Winding and slitting apparatus

Apparatus for simultaneously winding and cutting sheet material comprising:

• a. wind-up means including a spindle;
• b. a drive roll for advancing the sheet material toward the wind-up means;
• c. means for driving the drive roll;
• d. rotatable cutter means positioned after the drive roll and before the wind-up means operative to be rotated in the same direction as the drive roll, the cutter means being in an adjustably fixed position;
• e. means for rotating the cutter means;
• f. guide means for maintaining the wind-up means in position with respect to the drive roll and cutter means, the guide means comprising a first pair of spaced parallel guide members disposed in a first plane at an acute angle from the vertical and a second pair of spaced parallel retaining members disposed in a second plane spaced from and parallel to the first plane, the guide and retaining members being disposed in a direction away from the drive roll so that the wind-up spindle is continuously movably retained between the guide and retaining members by gravity and the movement of the wind-up means;
• and
• g. the relative positions of the drive roll, the cutter means and the guide and retaining members being such that the drive roll is spaced from the wind-up means at least during the starting of winding thereof and such that gravity maintains at least the outer layer of the material being wound in continuous contact with the cutter means such that rotation of the wind-up means is effected solely by rotation of the cutter means during the initial period of winding the wind-up means and as the size of the rolled material increases, the rolled material and wind-up means will move upwards between the guide and retaining members due solely to winding and gravitational forces, and be driven primarily by the drive roll.