A web splicing device for forming a continuous web of material from individual shorter strips which includes a rotatable reel-type strip carrier with multiple loading stations for receiving short strips to be spliced. The short strips are mounted or positioned in a flat condition axially along the reel at a loading station and the reel or carrier is then indexed to a second position where the strip is joint spliced for subsequent movement onto a web take-up reel. During movement of the reel the strip is automatically end trimmed on both ends and punched with an index hole. With the use of multiple strip loading stations on the reel, one strip may be spliced while a succeeding strip is being mounted on the film carrier. Once the strip has been cut, punched and joined, it is moved off the reel carrier automatically and the carrier again rotated and indexed for further loading and the succeeding strip is moved into splicing position. In a specific embodiment, customer film strips are removed from rolls and/or cartridges and placed and identified with the image-bearing side up at a loading station extending axially along the rotatable reel. The reel is then rotated to a second position where the strip is heat spliced while a second strip of film is loaded on another station on the reel with cutting and necessary punching being accomplished as the strip is moved by rotation of the reel. Once a film strip has been cut, punched and spliced, it is automatically moved out of the carrier and the reel again rotated to position a succeeding strip for treatment, making available another loading station for another strip of film. Thus, as the customer's film strip is being placed in the loading position on the rotatable reel, splicing is occurring at another position with the reel being locked until splicing is completed. The spliced strip is moved clear of the reel to become part of a larger roll of film being joined together to form a commercial processing roll, all being undertaken conveniently in a dark room.
The trailing end of a web of photosensitive material which is being unwound from a core in a cassette is connected to the core by an elongated strip. A monitoring device is placed adjacent the path of movement of the web from the core to the nip of two advancing rolls, and the monitoring device is activated as soon as it detects the strip. The motor for the advancing rolls is driven for an interval of time and at a speed such that, when the monitoring device detects the trailing end of the strip, the web is advanced through a predetermined distance to locate its trailing end at a splicing station where the trailing end of the web is to be spliced with the leader of a next-following web.
A photographic film splicer includes a supporting pad or platform on which ends of photographic film strips are supported, and a movable heat block which applies heat and pressure to a heat activated splice tape and the film ends. A heated die attached to the heat block and a plurality of spring-loaded pins supported by the platform apply heat and pressure to a portion of one of the film ends proximate the splice tape to deform a portion of the film strip. The deformed area of the film strip acts as a ramp proximate the splice tape which guides film strips over the interface of the splice tape and the film strip during operations in which the web of photographic film is cut into individual lengths and in which the individual lengths of film are stacked.
A photographic film splicer includes a supporting pad or platform on which ends of photographic film strips are supported, and a movable heat block which applies heat and pressure to a heat activated splice tape and the film ends. A heated die attached to the heat block and a plurality of spring-loaded pins supported by the platform apply heat and pressure to a portion of one of the film ends proximate the splice tape to deform a portion of the film strip. The deformed area of the film strip acts as a ramp proximate the splice tape which guides film strips over the interface of the splice tape and the film strip during operations in which the web of photographic film is cut into individual lengths and in which the individual lengths of film are stacked.
