Patent ID: 6386477
Filing Date: 2002-05-14
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
An unwinding station for continuous unwinding of a fiber material web before the fiber web is fed into a machine for processing the fiber web, said unwinding station comprising:a primary unwinding system carrying a primary reel configured for unwinding a primary fiber material web, said primary reel being movable substantially along a first straight line extending in a substantially horizontal direction; a secondary unwinding system carrying a secondary reel configured for unwinding a secondary fiber material web; a splicing system configured for splicing together the unwinding primary fiber material web and the unwinding secondary fiber material web; a carrying system associated with each of said primary unwinding system and said secondary unwinding system, said carrying system being configured for carrying said primary reel from said primary unwinding system to said secondary unwinding system after said splicing, said carrying system including a set of at least two substantially parallel rails carrying said primary reel in a substantially horizontal direction, said set of at least two substantially parallel rails being disposed at a vertical level; an auxiliary drive associated and jointly movable with said primary reel, said auxiliary drive driving said primary reel; and a feed system including a set of at least two substantially horizontal support rails aligned and configured for carrying a replacement reel in a primary direction from said feed system to said primary unwinding system, said set of at least two substantially horizontal support rails being disposed at said vertical level such that said set of at least two substantially parallel rails and said set of at least two substantially horizontal support rails are substantially coplanar, said feed system being movable in a secondary direction said secondary direction differing from said primary direction.