Reel unwinder and unwinding method

An unwinder for unwinding reels of web material comprising:

• a first unwinding position, in which a first reel is positioned during at least a part of an unwinding cycle;
• a second unwinding position, to which said first reel is transferred when said first reel is to be replaced with a second reel;
• a stand-by position, in which said second reel is kept in stand-by;
• a first unwinding member associated with said stand-by position, adapted to start rotation of said second reel when the first reel is to be replaced with the second reel;
• a transfer member adapted to move between the first unwinding position and the second unwinding position for transferring the first reel from the first unwinding position to the second unwinding position;
• wherein a second unwinding member, comprising at least one endless flexible element, extends from the first unwinding position to the second unwinding position, and is adapted to maintain the first reel in contact with said second unwinding member and in rotation by said second unwinding member in said first unwinding position, in said second unwinding position and while said first reel is transferred from said first unwinding position to said second unwinding position;
• wherein said transfer member is adapted to move from the second unwinding position to an unloading position to release the first reel at an end of unwinding thereof, and wherein said at least one endless flexible element is guided around a plurality of guide rollers, wherein at least one of said plurality of guide rollers is motorized, and wherein said at least one of said plurality of guide rollers has a movable axis and is adapted to be lowered from an upper position to a lower position in said second unwinding position at the end of unwinding of said first reel providing passage of the transfer member from the second unwinding position to the unloading position.

A method for unwinding reels of web material and performing splicing between a tail of a first web material unwound from a first reel and a head of a second web material unwound from a second reel without stopping feed of the web material, comprising steps of:

• positioning the first reel in a first unwinding position;
• positioning the second reel in a stand-by position, in which a first unwinding member is arranged;
• unwinding the first web material from said first reel by a second unwinding member;
• before terminating unwinding of the first reel, transferring by a first transfer device said first reel from the first unwinding position toward a second unwinding position, maintaining said first reel in rotation by said second unwinding member and continuing to unwind said first web material;
• placing the second reel in rotation and transferring by a second transfer device the second reel from the stand-by position toward the first unwinding position while the second web material starts to unwind from the second reel;
• splicing a head of the second web material to a tail of the first web material.