Apparatus for transporting continuous elongate material webs

An apparatus for transporting a continuous elongate material web, comprising

• a transport means arranged to transport the material web at a constant speed between a most upstream position and a most downstream position as seen along the path of transport of the material web, and
• at least two material web guides arranged between the most upstream and most downstream positions along the transport path, at least one upstream guide being arranged upstream and at least one downstream guide being arranged downstream of an intermediate material web processing position between the most upstream and most downstream positions, the upstream and downstream guides being moved relative to each other so as to impart a continuous sinusoidal variation in speed to the material web along the transport path and through the intermediate processing position,
• each upstream and downstream guide being eccentrically rotatably mounted so as to move substantially continuously between a first position in which a maximum partial length of the material web and a second position in which a minimum partial length of the material web is temporarily supported by the respective guide, and the upstream guide moving at the same speed as the downstream guide and in a first direction between the first and second positions generally opposite to a second direction of movement of the downstream guide between the first and second positions such that the length of the material web between the most upstream position and the most downstream position is substantially constant,
• a material web processing apparatus being provided at the intermediate position and arranged to process the material web periodically when the speed of the material web at the intermediate position is at the lowest speed period of the sinusoidal variation in speed.

An apparatus for transporting first and second continuous elongate material webs relative to each other, having a first apparatus to transport the first material web, comprising

• a first transport arranged to transport the first material web at a constant speed between a most upstream position and a most downstream position as seen along the path of transport of the first material web, and
• at least two first material web guides arranged between the most upstream and most downstream positions along the transport path of the first material web, at least one first material web guide being arranged upstream and at least one first material web guide being arranged downstream of an intermediate position between the most upstream and most downstream positions, the upstream and downstream guides being moved relative to each other so as to impart a sinusoidal variation in speed to the first material web at the intermediate position,
• each first material web guide being eccentrically rotatably mounted so as to move substantially continuously between a position in which a maximum partial length of the material web and a position in which a minimum partial length of the material web is temporarily supported by the first material web guide, and the upstream first material web guide moving at the same speed and in the opposite sense to the downstream guide such that the length of the first material web between the most upstream position and the most downstream position is substantially constant,
• further having a second apparatus to transport the second material web along a path of transport of the second material web,
• the second material web transport path crossing the first material web transport path at the intermediate position between the upstream and downstream guides of the first material web, and
• the upstream and downstream guides of the first material web being arranged at an angle to the direction of transport of the first material web such that the first material web is guided so as to periodically have a component of movement in the same direction as the direction of transport of the second material web.