Automatic unwinder of flexible materials wound on reels and process for feeding an operating machine with said flexible materials

An automatic unwinder of flexible materials wound on reels, for feeding an operating machine, said automatic unwinder comprising:

• a support structure on which at least two mandrels are rotatably mounted, each of which is arranged to support a reel of a corresponding flexible material and said mandrel is adapted to rotate in order to unwind the corresponding reel;
• feeding means for feeding said operating machine with at least one of said flexible materials, said feeding means defining a mouth susceptible of being traversed in the advancement direction of said materials;
• at least a slide guide, extended between a first end, in proximity to said mandrels, and a second end, in proximity to the mouth of said feeding means;
• a rack, which comprises multiple drawers, one for each mandrel, at each of said drawers a portion of a corresponding said flexible material being adapted to be retained;
• at least a carriage, provided with a retention gripper;
• movement means in order to move said carriage along at least one said slide guide between a grip position, in which said carriage is at the first end of said slide guide and said gripper is adapted to grippingly receive a free flap of the flexible material of a corresponding reel, and a release position, in which said carriage is at the second end of said slide guide in order to release said free flap substantially at the corresponding drawer of said rack.