Web guiding apparatus

Apparatus for guiding a moving web of material in a predetermined path of travel relative to a stationary frame, including

• a compliant roller mounted on a roller shaft on a supporting yoke for rolling contact with said web, said yoke being pivotally connected to said frame upstream of said roller for movement about mutually orthogonal X Y and Z axes;
• an edge guide rotatably mounted on said roller shaft and axially slidable relative thereto, said edge guide including a disk portion having an outside diameter larger than that of said roller;
• an edge guide adjustment mechanism, including a stationary member and a laterally momvable abutment member, said abutment member adapted for selective locking engagement with said stationary member and for abutting engagement with said edge guide to limit the lateral position thereof;
• and
• means to urge said roller and said web toward said abutment member.

Apparatus for guiding a moving web of material in a predetermined path of travel relative to a stationary frame, including:

• a compliant roller mounted on a roller shaft on the trailing end of a supporting yoke for rolling contact with said web, said yoke being pivotally connected at the leading end thereof to said frame for pivotal movement about mutually orthogonal X Y and Z axes;
• an edge guide rotatably mounted on said roller shaft and axially slidable relative thereto, said edge guide including an inner disk portion having an outside diameter not greater than that of said roller and an outer disk portion having an outside diameter larger than that of said roller;
• an edge guide adjustment mechanism, including a stationary bracket with spaced adjustment stations, and a laterally movable abutment member adapted for selective locking engagement with said bracket and for abutting engagement with said edge guide to adjustably limit the extreme lateral position thereof;
• and
• a tension spring operatively connected to said frame and to said yoke to urge said yoke, said roller and said web toward said frame and said abutment member;
• whereby, as said web moves along said edge guide and over said roller, said roller seeks and tends to hold a stable rolling position on said web, and the combination of rolling action of said roller and tension of said spring impedes aberrant lateral movement of said roller and said web, and subjects said roller and said web to corrective restoring force if aberrant lateral movement should occur.