Sheet material fixing device

A device for sucking a substantially rectangular sheet which is trained around a rotating drum and fixing the sheet onto the drum, comprising:

• (a) a chuck disposed along an axial direction of the drum so as to oppose a drum circumferential direction end portion of the sheet, said chuck able to press the end portion of the sheet toward the drum when the sheet is fixed onto the drum;
• (b) a plurality of sucking grooves formed in an outer peripheral surface of the drum at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the drum and substantially parallel to each other, said sucking grooves extending along a circumferential direction of the drum;
• and
• (c) a partitioning element disposed so as to project toward a corresponding sucking groove, and able to engage with the sheet and partition the sucking groove when the sheet is fixed on the drum.

A device for sucking a substantially rectangular sheet which is trained around a rotating drum and fixing the sheet onto the drum, comprising:

• (a) a first chuck which is disposed along an axial direction of the drum so as to face one drum circumferential direction end portion of the sheet, and which can press the one end portion of the sheet toward the drum when the sheet is fixed onto the drum;
• (b) a second chuck which is disposed along an axial direction of the drum so as to oppose another drum circumferential direction end portion of the sheet, and which can press the other end portion of the sheet toward the drum when the sheet is fixed onto the drum;
• (c) a plurality of sucking grooves formed in an outer peripheral surface of the drum at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the rotating drum and substantially parallel with each other, said sucking grooves extending along a circumferential direction of the drum;
• (d) a sucking hole formed at each of the sucking grooves;
• (e) a sucking device which is connected to the holes and which may supply negative pressure to the sucking grooves;
• (f) a shut-off element which is formed at the first chuck and is urged in a direction of shutting-off a corresponding sucking hole, and is able to shut the corresponding sucking hole when the shut-off element is not covered by the sheet when the sheet is fixed on the drum;
• and
• (g) a partitioning element which is provided at the second chuck so as to project toward a corresponding sucking groove, and is able to engage with the sheet and partition the sucking groove when the sheet is fixed on the drum.