Roll winder for large diameter rolls

An apparatus for winding a continuously-fed malleable sheet material comprising:

• a roll feed mechanism for directing said sheet material from a sheet producing source;
• first and a second winding stations at which winding spindles are positioned on spindle stands for receiving the continuously fed sheet;
• a sheet directing main frame movably mounted directly downstream of said feed mechanism in the sheet feeding direction and being located intermediate said first and second winding stations for receipt of said sheet material from said feed mechanism and adapted to guide said material to respectively one of said first and said second winding stations;
• a sheet transfer means rotatably mounted on an intermediate portion of said main frame, said sheet passing through said transfer means during conveyance to one of said winding stations;
• an external control means connected to said transfer means activatable to rotate said transfer means away from one of said winding stations to the other of said winding stations and to transfer said sheet from the spindle located at one of said stations to the spindle located at the other of said stations, said main frame comprising a frame body having a first end at which said frame is rotatably mounted and a second end;
• a main frame biasing means selectively forcing said second end of said frame body in a direction towards one of said first and said second winding stations;
• and first and second sheet lay-on rolls mounted on said second end whereby said first lay-on roll forms a pressure nip with the spindle at said first winding station when said biasing means forces said second end toward said first winding position and said second lay-on roll forms a pressure nip with the spindle at said second winding station when said biasing means forces said second end toward said second winding position.