High speed tape packing

In an apparatus for winding tape having opposite edges into an increasing tape pack about an axis of rotation, the improvement comprising in combination:

• an interwinding fluid film former coupled to said tape and through substantially each newly arriving winding of said tape for a number of turns at said tape pack;
• a reel flange spreader where said tape enters each newly arriving winding;
• a tape edge aligner at substantially each of said newly arriving windings of said tape and fluid film formed at said increasing tape pack for said number of turns;
• and
• a tape winding locker coupled to each leading turn of said number of turns.

In apparatus for winding tape having opposite edges into an increasing tape pack about a hub of a tape reel having an axis of rotation, the improvement comprising in combination:

• flexible reel flanges on opposite sides of said hub;
• an interwinding fluid film former coupled to said tape and through substantially each newly arriving winding of said tape for a number of turns at said tape pack;
• a reel flange spreader where said tape enters said reel during said winding;
• a tape edge aligner at substantially each of said newly arriving windings of said tape and fluid film formed at said increasing tape pack;
• and
• a tape winding locker coupled to each leading turn of said number of turns;
• wherein said tape edge aligner and tape winding locker include said flexible reel flanges and a continuous reel flange flexer coupled to said flexible reel flanges.

A pack of wound tape having perfectly co-planar tape edges at opposite radial sides of said pack, produced by a method comprising in combination:

• winding tape having opposite edges into an increasing tape pack about an axis of rotation at tape speeds in excess of three meters per second, wherein the tape enters the tape pack through a reel flange spreader during said winding;
• floating substantially each newly arriving winding of said tape on a fluid film on said increasing tape pack;
• and
• continuously aligning opposite edges of substantially each new winding of said tape for a number of turns with corresponding edges of substantially all preceding windings of tape in said increasing tape pack with the aid of said fluid film, while gradually diminishing increments of said fluid film between said turns to zero until each leading turn of said number of turns has become locked to a remainder of the tape pack.