Abstract: An apparatus for the handling of shafts, particularly in the printing industry. A carriage will receive an assembly of a core of a paper roll with a shaft installed therein, at a receiving station. The carriage is moveable to a second position where the core is removed from the shaft by a transfer mechanism. A shaft retaining device will retain the shaft on the carriage during core removal. After the core has been removed, the same transfer mechanism will transfer the shaft into a core of a new roll positioned in the receiving station.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating interconnected stacks in a pack of multiple stacks. The pack is confined and an impact wheel is pivoted into the pack at the juncture of the interconnected stacks. The wheel is frusto-conically shaped and the impact of the wheel first breaks the interconnection and then lifts the edge of one of the stacks while a holding shoe on the other stack holds the mated side edge of that juncture. A pivotal spread bar engages individual stacks with the remainder of the pack being confined to complete separation of the interconnection. Conveyor means conveys the stacks towards a packaging machine.