Method and apparatus for convolute winding

Apparatus for convolutely winding a web comprising a frame, a turret mounted on said frame and equipped with a plurality of equally circumferential spaced apart mandrels, means for indexing said turret about a first axis and thereby indexably orbiting said mandrels, means coupled to said turret for selectively rotating each of said mandrels, means on said frame for feeding at a predetermined speed a web to said turret for engagement sequentially with each of said mandrels, and a sever and start mechanism mounted on said frame for sequential coaction with said mandrels, said mechanism including:

• an articulatable arm means having first and second ends with said first end mounted on said frame for rotation about a second axis outside the orbit of said mandrels,
• said arm means at its second end being equipped with a rotatably mounted articulatable part engageable with a web on a mandrel,
• means on said frame for rotating each of said arm means and said articulatable part through 360.degree. for each mandrel index, and
• means coupled to said articulatable arm means and articulatable part for simultaneously rotating said articulatable arm means and said articulatable part to provide a resultant speed of said part at least as great as said web predetermined speed.

In a method for winding an elongate web having first and second sides into a convolutely wound roll, the steps of providing a center wind rewinder defining an upstream to downstream path having in sequence a perforator, web direction changing means, and a turret indexably rotatable about a first axis and equipped with a plurality of orbiting, circumferentially spaced rotatable mandrels, said rewinder also having articulatable arm means indexably rotatable about a second axis outside the orbit of said mandrels,

• advancing a web at a predetermined speed in said path from said web direction changing means onto a first mandrel on said turret and winding said web on said first mandrel,
• moving a second mandrel into confronting relation with said web first side upstream of said first mandrel while continuing to wind said web on said first mandrel,
• moving an articulatable part of said arm means into contact with said web second side to press said web toward said second mandrel, and
• rotating each of said articulatable arm means and the articulatable part thereof through 360.degree. so that the resultant speed of the articulatable part is at least as great as said web predetermined speed so as to sever said web and start winding said web about said second mandrel.