Method and device for feeding and splicing sheet of material wound in reel

Abstract

A method for feeding and splicing a sheet of material wound in a reel and an apparatus for performing the method, the method comprising: providing a rotating wheel having at least first, second, third and fourth reel holders, the reel holders defining first, second, third and fourth stations, respectively; unwinding a first sheet of material in a first reel disposed in the first station; detecting the amount of the first material sheet remaining in the first reel in the first station; splicing the first sheet of material unwound from the first reel with a second sheet of material unwound from a second reel present in the second station, depending on the amount of the first sheet of material; preparing to splice a third sheet of material in a third roll present in a third station, including: reading information about the third roll contained in a sticker, label or mark; removing the sticker, the label or the mark from the third reel; the wheel (10) is rotated to move the substantially overhead first reel to the fourth station and the third reel to the second station.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application entitled "Method and apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in reels", with an international application date of May 18, 2018, an international application number of PCT / EP2018 / 063219, and a national application number of 201880032169.1. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in a reel. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for feeding and splicing sheet or foil material wound in a reel for producing an aerosol-generating article comprising such sheet or foil material. Background Art

[0003] In manufacturing or production processes where sheets of process material are wound into rolls, it may be desirable to unwind the material from the roll at a high speed so that the material can be processed at a correspondingly high speed.

[0004] However, when the sheet of material is completely consumed and the reel unwinds or becomes empty, the manufacturing or production process must be slowed down or stopped in order to replace the unwound or empty reel with a new reel.

[0005] Furthermore, before continuing with the manufacturing or production process, a new reel needs to be prepared. This is due to the fact that the material sheet wound on the reel, or the entire reel comprising the material sheet, is usually surrounded by packaging or provided with a sticker, label, or marking carrying information about the material, for example. Therefore, this information must be read out and checked, and then the sticker, label, or marking must be removed together with the packaging before the relevant manufacturing or production process can continue.

[0006] Typically, all or some of these operations must be performed manually by an operator. Furthermore, these operations are time consuming and susceptible to defects and failures, and have a negative impact on the productivity of the entire manufacturing or production process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in reels which allow higher material processing speeds, in particular when replacing an unwound or empty reel with a new one.

[0008] According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for feeding and splicing material sheets wound in a roll, the method comprising: providing a rotating wheel having at least a first roll holder, a second roll holder, a third roll holder and a fourth roll holder, which roll holders respectively define a first station, a second station, a third station and a fourth station; unwinding a first material sheet in a first roll arranged in the first station; detecting the amount of the first material sheet remaining in the first roll in the first station; splicing the first material sheet unwound from the first roll with the second material sheet unwound from the second roll present in the second station depending on the amount of the first material sheet; preparing to splice a third material sheet in a third roll present in the third station, comprising: reading information about the third roll contained in a sticker, label or mark, removing the sticker, label or mark from the third roll; and rotating the wheel so that the substantially empty first roll moves to the fourth station and the third roll moves to the second station.

[0009] According to the present invention, production can be maintained at a substantially constant speed, since there is essentially no need to stop or significantly reduce the production speed during the change from the first reel (the production reel) to the second reel (the new reel). In fact, several method steps can be performed simultaneously. Splicing the first material unwound from the first reel with the second material unwound from the second reel when or shortly before the first reel is substantially empty allows for maintaining a high material processing speed and, therefore, a high productivity of the entire process. Advantageously, the reels are essentially always ready for splicing.

[0010] As used herein, the term "sheet" means a plate-like element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness. The width of the sheet is preferably greater than approximately 10 millimeters, more preferably greater than approximately 20 millimeters or approximately 30 millimeters. Even more preferably, the width of the sheet is included between approximately 100 millimeters and approximately 300 millimeters. In a preferred embodiment, the sheet is a sheet of material containing alkaloids, for example, homogenized tobacco material. Other plant-based materials containing alkaloids can also be used. Polymer material sheets are also sheets that can be deformed into strips.

[0011] The most commonly used forms of homogenized tobacco material are reconstituted tobacco sheet and cast leaf. The process for forming homogenized tobacco material sheet generally comprises the step of mixing tobacco dust with a binder to form a slurry. The slurry is then used to form tobacco webs. For example, so-called cast leaf is produced by casting a viscous slurry onto a moving metal belt. Alternatively, reconstituted tobacco can be produced in a similar papermaking process using a slurry with low viscosity and high water content.

[0012] The sheet material of tobacco can be referred to as reconstituted sheet material and is formed using particulate tobacco (e.g., reconstituted tobacco) or a mixture of tobacco particles, a humectant, and an aqueous solvent to form a tobacco composition. This tobacco composition is then cast, extruded, rolled, or pressed to form a sheet material from the tobacco composition. The sheet of tobacco can be formed using the following processes: a wet process in which shredded tobacco is used to make paper-like materials; or a cast leaf process in which shredded tobacco is mixed with a binder material and cast onto a moving belt to form a sheet.

[0013] The sheet of homogenized tobacco material is rolled into a roll, which is unrolled for further processing to become part of an aerosol-forming article, for example to be included in an aerosol-forming substrate of an aerosol-generating article. A "heat-not-burn" aerosol-generating article is a smoking article in which the aerosol-forming substrate is heated to a relatively low temperature in order to form an aerosol, but to prevent the tobacco material from burning. Furthermore, the tobacco present in the homogenized tobacco sheet is typically only tobacco, or a substantial portion of the tobacco present in the homogenized tobacco material comprising such a "heat-not-burn" aerosol-generating article. This means that the aerosol composition generated by such a "heat-not-burn" aerosol-generating article is essentially based solely on homogenized tobacco material.

[0014] As used herein, the term "aerosol-forming material" refers to a material that, when heated, releases volatile compounds to produce an aerosol. Tobacco can be classified as an aerosol-forming material, specifically, a sheet of homogenized tobacco that includes an aerosol former. An aerosol-forming substrate can include or consist of an aerosol-forming material.

[0015] Homogenized tobacco sheets generally contain, in addition to tobacco, a binder and an aerosol former. This combination produces a sheet that is "tacky," that is, it sticks to adjacent objects, but at the same time has a relatively low tensile strength and is quite brittle.

[0016] The sheet may comprise a sheet of polymeric material. It may comprise a sheet of PLA.

[0017] Depending on the type of material, a roll (or coil) is understood to include a carrier on which a sheet of material is wound, or the material itself (which means self-supporting) is wound in the form of a roll or coil. The shape of the roll can be any shape. Preferably, the roll has a cylindrical shape.

[0018] In the method of the present invention, there are at least three reels.

[0019] Typically, the material forming the sheet is the same on all rolls. However, rolls having different kinds of material may also be used.

[0020] The method of the present invention uses a rotary wheel comprising four different stations. More stations can also be provided. Each station can process a different roll inserted into the roll holder.

[0021] Typically, according to the invention, the handling of a roll proceeds through four steps, each corresponding to one of four possible workstations. These workstations are preferably reached periodically by correspondingly rotating a wheel on or in which four roll holders are located. Thus, a workstation (a given position in space) can be reached by rotating the wheel for a specific roll: preferably, in the case of four different workstations, the wheel rotates 90° each time a roll needs to change workstations. In the case of a number of workstations other than four, different angles are also conceivable.

[0022] The first station is preferably a production or unwinding station. The reel located at the first station ("first reel" or "production reel") is unwound and the unwound material is fed, for example, to a production machine for the intended further processing of the material.

[0023] The second station is a waiting and splicing station. Once it detects that the current first reel is nearly or completely unwound (meaning that the first material of the first reel or the first material on the first reel is nearly or completely consumed), the reel at this second station (the "second reel") is prepared to become the first reel. The first material unwound from the first reel is then spliced ​​with the second material unwound from the second reel at the second station.

[0024] The third station is a preparation station, where the roll located at the third station ("third roll") is prepared before being moved to the second station by the corresponding rotating wheel. Depending on the type of material of the third sheet wound on the third roll, this preparation can be any operation that is necessary or preferred before the material is subsequently spliced ​​to the second station after the rotating wheel.

[0025] In this station, information about the third reel, contained in stickers, labels, or tags, is read. These reels typically contain stickers, labels, or tags containing various pieces of information. This information is relevant to the rest of the process. In particular, if erroneous information is present, the process can be stopped. Furthermore, this station removes the stickers, labels, or tags containing this information from the third reel. Stickers are no longer necessary, and their presence could become an obstacle in the further processing steps of the method according to the present invention.

[0026] Preferably, the steps are performed in this order, first reading and then removing the sticker, label or tag.

[0027] More preferably, the step of removing the stickers is followed by a further step of separating the end portion of the third roll.

[0028] By said rotation of the wheel, the substantially empty first reel is moved to the fourth position, the second reel is moved to the first position and the third reel is moved to the second position.

[0029] Preferably, the fourth station is a loading and unloading station, so that at this station, an empty or almost empty roll can be replaced by a new roll, which comes from the first station by the rotation of the wheel. With the next rotation of the wheel, the new roll is then moved into the third station.

[0030] Furthermore, the term "unwinding" is used throughout this specification to encompass unwinding in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the drum or unwinding in a direction parallel to the axis of the drum. If the material is a sheet or foil material, the first alternative is generally preferred. If the material is in the form of a wire, cable, yarn, or thread, both directions can be selected.

[0031] By this method, no time needs to be wasted handling the rolls before splicing. As soon as the currently unwound used roll is nearly empty, the material sheet is ready to be spliced.

[0032] Preferably, the method includes the step of replacing the first substantially empty roll in the fourth station with a new roll. The roll can be replaced without blocking the equipment. The exhausted roll is in one station while another roll is in another station and is unwound.

[0033] Preferably, preparations for splicing the third roll can include at least one of the following operations: reading additional information about the third roll; removing the packaging from the third roll, checking the type of third material wound in or on the third roll and testing its quality; and separating the end portion of the third material from the third roll. Thus, preparations for splicing can include any necessary operations performed after the rotating wheel and before the material is subsequently spliced ​​to the second station. The selected operations depend on the type of roll and the material. This multitasking approach helps reduce production time and minimizes human-machine interaction, thereby improving safety. Information about the third roll can be included not only on the sticker but also on other parts of the third roll itself.

[0034] Preferably, reading the information about the third roll contained in the sticker includes issuing an error signal if the read information does not match expected information. This information indicates, for example, at least one of the type and quality of the third material and the amount of the third material wound in or on the third roll. If information on the third roll or contained in the sticker, label, or tag is read during preparation, an error signal is preferably issued if the read information does not match expected information. This allows for rapid feedback.

[0035] Preferably, splicing the first material sheet wound on the first reel with the second material sheet wound on the second reel includes holding an end portion of the second material wound on the second reel by suction. The material sheets wound on the reels are preferably handled "gently" to prevent breakage. To enable quick and reliable splicing, the end portion of the second material wound on the second reel is preferably gripped by a gripping mechanism, such as a suction device, preferably located in or at the second workstation.

[0036] Preferably, the splicing material comprises at least one of welding, heat welding, ultrasonic welding, humidification and pressing, bonding, adhering, gluing. The type of splicing is selected based on the type of material used to form the sheet wound in the roll. The splicing can be performed in the form of welding (e.g., heat welding or ultrasonic welding), or in the form of bonding, adhering, gluing, or by pressing two materials together, preferably having been previously humidified.

[0037] Preferably, splicing the first sheet of material wound in the first reel with the second sheet of material wound in the second reel comprises cutting the first sheet of material unwound from the first reel upstream of the splicing location.

[0038] Preferably, after splicing, the sheet of first material unwound from the first reel is cut upstream of the splicing location, and the second reel is now unwound and becomes the new production reel. Further preferably, during or after splicing, the wheel is rotated to move the new production reel into the first station, so that the new production reel becomes the first reel. Most preferably, the second material wound on the second reel is already unwound while the wheel is rotating.

[0039] For example, if the normal (full) speed at which the material is unwound from the production reel is 300 meters per minute, the speed during splicing may be maintained at 25 meters per minute, depending on the type of material.

[0040] Preferably, the method comprises providing a buffer unit downstream of the rotating wheel; and providing a sheet of material stored in a buffer unit downstream of the buffer unit during splicing of a first sheet of material unwound from a first reel with a second sheet of material unwound from a second reel. In order to further increase the speed, the sheet of material unwound from the production reel downstream of the rotating wheel is preferably stored or buffered by the buffer unit. Thus, buffer material can be provided downstream of the buffer unit for further processing, in particular during reel changes and in particular during splicing operations. The advantage of this is that if reel changes and / or splicing operations require slowing down or stopping the unwinding of material from the production reel, the speed of the material fed to the buffer unit downstream for further processing (depending on the capacity of the buffer unit) can be maintained at normal (full) speed, or at least at a higher speed than the speed at which the material is unwound from the production reel during reel changes or splicing. This has a positive impact on overall productivity.

[0041] Preferably, the method comprises unwinding a second sheet of material wound on a second reel while rotating the wheel.

[0042] Preferably, at least one of the first, second or third sheets of material comprises a polymeric material or an alkaloid-containing material.More preferably, the sheet is then used to produce a component of an aerosol-generating article.

[0043] According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding and splicing material wound in a roll, the apparatus comprising: a rotating wheel having at least a first roll holder, a second roll holder, a third roll holder and a fourth roll holder, which roll holders define a first station, a second station, a third station and a fourth station, respectively; an unwinding device adapted to unwind a first material sheet wound in a first roll arranged in the first station; a sensor device adapted to detect an amount of the first material sheet remaining in the first roll in the first station; a splicer unit adapted to splice the first material sheet unwound from the first roll The material sheet is spliced ​​with the second material sheet unwound from the second roll present in the second station; a preparation unit, which is suitable for preparing for splicing the third roll present in the third station, wherein the preparation unit includes: a reading device, which is used to read information about the third roll contained in the sticker, label or mark; and a first device, which is used to remove the sticker, label or mark from the third roll; and an actuator, which is suitable for rotating the wheel when the amount of the first material sheet remaining in the detected first roll is reduced to below a predetermined minimum value, so that the first roll moves to the fourth station and the third roll moves to the second station.

[0044] Thus, a device is provided that allows changing from a first reel (production reel) to a second reel (new reel) without stopping the device. By splicing together a first material sheet from the first reel and a second material sheet from the second reel while the first reel is being unwound or shortly thereafter, a high material processing speed and a correspondingly high productivity of the device can be achieved even during the splicing.

[0045] Another advantage of this machine is that empty rolls can be manually unloaded from the fourth station without stopping the machine, and new rolls can be manually loaded into the fourth station. This further increases the material processing speed.

[0046] Preferably, the first spool holder, the second spool holder, the third spool holder and the fourth spool holder are rotatable about parallel axes.

[0047] Preferably, the first roll holder, the second roll holder, the third roll holder and the fourth roll holder are spaced equiangularly. In this way, all rolls arrive at different positions by the rotation of the wheel. In this case, the wheel rotates 90 ° to move each roll holder from one station to the next station.

[0048] Preferably, the actuator adapted to rotate the wheel comprises a first motor for driving the wheel. Further preferably, the unwinding device comprises a second motor for driving each roll holder when each roll holder is located in the first station, so as to unwind the first roll in the first station. Preferably, such a second motor is positioned stationary relative to the rotation of the wheel, and more preferably positioned below or beside the wheel, so that each roll holder moved into the first station engages the drive axis of the second motor to rotate the associated roll holder.

[0049] Most preferably, the unwinding device comprises a second motor for each roll holder, wherein the second motor is located on the rotating wheel. In other words, the first to fourth roll holders are each provided with their own motor, which is preferably mounted on a rotating wheel and is activated when the roll holder is moved into the first station.

[0050] If the material is unwound in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the roll, it is advantageous to drive each roll holder when it is in the first station. Alternatively, and in the case of unwinding the material parallel to the axis of the roll, the material can be withdrawn from the relevant roll.

[0051] Furthermore, the sensor device adapted to detect the amount of the first material remaining in the first roll comprises a roller rolling on the outer surface of the first roll and a distance sensor or proximity sensor for sensing the distance travelled by the roller towards the centre of the first roll holder. By evaluating this distance, the amount of the first material remaining can be determined.

[0052] The sensor device may include a torque sensor for measuring the torque that must be generated by the second motor to drive the first roll holder in the first station to unwind the first roll. Since this torque decreases as the amount of first material in or on the roll decreases, the amount of first material remaining in or on the roll can be determined by evaluating the torque that the second motor must generate.

[0053] A preparation unit suitable for preparing for splicing a third roll present in a third work station may include at least one of the following devices: a further reading device for reading information about the third roll; a second device for removing the packaging from the third roll; a third device for checking the type of the third material sheet wound in or on the third roll and / or testing its quality; and a separating device for separating the end portion of the third material sheet from the third roll so as to provide it for splicing.

[0054] Preferably, a cutter is provided for cutting the first material unwound from the first reel at a position upstream of the splicing position.

[0055] A buffer unit is preferably provided downstream of the rotating wheel. Such a buffer unit may include, for example, at least two buffer rollers that are movable relative to one another so as to move closer to and further away from one another. Furthermore, the material is fed, for example, in a U-shape or in one or more bends around the buffer rollers, so that as the buffer rollers move closer together, additional lengths of material are released from the buffer unit and made available downstream of the buffer unit.

[0056] Preferably, such movement of the buffer roller is initiated to free up an extra length of material during a reel change, and most preferably during splicing of a first material unwound from a first reel with a second material unwound from a second reel. This has the advantage that the speed of the material fed to the buffer unit for further processing downstream can be maintained at normal (full) speed, or at least at a higher speed than the speed at which the material is unwound from the production reel during a reel change or splicing.

[0057] After changing the reel and / or terminating the splicing operation, the buffer rollers are moved back to their original distance from each other so that the buffer unit takes up the additional length of material from the production reel.

[0058] Such a buffer unit is preferably combined with fault detection to detect, for example, a break in the first material during unwinding from the first reel. If such a fault or another one is detected and the machine is stopped to eliminate the fault, the material stored in the buffer unit is delivered to be further processed during the machine stop.

[0059] Thus, even in the event of equipment failure, the material can be delivered at a high speed for further processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0060] Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from its detailed description with non-limiting reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0061] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in reels according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] In the only diagram ( Figure 1 ), denoted by 1, an apparatus according to the present invention for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in a reel.

[0063] The apparatus 1 comprises a plate or wheel 10 rotatably mounted about a central axis 101. The wheel 10 can be rotated by an actuator comprising a first motor 102 for rotating the wheel in an anti-clockwise direction.

[0064] The wheel 10 comprises a first spool holder 103, a second spool holder 104, a third spool holder 105 and a fourth spool holder 106. Preferably, the spool holders are positioned at equal distances along the circumferential direction of the wheel 10.

[0065] Each roll holder 103 to 106 is positioned by rotating the wheel 10 in one of the first station, the second station, the third station and the fourth station. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the first roll holder 103 is located in the first station, the second roll holder 104 is located in the second station, the third roll holder 105 is located in the third station, and the fourth roll holder 106 is located in the fourth station.

[0066] Furthermore, the first reel holder 103 holds the first reel 20 , the second reel holder 104 holds the second reel 21 , the third reel holder 105 holds the third reel 22 , and the fourth reel holder 106 holds the fourth reel 23 .

[0067] The spool holders 103 to 105 are mounted on the wheel 10 so that they can rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the wheel 10 .

[0068] Furthermore, four second motors 1031 , 1041 , 1051 , 1061 are located on the wheel 10 for driving each of the four reel holders 103 to 105 to unwind the material on the associated first to fourth reels 20 to 23 .

[0069] also, Figure 1 A sensor arrangement 40 is shown which is adapted to detect the amount of the first material 201 remaining in the first roll 20. In more detail, the sensor arrangement 40 preferably comprises a roller 401 rolling on the outer surface of the first roll 20 and preferably comprises a distance sensor or proximity sensor for sensing the distance traveled by the roller 401 towards the center of the first roll holder 103. From this distance, the amount of the first material 201 remaining in the first roll 20 is determined.

[0070] Furthermore, the apparatus according to the present invention comprises a splicer unit 30. This splicer unit 30 is positioned stationary relative to the rotation of the wheel 10 and is preferably located to one side of the wheel 10, approximately between the first and second stations. The splicer unit 30 is adapted to join the first material 201 unwound from the first reel 20 with the second material 211 unwound from the second reel 21. The type of splicing is selected according to the type of material so that the two materials 201, 211 can be securely connected to each other.

[0071] like Figure 1 As schematically shown in FIG, the splicer unit 30 preferably includes a gripping mechanism 301 for gripping and holding an end portion of the second material 211 of the second roll 21. The gripping mechanism 301 may be provided in the form of a suction or vacuum gripper that is movable so as to guide the gripped end portion of the second material 211 of the second roll 21 to a position within the splicer unit 30 where it is spliced ​​with the first material 201 of the first roll 20.

[0072] Furthermore, the splicer unit 30 is preferably provided with a cutter 302 for cutting the first material 201 unwound from the first reel 20 at a position upstream of the splicing position after termination of the splicing operation.

[0073] Finally, the device according to the invention comprises a preparation unit 50 .

[0074] The preparation unit 50 is positioned stationary relative to the rotation of the wheel 10 and is preferably located on one side of the wheel 10 near the third station. The preparation unit 50 is suitable for preparing the third roll 22 present in the third station for splicing. Such a preparation unit 50 may include at least one of the following: a first device for removing stickers, labels or tags from the third roll 22; a reading device for reading information about the third roll 22 contained in the stickers, labels or tags; a second device for removing packaging from the third roll 22; a third device for checking the type of the third material wound in or on the third roll 22 and / or testing its quality; and a separating device for separating an end portion of the third material from the third roll 22 to provide it for splicing and / or for gripping by the gripping mechanism 211.

[0075] The device operates as follows:

[0076] While unwinding the first material 201 wound on the first reel 20 located in the first station, the sensor device 40 monitors the amount of the first material 201 remaining on the first reel 20 .

[0077] When the sensor device 40 detects that the amount of first material 201 remaining in the first reel 20 decreases below a predetermined minimum value, the gripping mechanism 301 is activated and grips an end portion of the second material 211 from the second reel 21 present in the second station.

[0078] The gripping mechanism 301 guides the end portion into position within the splicer unit 30 by withdrawing a corresponding length of the second material 211 from the second reel 20 , or by activating the second motor 1041 to drive the second reel holder 104 to unwind the corresponding length of the second material.

[0079] Then, during unwinding of the first material 201 from the first reel 20 , the end portion is spliced ​​with the first material 201 of the first reel 20 .

[0080] If splicing is not possible during unwinding of the material 201 from the first reel 20 at normal speed or full speed depending on the kind of material, the associated second motor 1031 driving the first reel holder 103 is correspondingly slowed down or stopped during the splicing operation.

[0081] After terminating the splicing operation, the cutter 302 is activated to cut the first material 201 upstream of the splicing location. Thus, the second roll 21 now becomes a production roll and the second roll holder 104 is driven by the associated second motor 1041 for unwinding.

[0082] At the same time, the first motor 102 is turned on, causing the wheel 10 to rotate approximately 90 degrees. When the rotation of the wheel 10 is completed, the second roll 21 has reached the first station, and the substantially empty first roll 20 has reached the fourth station, where it can be replaced with a new roll. In addition, the third roll holder 22 has reached the second station.

[0083] If, as alternatively described above, the unwinding device comprises only one second motor 1031 positioned stationary relative to the rotation of the wheel 10 for driving each roll holder located in the first station, the second material 211 will be drawn off the second roll 21 by the gripping mechanism 301.

[0084] Furthermore, when the wheel 10 is rotated by activating the first motor 102 , the engagement between the second motor 1031 and the first spool holder 103 is disengaged, whereby unwinding of the first material 201 from the first spool 20 is stopped.

[0085] Before or after activating the first motor 102 , the splicing operation is performed.

[0086] The first motor 102 is operated so that once the splicing operation is terminated, or shortly thereafter, the second roll holder 21 reaches the first station and the second roll holder 104 engages the second motor 1031, so that the second roll 21 is now driven for unwinding and becomes the new first roll. At the same time, the first motor 102 is turned off and the rotation of the wheel 10 is thereby stopped.

[0087] Preferably, after the splicing operation and before driving the second reel 21 for unwinding, the cutter 302 is activated again to cut the first material 201 of the first reel 20 .

[0088] Again, with the end of the rotation of the wheel 10, the substantially empty first reel 20 has reached the fourth station where it can be replaced by a new reel, while the third reel 22 has reached the second station.

[0089] While the first reel 20 in the first station is being unwound, the third reel 22 located in the third station is being prepared for splicing by the preparation unit 50 .

[0090] A preparation unit 50 as described above is provided for performing at least one of the following operations: removing the sticker, label or mark from the third roll; reading information about the third roll or information contained in the sticker, label or mark; removing the packaging from the third roll; checking the type of the third material wound in or on the third roll and testing its quality; separating the end portion of the third material from the third roll; and any other measures that must be performed before splicing.

[0091] If the information read does not correspond to the expected information, or if the type or quality is not as expected, the preparation unit 50 generates a signal indicating to the operator that the third reel 22 present in the third station must be replaced. During this preparation and possible replacement, there is no need to stop the unwinding of the current first reel.

[0092] This aids in the overall processing speed of the material wound in the reel.

Claims

1. A method for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in a reel, the method comprising: o providing a rotating wheel having at least a first roll holder, a second roll holder, a third roll holder, and a fourth roll holder, the first roll holder, the second roll holder, the third roll holder, and the fourth roll holder defining a first station, a second station, a third station, and a fourth station, respectively; o unwinding a first material sheet wound on a first reel disposed in the first station; o detecting an amount of the first material sheet remaining in the first roll in the first station; o splicing the first material sheet unwound from the first reel with a second material sheet unwound from a second reel present in the second station, depending on the amount of the first material sheet; o Preparing to splice a third sheet of material from a third roll present in the third station, comprising: reading information about said third roll contained in a sticker, label or tag, removing the sticker, label or marking from the third roll; and o Rotating the wheel so that the substantially empty first roll moves to the fourth station and the third roll moves to the second station.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising: o Replacing the substantially empty first roll in the fourth station with a new roll.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of preparing for splicing further comprises at least one of the following: o reading additional information about the third reel; o removing packaging from said third roll; o checking the type of the third material wound in or on the third reel and testing its quality; o Separating an end portion of the third material from the third roll.

4. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein reading information about the third roll contained in the sticker, label or tag comprises issuing an error signal if the information read does not match expected information.

5. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein splicing the first sheet of material wound in the first drum to the second sheet of material wound in the second drum comprises: o Holding the end portion of the second material wound in the second drum by suction.

6. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein splicing the materials comprises at least one of: Welding, oHeat welding, Ultrasonic welding, oHumidification and pressing, o Bonding, Adhesion, o Adhesive.

7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein splicing the first material sheet wound in the first reel with the second material sheet wound in the second reel comprises cutting the first material sheet unwound from the first reel upstream of a splicing location.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: o providing a buffer unit downstream of the rotating wheel; as well as o During splicing of the first material sheet unwound from the first reel and the second material sheet unwound from the second reel, a material sheet stored in the buffer unit is provided downstream of the buffer unit.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: o Unwinding the second sheet of material wound in the second reel while rotating the wheel.

10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the first, second, or third sheets of material comprises a polymeric material or an alkaloid-containing material.

11. An apparatus for feeding and splicing sheets of material wound in reels, the apparatus comprising: o a rotating wheel having at least a first roll holder, a second roll holder, a third roll holder, and a fourth roll holder, the first roll holder, the second roll holder, the third roll holder, and the fourth roll holder defining a first station, a second station, a third station, and a fourth station, respectively; o an unwinding device adapted to unwind a first material sheet wound on a first reel disposed in the first station; o sensor means adapted to detect the amount of sheet of first material remaining in the first roll in the first station; o a splicer unit adapted to splice the first sheet of material unwound from the first reel with a second sheet of material unwound from a second reel present in the second station; o a preparation unit adapted to prepare for splicing a third reel present in the third station, wherein the preparation unit comprises: a reading device for reading information about the third roll contained in a sticker, label or tag; a first device for removing the sticker, label or tag from the third roll; and o an actuator adapted to rotate the wheel such that the first roll moves to the fourth station and the third roll moves to the second station when the detected amount of the sheet of first material remaining in the first roll decreases below a predetermined minimum value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first, second, third and fourth spool holders are rotatable about parallel axes.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the first, second, third and fourth spool holders are equiangularly spaced apart.

14. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the actuator adapted to rotate the wheel comprises a first motor for driving the wheel.

15. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a roller rolling on the outer surface of the first roll, and a distance sensor or proximity sensor for sensing the distance travelled by the roller towards the centre of the first roll holder.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the preparation unit further comprises at least one of the following: o a further reading device for reading information about the third reel; o second means for removing packages from the third roll; o a third device for checking the type and / or testing the quality of a third material wound in or on the third reel; and o Separating means for separating an end portion of the third material from the third roll in order to provide it for splicing.

17. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the splicer unit comprises a gripping mechanism for gripping and holding an end portion of the second material of the second roll for splicing.

18. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the splicer unit comprises a cutter for cutting the first sheet of material unwound from the first reel upstream of the splicing location.

19. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the unwinding means comprise a second motor positioned stationary with respect to the rotation of the wheel to drive each spool holder situated in the first station.

20. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the unwinding means comprises a second motor for each spool holder, wherein the second motor is located on the wheel.

21. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 20, wherein the sensor arrangement comprises a torque sensor for measuring the torque that the second motor must generate in order to drive the roll holder in the first station.

22. Apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 21, comprising a buffer unit downstream of the rotating wheel for storing unwound material.

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