Web winding apparatus

A web winding apparatus comprising:

• a turret winder comprising a rotatably driven turret assembly supported for rotation about a turret assembly central axis, the turret assembly supporting a plurality of rotatably driven mandrels for engaging cores upon which a paper web is wound, each mandrel extending from a first mandrel end to a second mandrel end and having a mandrel axis generally parallel to the turret assembly central axis, each mandrel supported on the turret assembly for independent rotation of the mandrel about its mandrel axis, and each mandrel driven in a closed mandrel path about the turret assembly central axis, the closed mandrel path having a predetermined core loading segment, a predetermined web winding segment, and a predetermined core stripping segment;
• a core loading apparatus for conveying cores onto the mandrels during movement of the mandrels along the core loading segment of the closed mandrel path;
• a mandrel drive apparatus providing rotation of each mandrel and an associated core about the mandrel axis during movement of the mandrel and core along the predetermined web winding segment of the closed path, wherein web material is wound onto the core during movement of the core and mandrel along the web winding segment of the closed mandrel path;
• and
• a core stripping apparatus for removing each web wound core from its respective mandrel while the mandrel moves along the predetermined core stripping segment of the closed mandrel path.