Apparatus for transporting reels of packaging material in a packaging machine plant

Apparatus for transporting reels of packing material, from a stock to at least one processing machine, comprising

• at least one loading station for loading reels onto a carrying means;
• at least one unloading station for unloading said reels from said carrying means;
• at least one circular conveyor arranged above said at least one processing machine and provided with a plurality of said carrying means for carrying said reels of packing material in a carrying direction;
• each of said carrying means being provided with an horizontally extending supporting journal for introducing a freely accessible end thereof into a central orifice of a reel during a loading procedure in said loading station and for supporting a loaded reel during carrying of said reel;
• bearing means for rotatably supporting said supporting journal about a vertical axis;
• motor means carried by said carring means for rotating said supporting journal about said vertical axis, and comprising means for controlling the rotational position of said supporting journal and for rotating said supporting journal in a direction in which said end of said supporting journal points to a direction opposite to said carrying direction when said carrying means approaches said unloading station;
• and
• strip-off means, provided in said unloading station, for contacting said reels, and for stripping said reel off from said supporting journal.