Abstract: A method of precisely aligning and positioning a first portion of a first element with respect to a corresponding portion of a second element comprises the following steps: a) providing the first portion with a regular polygonal recess having N faces, a first circle with a given diameter being inscribed by said N faces of said polygonal recess; b) providing the corresponding portion of the second element with N freely rotating cylindrical rollers, said rollers being positioned in such a way as to be equally angularly spaced and inscribed in a second circle whose diameter is substantially equal to the diameter of the first circle; c) moving one of the elements with respect to the other in such a way as to introduce the N cylindrical rollers into said polygonal recess wherein each of the rollers substantially faces a corresponding vertex of the polygonal recess; and d) rotating one of said portions with respect to the other portion of said elements through an angle substantially equal to 180/N.degree.

Abstract: A system for precisely aligning two cantilever shafts has a regular polygonal recess having N substantially flat faces on a free end of a first shaft cooperating with N free-rotatable rollers regularly angularly spaced and supported on the free end of the other shaft. The diameter of the circle circumscribed about the rollers is equal to the diameter of the circle inscribed by the N faces of the regular polygonal recess in order to allow introduction of the rollers into the recess when the rollers are aligned with the vertices of the polygonal recess and respective angular rotation of 180/N.degree. between the two cantilever shafts provides precise alignment of the two cantilevered shafts.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for automatically unloading narrow rolls of web formed by a cutting machine while preserving the order in which the narrow rolls of web were formed. The apparatus includes a feed station, a winding station, a cutting station and an unloading station. The feed station distributes a sheet of product in strip form with a relatively large width to the cutting station in which the sheet is split so as to form several narrow strips of web. The winding station includes at least two winding mechanisms on each side of the sheet to wind each narrow strip of web onto a core. The winding shafts are movable from the winding station to the unloading station so that other winding shafts can be moved to and used in the winding station.