Method and apparatus for guiding and forming a thin web material

An apparatus for guiding a thin web material therethrough comprising:

• a first guide roll,
• a second guide roll,
• a triangular former having a base line and a tip, the base line being secured to the second guide roll, the triangular former and the second guide roll being attached to the apparatus;
• a bearing axle attached to the apparatus and having a longitudinal axis, the triangular former and the second guide roll being tiltable back and forth about the longitudinal axis;
• a web material adapted for travelling over the first and second guide rolls and the triangular former, the web material having an edge, the longitudinal axis being parallel to the web material when the web material travels between the first and second guide rolls;
• and
• a member attached to the second guide roll for non-contacting scanning of the edge of the web material to control movements of the triangular former and the second guide roll.

An apparatus for folding a web material comprising:

• a first guide roll attached to the apparatus;
• a second guide roll attached to the apparatus;
• a triangular former attached to the apparatus and having a base line and a tip, the base line being secured to the second guide roll;
• a bearing axle in rotatable engagement with the apparatus and having a longitudinal axis, the triangular former and the second guide roll being tiltable about the longitudinal axis;
• a web material adapted to travel over the first and second guide rolls and the triangular former, the web material having an edge, the longitudinal axis being parallel to the web material when the web material travels over the first and second guide rolls;
• and
• a scanner attached to the second guide roll for non-contacting scanning of the edge of the web material to control tilting movements of the triangular former and the second guide roll.

An apparatus for folding a single web material comprising:

• a first guide roll;
• a second guide roll, the second guide roll being a first distance from the first guide roll;
• a triangular former having a base line attached to the second guide roll and a tip remote from the base line, the triangular former having a shape of a tetrahedron;
• a bearing axle having a longitudinal axis;
• a bearing rotatably attached to the bearing axle, the bearing being secured to the apparatus;
• a flexible single web material adapted for travelling over the first and second guide rolls and over the triangular former to fold the web material, the web material having opposite side edges, the web material being parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bearing axle when the web material is travelling over the first and second guide rolls, the web material having a width that is substantially similar to the first distance between the first and second guide rolls;
• a pair of forming rolls attached to the bearing axle and the triangular former, the forming rolls adapted to receive the folded web material therebetween;
• a non-contacting scanner adapted to scan information about the position of the edges of the web material on the second guide roll;
• and
• an adjustment device in communication with the scanner, the adjustment device being attached to the second guide roll and adapted to tilt the second guide roll and the triangular former about the bearing axle based on the scanned information communicated by the scanner so that the edges of the web material are aligned when folded by the triangular former.