System and method for producing coreless fabric rolls

A system for producing coreless fabric rolls comprising:

• a hypocycloidal turret having a plurality of spindles;
• a winding station operable to wind a fabric web onto one of the spindles to form a coreless fabric roll;
• a cutting station operable to separate the coreless fabric roll from the fabric web to form a leading edge of the fabric web and a trailing edge of the coreless fabric roll;
• a tucking station operable to wind the trailing edge about the coreless fabric roll;
• a stripping station operable to remove the coreless fabric roll from the spindle;
• and
• a control system operable to transfer each of the spindles to the winding, tucking, and stripping stations along a generally hypocycloidal path.

A method for producing fabric rolls, comprising:

• providing a fabric web at a substantially constant feed rate;
• moving a first spindle of a turret to a first station;
• accumulating a reserve portion of the fabric web during movement of the first spindle to the first station;
• discharging the reserve portion to the first station to form a fabric roll about the first spindle;
• transferring the first spindle from the first station to a second station along a generally hypocycloidal path;
• accumulating a next reserve portion of the fabric web during transfer of the first spindle from the first station to the second station;
• moving a second spindle of the turret to the first station;
• separating the fabric roll from the fabric web;
• winding a remaining portion of the fabric web about the fabric roll at the second station;
• discharging the next reserve portion to the first station to form another fabric roll about the second spindle;
• transferring the first spindle from the second station to a third station along a generally hypocycloidal path;
• and
• removing the fabric roll from the first spindle at the third station.

A method for producing fabric rolls, comprising:

• disposing a spindle of a turret adjacent a plurality of winding rollers in a winding station;
• providing a fabric web from a feed station to an accumulator at a first feed rate;
• providing the fabric web from the accumulator to the winding station at a second feed rate;
• rotating the plurality of winding rollers to wind the fabric web about the spindle at the winding station to form a fabric roll;
• transferring the spindle from the winding station to a tucking station following a substantially hypocycloidal path;
• reducing the second feed rate to less than the first feed rate during transfer of the spindle from the winding station to the tucking station;
• and
• accumulating a reserve portion of the fabric web at the accumulator when the second feed rate is less than the first feed rate.

A system for producing a fabric roll, comprising:

• a feed station operable to provide a fabric web at a substantially constant feed rate;
• a turret operable to intermittently move each of a plurality of spindles into a winding station, a tucking station, and a stripping station through a substantially hypocycloidal path;
• the winding station operable to wind the fabric web about one of the spindles;
• and
• an accumulator operable to accumulate a reserve portion of the web during movement of the spindles relative to the winding station, the accumulator is further operable to discharge the reserve portion of the fabric web to the winding station after another of the spindles is positioned at the winding station.

A system for producing a fabric roll, comprising:

• a turret having a plurality of spindles, the turret operable to intermittently move each of the plurality of spindles into a winding station, a tucking station, and a stripping station through a substantially hypocycloidal path;
• a feed station operable to provide a fabric web at a first feed rate;
• the winding station operable to receive the fabric web at a second feed rate and wind the fabric web about the spindles;
• and
• an accumulator operable to receive the fabric web from the feed station and transfer the fabric web to the winding station, the accumulator further operable to accumulate a reserve portion of the fabric web when the second feed rate is less than the first feed rate.

A method for producing coreless fabric rolls comprising:

• providing a fabric web to a winding station having a winding roller;
• rotating a turret having a plurality of spindles to dispose one of the spindles at the winding station;
• positioning a portion of the fabric web proximate a nip defined by the spindle and the winding roller;
• rotating the winding roller to wind the fabric web onto the spindle at the winding station to form a coreless fabric roll;
• separating the coreless fabric roll from the fabric web;
• and
• removing the coreless fabric roll from the spindle.