant for describing the respective figure are provided. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples of the embodiments of the apparatus or of the method according to the invention are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

(10) FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus 1 according to the invention. FIG. 1 moreover illustrates a conceivable implementation of an embodiment for the method according to the invention.

(11) The apparatus 1 serves for handling packaging material or, as the case may be, shrink film that is wound onto rolls 5. A packaging machine 3 being supplied new rolls 5 by way of a handling device 7 are discernible in FIG. 1. The handling device 7 mounts the particular new rolls 5 in two different installation positions EB1 and EB2, which are only rudimentarily discernible in FIG. 1 and are exemplarily illustrated in the detailed view of FIG. 3.

(12) It should be emphasized here, however, that the packaging machine 3 can optionally also have only one installation position EB1 or EB2 such that a roll replacement will almost mandatorily involve an interruption of the packaging operation.

(13) As shown in a synopsis of FIGS. 3 to 5 with FIG. 1, a new roll 5 is mounted in one of the two installation positions EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, by way of the handling device 7, while a roll 5 is still located in the other installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, from where a material web MB is unwound during the mounting of the new roll 5. While the material web MB continues to be unwound from the nearly depleted roll 5, the outer layer 15 (cf. FIG. 5) of the new roll 5 is heat-sealed to the material web MB such that the apparatus 1 can hereby be continuously operated without the necessity of interrupting the process for replacing a depleted roll 5.

(14) The new rolls 5 are composed of packaging material or, as the case may be, of shrink film, as well as of a core 6, onto which the packaging material or, as the case may be, the shrink film is wound. For taking a new roll 5 from the horizontal conveying device 13, the handling device 7 dips into a core 6 on the face side of the new roll by way of a retaining mandrel 17. For this purpose, a gripping arm 8 of the handling device 7 can be rotatingly moved about an axis of rotation 16 as is exemplarily shown in FIG. 6 of the present patent application. After the retaining mandrel 17 dips into the core 6, the cross-sectional diameter of the retaining mandrel 17 is increased such that the new roll 5 is clampingly fixed to the retaining mandrel 17, as is also shown in FIG. 7. The core 6 is formed as a hollow cylinder, with the form of the retaining mandrel 17 corresponding hereto such that the retaining mandrel 17 is linked by way of its outer circumference to an inner cover surface of the core 6 for the purpose of clampingly fixing the new roll 5.

(15) New rolls 5 are supplied to the handling device 7 by way of the horizontal conveying device 13 such that another new roll 5 is moved further toward the handling device 7 or, as the case may be, moves up toward the handling device 7 when a new roll 5 is removed from the horizontal conveying device 13. The horizontal conveying device 13 can thus be operated in a clocked manner or continuously at a constant speed. The operation is specified by the control unit S.

(16) Also discernible is a manipulator 12 positioned in the area of the horizontal conveying device 13, which manipulator 12 is operated by a user 30, and by which manipulator 12 new rolls 5 are placed standing upright onto the horizontal conveying device 13. The new rolls 5 stand on a pallet 9, from which the user 30 takes them by the manipulator 12 and places them onto the horizontal conveying device 13. An operating range of the manipulator 12 therefore extends across the pallet 9 as well as across a conveyor line section of the horizontal conveying device 13.

(17) Further illustrated is a container 20, which is located in the operating range of the handling device 7. When the supply of packaging material or, as the case may be, of shrink film of one of the rolls 5 placed in the packaging machine 3 is depleted, the cellulose or plastic core 6 of an empty roll 5 is removed from the packaging machine 3 and deposited in the container 20 by the handling device 7. Only after removing the core 6 can a new roll 5 be mounted in the particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, of the packaging machine 3 such that the handling device 7 first removes the core 6 and in temporal succession mounts a new roll 5 in the particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be.

(18) The horizontal conveying device 13, the handling device 7, and the packaging machine 3 are linked to a control unit S. In the present instance, the control unit S controls the clocked operation of the horizontal conveying device 13, initiates rolls 5 to be mounted in and removed from the two installation positions EB1 and EB2 by the handling device 7, and controls an unwinding of packaging material or, as the case may be, of shrink film from the rolls 5 mounted in the packaging machine 3, as is described in more detail below.

(19) The control unit S has a display or is moreover linked to a display, which is not illustrated here, by way of which information on the direction of rotation or, as the case may be, on the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of new rolls 5 are output in a manner visible to a user 30. As described below for the FIGS. 3 to 7, the direction of rotation or, as the case may be, the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of the new rolls 5 is determined and/or verified by a camera 19 or 21, as the case may be, which is linked to the control unit S. Since the handling device 7 can remove the particular core 6 of an empty roll 5 from the packaging machine 3, and, supported by the cameras 19 or 21, as the case may be, autonomously mounts new rolls 5 in the packaging machine 3 with appropriate direction of rotation or, as the case may be, rotation-direction-conforming orientation, the apparatus 1 can be operated completely automated at least from the point of taking new rolls 5 from the horizontal conveying device 13.

(20) FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a further embodiment of an apparatus 1 according to the invention. FIG. 2 moreover illustrates a further conceivable implementation of an embodiment for the method according to the invention.

(21) In comparison to the exemplary embodiment of apparatus 1 in FIG. 1, there is no manipulator 12 and no horizontal conveying device 13 provided in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 2. The handling device 7, as well as the packaging machine 3, is of the identical construction as in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 1. Furthermore, a control unit S is present, which is linked to the handling device 7 and to the packaging machine 3.

(22) Taking the new rolls 5 directly from the particular pallet 9 is carried out by engagement of the retaining mandrel 17 into the hollow cylindrical core 6 of the particular new roll 5 in FIG. 2, as well. The particular core 6 of depleted rolls 5 is likewise placed into a container 20.

(23) FIG. 3 furthermore shows a schematic perspective view of two installation positions EB1 and EB2 as can be provided for an apparatus 1 or, as the case may be, for a packaging machine 3 according to the exemplary embodiments from FIGS. 1 and 2. Each of the installation positions EB1 and EB2 has an own pin 27, onto which pins 27 new rolls 5 are mounted by way of the handling device 7 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) and clampingly fixed to the particular pin 27 by increasing the diameter of the pins 27.

(24) Also illustrated is a sealing bar 25, which is provided for attaching an outer layer 15 (cf. FIG. 5) of the new roll 5 mounted in the particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be (cf. FIG. 4), to the material web MB remaining in the packaging machine 3, and which is vertically lowered for this purpose. After attaching the outer layer 15 (cf. FIG. 4) to the material web MB remaining in the packaging machine 3, the temperature-controlled sealing bar 25 is vertically lifted and brought into the position illustrated in FIG. 3.

(25) In FIG. 3, a roll 5 is positioned in the first installation position EB1 on the pin 27 of the first installation position EB1 and is rotatingly moved by the pin 27. In the process, the packaging material or, as the case may be, the shrink film of the roll 5 positioned on the pin 27 of the first installation position EB1 is unwound. In the second installation position EB2, a roll 5 has already been completely unwound and the core 6 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) has been removed by way of the handling device 7 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) such that the second installation position EB2 or, as the case may be, the pin 27 of the second installation position EB2 is ready for receiving a new roll 5 with packaging material.

(26) Each of the installation positions EB1 and EB2 is associated with an own sensor system or, as the case may be, with a camera 19, wherein the rolls 5, which are at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted, can be optically detected. When a roll 5 is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted, the particular camera 19 sends information on the particular roll 5, which is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted, to the control unit S. The control unit S hereupon activates the handling device 7 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) for the removal of the particular roll 5, which is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted or, as the case may be, for the removal of the core 6 of the particular roll 5, which is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted. In order to be able to remove the roll 5, which is at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted, from its particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, a clamping connection formed between the particular roll 5 and the pin 27 is first undone. This is carried out by way of decreasing the cross-sectional diameter of the particular pin 27. Undoing the clamping connection or, as the case may be, decreasing the cross-sectional diameter of the pins 27 is furthermore controlled by the control unit S.

(27) By way of its retaining mandrel 15 (cf. FIG. 7), the handling device 7 dips into the core 6 of the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 for the purpose of removing the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 from its particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be. The particular at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 is then fixed to the retaining mandrel 15 of the handling device 7 by increasing the cross-sectional diameter of the retaining mandrel 15. Increasing the cross-sectional diameter of the retaining mandrel 15 is controlled by the control unit S.

(28) After fixing the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 to the retaining mandrel 15, the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 is moved toward the container 20 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) via the handling device 7 and under the control of the control unit S, and it is deposited there in the container 20 by decreasing the cross-sectional diameter of the retaining mandrel 15.

(29) After depositing the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 or, as the case may be, the core 6 in the container 20 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2), the handling device 7 is activated by way of the control unit S for mounting a new roll 5 in the particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be. A verification of the direction of rotation or, as the case may be, of the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of the particular new roll 5 can be carried out prior to that, as already described above. The apparatus 1 can thus be operated in an automated manner.

(30) The exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3 is intended to be understood as an example only, such that further embodiments are conceivable, in which there is only one camera 19 associated with the two installation positions EB1 and EB2, where the detection range of the camera 19 extends across the two installation positions EB1 and EB2.

(31) It is also possible by way of the cameras 19 to verify a direction of rotation or, as the case may be, rotation-direction-conforming orientation of new rolls 5 mounted in the installation positions EB1 and EB2. If a wrong direction of rotation or, as the case may be, a non-rotation-direction-conforming orientation of new rolls 5 is determined in one of the two installation positions EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, an alignment correction of the particular new roll 5 by the handling device 7 can be induced by way of the control unit S. The handling device 7 can then remove the particular new roll 5 from its particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, it can align it with the appropriate direction of rotation and/or rotation-direction-conforming orientation, and it can hereupon mount it again with the appropriate direction of rotation and/or rotation-direction-conforming orientation in its particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be.

(32) The illustration in FIG. 4 shows the installation positions EB1 and EB2 of FIG. 3 with the mounted new roll 5 for the second installation position EB2. Based on FIG. 3, FIG. 4 shows a new roll 5 that has been slid onto the pin 27 of the second installation position EB2 by the handling device 7 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2). Packaging material or, as the case may be, shrink film continues to be unwound from the roll 5 of the first installation position EB1 such that the packaging machine 3 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2) can continue to be operated even while the roll 5 in the second installation position EB2 is being replaced. If a new roll 5 is mounted in the first installation position EB1, packaging material or, as the case may be, shrink film can continue to be unwound from the roll 5 in the second installation position EB2, thus enabling continuous and interruption-free operation of the packaging machine 3.

(33) The new roll 5 of the second installation position EB2 from FIG. 4 has a reflective adhesive label 22, which is applied to the outer layer 15 of the new roll 5 in the area of its free end. The camera 19 associated with the second installation position EB2 is now able to verify, by the adhesive label 22, whether the new roll 5 has been slid onto the pin 27 with the appropriate direction of rotation or, as the case may be, with rotation-direction-conforming orientation. A synopsis of the FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrates that for the new roll 5 of the second installation position EB2 the outer layer 15 is guided from above over the roll 5 and dips downward. If the roll 5 had been positioned on the pin 27 of the second installation position EB2 with a wrong direction of rotation or, as the case may be, with a non-rotation-direction-conforming orientation, the outer layer 15 would face downward away from the roll 5 and could therefore not be gripped or could only be gripped with difficulty. An alignment below the sealing bar 25 would thus not be possible. A rotation-direction-conforming positioning of new rolls 5 or, as the case may be, a mounting of new rolls 5 in the particular installation position EB1 or EB2 with the appropriate direction of rotation is thus indispensable in order to be able to ensure disruption-free operation of the apparatus 1 or, as the case may be, of the packaging machine 3.

(34) As soon as the adhesive label 22 has been detected by way of the particular camera 19, the pin 27 is rotatingly moved until the adhesive label 22 faces toward the oppositely located installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be. Only after this alignment of the adhesive label 22 can a gripping device and/or handling device 14, which is only illustrated in FIG. 5, grip the outer layer 15 of the new roll 5 and position it below the sealing bar 25.

(35) Further embodiments are conceivable, in which the new rolls 5 have no reflective adhesive label 22 and in which the cameras 19 detect an externally arranged layer 15 of new rolls 5 or, as the case may be, the free end sections of new rolls 5 without an additional optical marking of the new rolls 5.

(36) FIG. 5 shows the installation positions EB1 and EB2 of FIGS. 3 and 4 with extracted outer layer 15 of the new roll 5 mounted in the second installation position EB2. It is clearly discernible here that the externally arranged layer 15 of the roll 5, which is positioned in the second installation position EB2, dips downward coming from above, while the outer layer or, as the case may be, the material web MB of the roll 5 mounted in the first installation position EB1, is guided coming from below. Both rolls 5 rotate on their particular, associated pin 27 with the same direction of rotation or, as the case may be, counterclockwise. Rotation-direction-conforming mounting of the new rolls 5 is necessary in order to be able to ensure disruption-free and functioning operation of the apparatus 1 or, as the case may be, of the packaging machine 3 (cf. FIGS. 1 and 2).

(37) It is thus possible both to determine a direction of rotation or, as the case may be, rotation-direction-conforming orientation via the cameras 19 and to detect at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted rolls 5 via the cameras 19. Information on the direction of rotation or, as the case may be, on the rotation-direction-conforming orientation of new rolls 5, as well as information on at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted rolls 5 is transmitted from the cameras 19 to the control unit S, which can control an alignment correction of new rolls 5 and a replacement of at least approximately unwound and/or depleted rolls 5 with new rolls 5.

(38) With reference to the FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, it should be additionally noted that the two installation positions EB1 and EB2 for the rolls 5 with flat material and/or film material wound thereonto or, as the case may be, at least one of the installation positions EB1 and/or EB2 with their rotatable retaining means in form of the rotatable pins 27 for the rolls 5 of flat material and/or film material can be designed to be height-adjustable, for instance, in order to be able to carry out an adaptation to different roll diameters and/or a correction of the conveying paths with gradually depleting material supply of a roll 5, which is being unwound and which therefore gradually decreases in diameter. For this purpose, in particular the frames, at which the horizontally arranged pins 27 are rotatably held and mounted, can have suitable means for height adjustment of the rotatable pins 27.

(39) FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a handling device 7 as can be provided for conceivable embodiments of the apparatus 1 according to the invention and for the implementation of the method according to the invention.

(40) The gripping arm 8 of the handling device 7 is pivotable about the horizontally oriented axis 16 such that the retaining mandrel 17 of the handling device 7 can be aligned with a vertical orientation of its longitudinal axis for the purpose of dipping into the core 6 of the particular new roll 5. If the particular new roll 5 has been seized by the handling device 7 or, as the case may be, by the retaining mandrel 17, the new roll 5 can be rotated about the axis 16 by another pivoting motion of the gripping arm 8 and can thereafter be mounted in its particular, associated installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be (cf. FIGS. 3 to 5).

(41) FIG. 6 also shows a camera 21. The camera 21 is mechanically fixedly coupled with the gripping arm 8 such that it is guided together with the gripping arm 8 in a movement of the gripping arm 8. If the gripping arm 8 is pivoted about the axis 16, a direction of rotation or, as the case may be, rotation-direction-conforming orientation of one or more new rolls 5 can be determined by the camera 21. The camera 21 is linked to the control unit S, which effects a new roll 5 that has an appropriate direction of rotation or, as the case may be, rotation-direction-conforming orientation, to be taken from the pallet 9 by the handling device 7.

(42) FIG. 7 finally shows the handling device 7 from FIG. 6 while taking a new roll 5 with rotation-direction-conforming orientation from a pallet 9 (cf. FIG. 6). As is discernible in FIG. 7 and based on the position of the gripping arm 8 in FIG. 6, the gripping arm 8 was pivoted about the axis 16, which runs in the direction of the image plane in FIG. 7. The new roll 5 now has an at least approximately horizontal orientation and can be mounted in its particular, associated installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be.

(43) The removal of the at least approximately completely unwound and/or depleted roll 5 from the particular installation position EB1 or EB2, as the case may be, is likewise carried out in a horizontal orientation.

(44) The invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention and that such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims cover all such equivalent variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(45) 1 Apparatus 3 Packaging machine 5 Roll 6 Core 7 Handling device 8 Gripping arm 9 Pallet 11 Retaining mandrel 12 Manipulator 13 Horizontal conveying device 14 Gripping device and/or handling device, Guide rod 15 Externally arranged layer, outer layer 16 Axis of rotation, horizontal axis 17 Retaining mandrel 19 Camera, sensor system, optical detector 20 Container 21 Camera, optical detector 22 Reflective adhesive label, optical marker 25 Sealing bar 27 Pin 30 User, operator EB1 Installation position EB2 Installation position MB Material web S Control unit