Web slitter and groover system

Apparatus for making a plurality of spirally wound roll products from a web of sheet material moving along a predetermined path of movement, each of said roll products having first and second spaced, circular grooves formed in at least one end thereof, said second groove being located a distance further from the center of the roll product then said first groove, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

• a framework;
• a first web cutting assembly movably mounted on said framework, said first web cutting assembly including a plurality of transversely spaced cutter blades disposed along said predetermined path of movement and engageable with said moving web to cut said web;
• a second web cutting assembly movably mounted on said framework, said second web cutting assembly including a plurality of transversely spaced cutter blades disposed along said predetermined path of movement and engageable with said moving web to cut said web;
• first drive means for selectively moving said first web cutting assembly transverse to said predetermined path of movement;
• second drive means for selectively moving said second web cutting assembly transverse to said predetermined path of movement;
• control means for controlling said first and second drive means to sequentially move said first and second web cutting assemblies to form web segments of diminished width along spaced portions thereof;
• and
• means for winding said web segments into said spirally wound roll products and form said first and second spaced, circular grooves with the spirally wound web segment portions, said control means including sensing means operatively associated with said winding means adapted to directly sense when the roll products being wound by said winding means attain a first predetermined diameter, and for activating at least one of said drive means to move a cutting assembly transverse to said predetermined path of movement when said first predetermined diameter is sensed, said sensing means being mounted at said winding means and adjacent the outer peripheral surface of at least one of said roll products to directly sense the location of the outer peripheral surface of said at least one roll product relative to said sensing means.