US3841577A

US3841577A - Continuous winding apparatus for web material

Info

Publication number: US3841577A
Application number: US00362472A
Authority: US
Inventors: R Phelps; R Tetro
Original assignee: Black Clawson Co
Current assignee: Black Clawson Co
Priority date: 1973-05-21
Filing date: 1973-05-21
Publication date: 1974-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1991-10-15
Also published as: GB1471933A; IT1004100B; CA1000250A; JPS5849470B2; JPS508964A; DE2424055A1; FR2230574A1; FR2230574B1

Abstract

Continuous winding apparatus for web material comprises a pair of opposed end stands, each of which carries a pair of rollcarrying arms mounted for independent rotation on a common axis, and a roll changing mechanism is mounted for adjusting movement with respect to the end stands to accommodate rolls of definite diameters and/or different core sizes. There is no center shaft between the end stands, but separate drives couple opposed pairs of arms and provide for driving each coupled pair in either direction in any desired speed. An outstanding characteristic of the apparatus is that the movements of each pair of arms between roll starting and final winding positions are confined to two quadrants of rotation.

Description

United States Patent Phelps at al.

[111 3,841,577 Oct. 15, 1974 CONTINUOUS WINDING APPARATUS FOR WEB MATERIAL Primary Examiner-John W. Huckert [75] Inventors: Richard W. Phelps; Richard S. jff Z' iTE E 8 T g & B

Tetm, both of Fulton, NDY. omey, gent r 1rm- 1e e renc ugg [73] Assignee: The Black Clawson Company,

Middletown, Ohio 7] ABSTRACT I Continuous winding apparatus for web material com- [22] filed: May 1973 prises a pair of opposed end stands, each of which [2]] A N 362,472 carries a pair of roll-carrying arms mounted for independent rotation on a common axis, and a roll changing mechanism is mounted for adjusting movement [52] US. Cl 242/56 A with respect to the end stands to accommodate rolls of [51] hit. Cl B65l'l 19/20 definite diameters and/Or different core Sizes. There is [58] Fleld of Search 242/56 56 no center shaft between the end stands, but separate 242/58'3 drives couple opposed pairs of arms and provide for driving each coupled pair in either direction in any de- [56] References cued sired speed. An outstanding characteristic of the appa- UNITED STATES PATENTS ratus is that the movements of each pair of arms be- 2,973,158 2/l96l Zernov 242/56 A tween roll starting and final winding positions are con- 3,592,403 7/1971 Schmitt 242/56 R fined to two quadrants of rotation. 3,697,010 10/1972 Nystrand... 242/56 A 3.752.412 8/1973 Byrt 242/56 A 11 Claims, 14 Drawlng Flgures /00i 205 O (I y 2/5 2/0 Z/Z W Z0 /90 /a4 7 A4 0 5 200 f K 4:74, 2 a /a7\ we Yr/"R 207 /85-- Q 65 1 7' w 4/ {5: 73 202 l 1 55 /43 l 4 40 37 1 /95 7 /92 --42 5 CONTINUOUS WINDING APPARATUSFOR WEB MATERIAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION shaft. In use, each opposed pair of reel arms successively receivesa core on whichthe web material is to be wound, and theme] is indexed to advance eachpair of arms from a roll starting stationwhere a new core is loaded to a final winding station where winding of the roll is completed. Continuous winding is providedby a mechanism at there" starting stationfor severingthe web from a fully wound roll and attaching the resulting web'tail to the core.

Such reels are "generally satisfactory for handling paper and other web material of relatively low elasticity and resistence to stretching. They have certain disadvantages, however, for handling web material, such as plastic, having significant plastic memory, and they are particularly unsatisfactory for handling relatively limp plastics which are easily stretched but have low ability to recover from stretching.

A major reason for these disadvantages is best explained in connection with a two-arm continuous winder. Since the arms are l80 removed from each other on the reel,the winding and reloading positions for each core are similarly on opposite sides of the reel.

Each successive wound roll must therefore move through a substantial angular portion, approaching 180, of rotation of the reel from its final winding posi- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has as its primary objective the provision of continuous winding apparatus which will offer substantial advantages over conventional equipment, and in particular which will be free of the above outlined disadvantages. It accomplishes this objective by a reel construction comprising a pair of opposed end stands each of which carries two roll supporting arms mounted for rotation on a common axis through 360 in both directions. These arms are coupled in opposed pairs by individually operable drive means such that each coupled pair can be rotated at any selected speed with respect to and independently of the other pair.

This construction of the reel and its drive means make it possible to carry on all of the essential func a. Decreased change in the webpath duringindexing,

b. Decreased change inthe length of draw of the web during splicing.

c. Decreased requirements of indexing speed for completion of each cycle, which inturn contributesto accurately time'cl acceleration and deceleration of the rolls and cores.

d. Easy adjustment for accommodationofrolls and- /or cores of different sizes.

In the-preferred construction in accordance with the invention, each of the end stands assemblies is a dupliing of each roll from starting toroll changing position is governed only by its diameter and therefore the distance it must move to clear the next core, and to locate the web pathin the most favorable relation to the new core and the stroke of the knife. This movement therefore need never be as much as 180"; in fact, the maximum for this movement willusuallynot exceed ll0, and for relatively small rolls and cores,itmay beless than .These and other advantages, and the means by which theyare achieved, will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THEDRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation of a continuous winder in accordance with the invention, looking from right to left in FIG. 3 with the coreloader removed and with no rolls inthe winder;

FIG. '2 is a view looking in the opposite direction in FIG. 3 and showing only the drive mechanism;

FIG. 3 is an elevation looking from left to right in FIG. 1 with the core loader in place and with a substantially full roll and a new core in the winder;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary section through, one of the winder arms and taken generally on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view similar toFIG. 4 and taken generally on the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the roll changer mechanism looking in the same direction as in FIG. 1 and on a larger scale;

F IG. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6 and on a larger scale;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 6 and on a larger scale;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 99 of FIG. 6 and on a larger scale,

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 6 and on a larger scale;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary section taken onthe line l1l1 of FIG. 6 and on a larger scale;

FIGS. 12-14 are diagrammatic views overlooking in the same direction as FIG. 3 and showing different adjusted positions of the apparatus of FIGS. 'lll in accordance with different sizes of rolls and roll cores.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The continuous winding apparatus shown in the drawings comprises two essential identical end stand and driving assemblies mounted at opposite ends of a common base 10. The assembly at the left-hand end of FIG. 1 comprises a gear case 11 in which are mounted two

roll supporting arms

12 and 13 of the same radial dimensions. The arm 12 is straight, but arm 13 axially offset so that its radially outer end portion is aligned with arm 12, and the two arms are mounted for independent rotation in either direction. As shown in FIG. 1, arm 12 has a straight supporting shaft 15 provided with a worm gear 16 at its outer end, and arm 13 is carried by a hollow shaft 17 which surrounds shaft 15 and carries a similar worm gear 18.

The end stand assembly at the opposite end of base 10 comprises a gear case 21 of the same construction as gear case 11 in which are mounted two arms 12' and 13' identical with the

arms

12 and 13 respectively and similarly mounted for rotation on the same axis as arms 12-13. The straight arm 12 is carried by a straight shaft 25 having a worm gear 26 at its outer end, and the offset arm 13' is carried by a hollow shaft 27 also provided with a worm gear 28. Opposed pairs of dissimilar arms are coupled by driving connections causing each pair to operate as a unit, and all of these arms rotate on the common axis of

shafts

15 and 25.

The drive for the paired arms 12 and 13' comprises a motor 31 in housing which drives a cross shaft 33 by a belt 34. The shaft 33 drives a speed reducer 35 through a belt 36, and the speed reducer 35 in turn drives arm shaft 17 through a universal coupling 37 and worm 38 meshing with worm gear 18. The shaft 33 is extended to and through the complementary housing 40 and drives a companion speed reducer 41 by belt 42. The speed reducer 41 in turn drives arm shaft 25 through a universal coupling 43 and worm 44 meshing with worm gear 26.

The drive for the paired

arms

12 and 13 similarily comprises a motor 45 in housing 40 which drives a second cross shaft 46 by a belt 47. The shaft 46 drives a speed reducer 50 through a belt 51, and the speed reducer 50 drives arm shaft 27 through a universal coupling 52 and worm 53 meshing with worm gear 28. The cross shaft 46 extends to and through the housing 30 and is connected by a belt 54 with a speed reducer 55 which in turn drives arm shaft 15 through a universal coupling 56 and worm 57 meshing with worm gear 16.

Each of arms 12-13 and 12-13 is provided with a spindle for holding one end ofa core on which a roll is wound, and each pair of spindles is provided with a drive for controlling its rotational speed to maintain proper tension in the winding web. Referring to FIG. 4, the arm 12 carries a spindle 60 keyed at 61 in a sleeve 62 rotatable in the outer end of the arm. The drive motor 65 for spindle 60 is mounted on the housing 40 beside end stand 11 and is connected through a belt drive 66 with the drive spindle 67 which extends through the shaft 15 supporting arm 12. A drive sprocket 69 on the inner end of spindle 67 drives sprocket 68 on sleeve 62 through a suitable drive chain (not shown).

The spindle 60 is also mounted for axial movement in arm 12 for loading and unloading purposes. As

shown in FIG. 4, spindle 60 is axially movable in the sleeve 62, and this movement is effected by an air motor 70 connected through gears 71-72 to a lead screw 73 operating a thrust .nut 75. A collar 76 conmeets the ends of nut and spindle 60 so that axial movement of the nut in response to rotation of lead screw 73 causes corresponding axial movement of spindle 60. The dotted member 77 in FIG. 4 represents a core chuck driven by the spindle 60.

The drives for spindle 60 are duplicated for the corresponding spindle 60 in arm 12', as indicated by the motor 65' on housing 30 and the belt drive 66 and spindle 67. The core spindle 80 in arm 13 which is paired with spindle 60 is aligned with spindle 60 and accordingly needs no drive control, but it is provided with an axial drive for loading and unloading purposes.

Referring to FIG. 5, an air motor 82 has a driving connection through gears 83-84 to lead screw 85, and the thrust nut 86 driven by lead screw is connected by collar 87 with the outer end of spindle 80. This construction is duplicated for the spindle 80' in arm 13'.

The roll changing mechanism, which performs the operations of severing the web from each successive fully wound roll and attaching the resulting cut leading end to a new core, is mounted on top of the

gear cases

11 and 21 and is oriented with respect tothe axis 99 of each new core held in roll starting position by the arms 12-13 or 12'-13. Referring to FIG. 6 complementary end frames 100 and 101 are mounted on top of the

respective gear cases

11 and 21 and are connected at one upper corner by a cross tie 102. The mounting and operating parts of the roll changing mechanism are duplicated at both ends of the apparatus, and only one will be described. The main structural member is a square beam 105 having its opposite ends mounted on the end frames 100 and 101.

Referring to FIG. 7, the end flange 106 on beam 105 is bolted at 107 to a slide plate 110 mounted for adjusting movement on a guide plate 111 bolted at 112 to the end frame 101. The guide plate 111 has on its exposed face an arcuate track 113 in which the plate 101 can slide as required to accomodate different size rolls as explained hereinafter, the track 113 having its arcuate portions centered on the new core axis position 99.

Adjusting movement of slide plate 110 along track 113 is effected and controlled by ajack screw 115 journaled in a pivot shaft 116 supported by a bracket 117 mounted on the end frame 110. An arm 120 is secured to the beam 105, and its projecting end carries a pivot shaft 121 through which jack screw 115 is threaded. Thus rotation of screw 115 will cause pivot shaft 121 to track thereon and thereby to carry slide plate 110 back and forth along track 113 as required to'adjust the roll carrying mechanism for the different diameters of rolls.

The operating parts of the roll changing mechanism are a knife 123 and a pressure roll 125, both of which are mounted from the beam 105. It will be understood that all of the parts which support or operate one end of the knife or pressure roll are duplicated at the other end and the following description is generally limited to one set of such parts.

Referring to FIG. 8, the pressure roll 125 is carried by one end of a pivot arm 126 mounted near its midpoint on a pivot shaft 127 carried by a bracket 128 (FIG. 9) bolted to the side of beam 105. An air cylinder 130 mounted and housed in beam105 has its piston rod 131 pivoted at 132 to arm 126 to rock the arm about its pivot 127. The free end 133 of arm 126 is provided with an adjustable stop mechanism comprising a nut 135 threaded on a lead screw 136 journaled in a bracket 137 mounted on beam 105. The nut135 serves as a stop limiting movement of arm 126 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 8, and thereby establishing the operating position of pressure roll 125.

Thebracket 128 and pivot shaft 127 also support a pair of adjustable bracket arms 140-141 (FIGS. 9-11) which are interconnected by an angle 142 and a square tube 143, and which form the main support for the knife. Adjusting movement of arms 140-141 onpivot shaft 127 is effected and controlled as shown in FIG. 9, by a threaded adjusting rod 145 pivoted at 146 to an extension 147 on arm 140. The rod 145 is threaded through apivot shaft 148 supported in a stirrup-shaped bracket 150 bolted to beam 105, and it has an operation handle 151.

Theknive 123 is carried at each end by an arm 155, each knife support 156 being mounted for rocking movement on a shaft 157 mounted in the lower end of each arm 155. As shown in FIG. 10, the upper end of arm 155 is mounted for rocking movement on a shaft 158 extending between the pair of arms 140-141. A pair of

toggle links

160 and 161 are connected by a pivotpin 162, and their opposite ends are pivoted respectively tothe upper end of arm 140 and to an arm 163 which forms a bellcrank with knife arm 155. A double acting air cylinder .165has a trunnion mounting 166 on the arm extension 147 and a complementary extension 167 on bracket arm 14], and its piston rod 168 is also connected to the pivot pin 162. The normal rest position of cylinder 165 is with piston rod 168 retracted, and outward movement of rod 168 operates through the toggle linkage .160-161 to position the knife arm 155 about the axis of shaft 157 toward the core axis 99.

The knife firing mechanism is shown in detail in FIG. 11. The double acting cylinder 170 also has a trunnion mounting 171 between arm extensions 147 and l67. lts piston rod .172 is pivoted at 173 to an arm 175 mounted for rocking movement on shaft 157. A link 176 is also pivoted to arm 175 at 177, and its other end is pivoted at 178 to an extension 179 on the adjacent knife support 156. The normal rest position of cylinder 170 is with its piston rod extended as shown in full lines. When cylinder 170 isfired, it retracts piston rod 172, and thereby acts through arm 175 to rock the knife support 156 in clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 11, and thus to effect an arcuate cutting stroke of the knife shown in broken lines in FIGS. 9 and 11.

The web W is guided to the winder by a guide roll 184, and a-swing roll assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 controls the web tension. The swing roll 185 is journaled in a link 186 which is in turn supported bya pair of links 187-188 each pivotally mounted on one of the end frames 190-191 which also support guide roll 184. The link 188 is one arm of a bell-crank which includes a second arm 192. A pair of air cylinders 195 are mounted on the base and have their piston rods connected to the arm .192 through a cross rod 197. The pressure supply to cylinder is regulated as required to move the swing roll 185 to impart the desired tension to web W.

FIG. 3 shows the mechanism for loading successive new cores 200 in the winder as each successive full roll 202 approaches fully wound condition. .T he core loader comprises a bracket arm 205 mounted on each of the end frames and 101 and extending downstream from the winder. The core arm 206 includes ahalf .

frame

100 or 101 and the adjacent link 210.

In operation, the stroke of cylinders 215 is calibrated to movethe linkage from the retracted position shown in full lines in FIG. 3 to an advanced position wherein the new core 200 supported in arms 206 has its axis in line with the axes of the

spindles

60 and 80 or 60 and 80 in a pair of arms 12-13' or 12-13 whichhave been indexed to core loading position. The spindles are then driven toward each other to chuck the new core at opposite ends, and the cylinder 2121s actuated to drop arms 206 out of supporting relation with the. new core. As soon as the new core is properly chucked by the opposed spindles, the cylinders 215 are operated in reverseto retract the core loader to its reloading, rest position.

The operating sequence of the apparatus is shown in FIGS. 3 and 12-14. FIG. 3 shows the parts in position for roll changing just prior to operation of the roll changer mechanism and with a roll 202 of the maximum diameter carried by arms 12-l3 and substantially fully wound by web material W which wrapsthe pressure roll as it feeds the winding roll. The arms 12-13' carrying a new core 200have been indexed to a position between 1 and 2 oclock wherein the axis of the core is spaced by a few degrees from the axis 99, and the core has been suitably prepared with adhesive.

When roll 202 is fully wound, and core 200 has been brought up to a surface speed matching that of the full roll, the arms 12-13 are indexed counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 3 to the position in which the new core 200 is coaxial with the axis 99. The

cylinders

165 and 170 are then fired in succession, cylinder 165 to advance the knife 123 to cutting position by partially straightening the toggle linkage -161, and cylinder 170 to swing the knife clockwise through its cutting are so that it cuts the web and presses the resulting cut leading end against the core 200 to start winding thereon. The cylinder is then operated in the reverse direction to retractthe knife sufficiently so that it will clear the core during the subsequent return stroke of cylinder 170. Operating controls for the cylinder 165 and may take many forms, manual or automatic, which will actuate these cylinders in the sequence described, as will be readily understood, and they have therefore not been shown.

The cylinder 165 and its associated toggle linkage serve multiple functions. In addition to moving the knife forward to its cutting stroke position and retracting the knife before its return stroke, cylinder 165 acts as a cushioning element if the knife should engage the core during its cutting stroke, since such engagement would be compensated for by movement of the toggle linkage away from straight line position against the yielding action of cylinder 165. This action is particularly desirable in the handling of thermoplastics where a heated knife is used, because the stroke of the knife can be so adjusted that its cutting edge will remain engaged with the core for a sufficient interval of angular travel to assure that the heat will be effective to adhere the cut end of the web to the core.

In the subsequent stages of operation from the position shown in FIG. 3, the full roll is unloaded from arm 12-13, and arms 12-13 are slowly indexed clockwise away from the roll changer mechanism as the web winds on core 200. This movement is continued until the arms carrying the winding roll reach the final position occupied by arms l2-13 in FIG. 3, which will be about 105 for a roll of maximum diameter, but during most of the winding, the arms are moved sufficiently slowly to provide for continued operation of pressure roll 125 as a rider roll, and therefore complete absence of draw on the web.

While this winding and slow indexing continue, the unloaded arms 12-13 are rotated clockwise independently of the other arms until they reach the reloading position shown in FIG. 3. Then after arms 12-13 have moved away from the roll changer mechanism to their roll changing position shown in FIG. 3, the operator can reload arms 12-13 and prepare the new core for the next roll change as already described.

The adjustable mounting of the roll changing mechanism on end frames 100-101 and the adjustable mountings for the knife 123 and pressure roll 125 are for the purpose of adapting the apparatus to operation with cores of different diameters and for the winding of rolls of different sizes. In general, the best conditions for roll changing exist when the path of the web traveling from the pressure roll 125 to a fully wound roll defines a relatively large angle with the plane defined by the axes of the pressure roll and the new core. It is of course essential that the web be within the cutting stroke of the knife, and the stroke of the knife should also bring it into sufficiently close proximity to the new core to assure a proper start thereon. In addition, the invention includes among its objectives the minimizing of the travel of each pair of arms between roll starting and roll changing position. The several adjustable mountings provide for all of these conditions, as is illustrated by FIGS. 12-14 in comparison with FIG. 3.

Thus where FIG. 3 shows the apparatus set to wind a roll of the maximum diameter, e.g., 36 inches, FIG. 12 illustrates the parts in roll changing position for rolls 202 18 inches in diameter and with the roll changer mechanism in the same position as shown in FIG. 3. As FIG. 12 shows, in order to establish the same web path to an 18-inch roll as'to a 36-inch roll, it is necessary for the roll-carrying arms to travel an additional approximately 50. This angular travel can be reduced to a total of less than 90 if the roll changer mechanism is adjusted, as previously described in connection with FIG. 7, along the tracks 113 to the position shown in FIG. 13.

FIGS. 12 and 13 both show the parts adjusted for operation with cores of relatively large diameter, e.g., in the range of 6 to 8 inches. If smaller cores are used, it is necessary to adjust the operating positions of both the knife 123 and pressure roll 125 by the means previously described in connection with FIGS. 8-10. Referring to FIG. 14, the new core 200 is indicated as of the order of 3% inches in diameter, but it will be understood that it will be in the same position for roll starting purposes, namely with its axis in line with the axis 99.

Both the knife and the pressure roll require adjustments to establish proper starting conditions with a small core as shown in FIG. 14. The pressure roll is adjusted as described in connection with FIG. 8, by rotating the lead screw 136 to move the nut upwardly thereon and thereby to allow the arm 126 to move the pressure roll 125 toward the new core under the pressure of the cylinder 130. The knife arms 155 require similar counter clockwise adjustment to move the knife closer to the core. As shown in FIG. 9, this adjustment is effected by operation of the lead screw to move the arms 140-141 counterclockwise and thereby to move the knife arms forward. It will be apparent that these additional adjustments provide for a full range of operating positions of the knife and pressure roll in accordance with the core size on which rolls are to be wound.

It is apparent from the description of the operating sequence and FIGS. 3 and 12-14 that the essential operations of loading, roll starting, winding, and unloading take place in a minor fraction of the total rotational movement of each pair of arms, and primarily in the two quadrants of arm rotation which lie downstream from vertical plane through common axis of the roll supporting arms. In fact, the total movement of each pair of arms from splicing position to severing position is substantially less than and need not exceed approximately l05 even for rolls of the maximum diameter which the apparatus is designed to handle.

Two important advantages result from this twoquadrant feature. One is that the total change in the length of draw to the winding roll from the pressure roll 125 is relatively small, and notably lessthan is required with a conventional reel having its arms fixed on a common shaft. For example, with the apparatus constructed as disclosed to handle 36-inch rolls, the maximum length of draw would be less than 24 inches. Further, the movement of arms 12-13 between the limit positions they occupy during winding can be at a relatively low rate such that any variation in the length of draw resulting from the movement does not affect the tension in the web. The empty pair of arms, however,

can be moved at any desired different speed without in any way affecting web tension or the position of the winding roll.

While the methods and forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise methods and forms of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for continuously winding web material into rolls on successive cores, comprising:

a. a pair of spaced opposed end stands,

b. two roll supporting arms mounted for rotation on a common axis through 360 in both directions in each of said end stand,

0. means coupling said arms in opposed pairs,

d. means establishing a core loading position for each said pair of arms in a first quadrant of said rotation thereof,

e. means establishing a roll starting position for a core supported by either of said pairs of arms said first quadrant of rotation thereof,

f. means establishing a final winding position for a roll supported by either of said pairs of arms which lies on the opposite side of said core loading position from said roll starting position in a second quadrant of said rotation thereof contiguous to said first quadrant and therefore requires less than 180 rotation of said arms from said starting position,

g. selectively operable means for severing the web from a roll supported by one of said pairs of arms in said final winding position and starting the resulting end of the web on a core supported by the other said pair of arms in said starting position, and

h. means for selectively driving each said coupled pair of arms in either direction with respect to and independently of the other said pair to provide for rotation of each said pair successively from said core loading position to said starting position and then to said final winding position at predetermined controlled speed contemporaneously with unloading of the roll from the other said pair and rotation thereof from said final winding position to said core loading position through the other two quadrants of said rotation of said arms.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said selectively operable means comprises,

a. a pressure roll wrapped by the web and selectively engageable by a core supported in said final start ing position core to press the web into contact with such core, and

b. knife means selectively operable to sever such web at a position between said roll and new core.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further comprising means supporting said selectively operable means for movement about the axis ofa core in said starting position in accordance with the diameter of each such roll.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further comprising means supporting said pressure roll and said knife for adjustment with respect to said roll starting position in accordance with the diameter of each such core.

5. in a method of continuously winding web material into rolls or successive cores in apparatus including two pairs of opposed roll supporting arms mounted independently of each other on a common axis through 360 in both directions, the steps comprising:

a. winding an initial portion of the web on a roll supported by one of said pairs of arms in a roll starting position located in a first quadrant of said rotation of said arms,

b. rotating said one pair of arms at predetermined controlled speed from said starting position through less than 180 to a final winding position located in a second quadrant of said rotation contiguous to said first quadrant while continuing said winding operation,

0. contemporaneously with said rotating step (b), ro-

tating said other pair of arms to said first quadrant and then loading a new core thereon,

d. severing theweb from the resulting wound roll in said one pair of arms and attaching the end of the web to said new core while retaining said other pair of arms in said first quadrant,

e. unloading said wound roll from said one pair of arms,

i0 f. performing said winding step (a) and rotating step (b) with respect to said new core and said other pair of arms,

g. rotating said unloaded pair of arms through the other two quadrants to said first quadrant in timed relation with said rotating step (b) of said other pair of arms, and w h. repeating all of said steps for successive cores and rolls.

6. The method defined in claim 5 wherein both of said first and second quadrants lie on one side of a vertical center line through said axis, and wherein said web is guided toward said apparatus in a direction extending generally laterally of said axis on the opposite side thereof from said quadrants.

7. In a continuous winder for web material including means establishing the roll starting position of successive new cores, the combination of a knife supporting and operating mechanism for cutting such web and transferring the cut leading end thereof to a new core, comprising:

a. a main support,

b. a pressure roll for pressing the web against the new core,

c. a pressure roll arm carrying said pressure roll and having a pivotal mounting on said main support,

d. a knife support pivotally mounted on said main support,

e. a knife arm having a pivotal mounting at one end on said knife support,

f. a knife mounted for rocking movement on the other end of said knife arm,

g. means carried by said knife support for causing said rocking movement of said knife to effect a cutting stroke thereof, and

h. positioning means connected between said main support and said knife support for advancing and retracting said knife support and said knife arm pivotal mounting with respect to said pressure roll arm pivotal mounting in accordance with the diameter of the new core in said roll starting core positron.

8. The combination defined in claim 7 further comprising yieldable means connected between said knife support and said knife arm to compensate for engagement of said knife with said new core during the cutting stroke thereof.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said yieldable means comprises a double acting pneumatic cylinder connected between said knife arm and said knife support to hold said knife arm yieldably in advanced position with respect to said new core position for cushioning engagement of said knife with a new core during the cutting stroke thereof and to retract said knife arm for providing clearance for the return stroke of said knife.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said positioning means comprises a toggle linkage connected between said knife arm and said cylinder.

11. The combination defined in claim 7 further comprising:

a. a base structure,

b. means forming a mounting for said main support on said base structure for adjusting movement'with respect to the axial center of said roll starting core position, and

c. means for adjusting said main support on said mounting therefor to vary the position of said pivotal mountings of said knife support and said pressure roll arm with respect to said core position.

Claims

1. Apparatus for continuously winding web material into rolls on successive cores, comprising: a. a pair of spaced opposed end stands, b. two roll supporting arms mounted for rotation on a common axis through 360* in both directions in each of said end stand, c. means coupling said arms in opposed pairs, d. means establishing a core loading position for each said pair of arms in a first quadrant of said rotation thereof, e. means establishing a roll starting position for a core supported by either of said pairs of arms in said first quadrant of rotation thereof, f. means establishing a final winding position for a roll supported by either of said pairs of arms which lies on the opposite side of said core loading position from said roll starting position in a second quadrant of said rotation thereof contiguous to said first quadrant and therefore requires less than 180* rotation of said arms from said starting position, g. selectively operable means for severing the web from a roll supported by one of said pairs of arms in said final winding position and starting the resulting end of the web on a core supported by the other said pair of arms in said starting position, and h. means for selectively driving each said coupled pair of arms in either direction with respect to and independently of the other said pair to provide for rotation of each said pair successively from said core loading position to said starting position and then to said final winding position at predetermined controlled speed contemporaneously with unloading of the roll from the other said pair and rotation thereof from said final winding position to said core loading position through the other two quadrants of said rotation of said arms.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said selectively operable means comprises, a. a pressure roll wrapped by the web and selectively engageable by a core supported in said final starting position core to press the web into contact with such core, and b. knife means selectively operable to sever such web at a position between said roll and new core.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 further comprising means supporting said selectively operable means for movement about the axis of a core in said starting position in accordance with the diameter of each such roll.

5. In a method of continuously winding web material into rolls or successive cores in apparatus including two pairs of opposed roll supporting arms mounted independently of each other on a common axis through 360* in both directions, the steps comprising: a. winding an initial portion of the web on a roll supported by one of said pairs of arms in a roll starting position located in a first quadrant of said rotation of said arms, b. rotating said one pair of arms at predetermined controlled speed from said starting position through less than 180* to a final winding position located in a second quadrant of said rotation contiguous to said first quadrant while continuing said winding operation, c. contemporaneously with said rotating step (b), rotating said other pair of arms to said first quadrant and then loading a new core thereon, d. severing the web from the resulting wound roll in said one pair of arms and attaching the end of the web to said new core while retaining said other pair of arms in said first quadrant, e. unloading said wound roll from said one pair of arms, f. performing said winding step (a) and rotating step (b) with respect to said new core and said other pair of arms, g. rotating said unloaded pair of arms through the other two quadrants to said first quadrant in timed relation with said rotating step (b) of said other pair of arms, and h. repeating all of said steps for successive cores and rolls.

7. In a continuous winder for web material including means establishing the roll starting position of successive new cores, the combination of a knife supporting and operating mechanism for cutting such web and transferring the cut leading end thereof to a new core, comprising: a. a main support, b. a pressure roll for pressing the web against the new core, c. a pressure roll arm carrying said pressure roll and having a pivotal mounting on said main support, d. a knife support pivotally mounted on said main support, e. a knife arm having a pivotal mounting at one end on said knife support, f. a knife mounted for rocking movement on the other end of said knife arm, g. means carried by said knife support for causing said rocking movement of said knife to effect a cutting stroke thereof, and h. positioning means connected between said main support and said knife support for advancing and retracting said knife support and said knife arm pivotal mounting with respect to said pressure roll arm pivotal mounting in accordance with the diameter of the new core in said roll starting core position.

11. The combination defined in claim 7 further comprising: a. a base structure, b. means forming a mounting for said main support on said base structure for adjusting movement with respect to the axial center of said roll starting core position, and c. means for adjusting said main support on said mounting therefor to vary the position of said pivotal mountings of said knife support and said pressure roll arm with respect to said core position.