Apparatus for exchanging rewound rolls in a roll slitting and rewinding machine

An apparatus for rewinding slitted material from a slitting machine and exchanging rewound rolls, comprising:

• a frame;
• a plurality of slitted rewinding roll support means mounted onto said frame and arranged in two horizontally extending rows, each of said roll support means including a rewinding core rotatably and detachably mounted to said roll support means for receiving slitted material from a slitting machine and drive means for winding said core;
• a carrier rotatably supporting said frame;
• pivotal support means between said carrier and said frame for pivotally supporting said frame on said carrier about a horizontal axis of said frame, said horizontal axis being intermediate of and generally parallel to said two rows of slitted strip rewinding roll supporting means;
• guide means adapted to provide a track for allowing forward and retracted movement of said carrier;
• roller means on said carrier for mounting said carrier on said guide means;
• means for positioning said carrier along said guide means from a forward position substantially adjacent said slitting machine for a rewinding operation, to a retracted position for a roll removal operation;
• and
• means for rotating said frame approximately 90.degree. about said horizontal axis from a first rotary position in which said two rows of said rewinding cores on said rewinding roll support means define a generally vertical plane, to a second rotary position in which said two rows of said rewinding cores define a generally horizontal plane,
• such that when said carrier is in said forward position, said frame is in said first rotary position to allow all of said rewinding cores to rewind slitted material simultaneously and when said carrier is in said retracted position, said frame is in said second rotary position for said roll removing operation.