Web slitting apparatus

Claim 1

Web slitting apparatus comprising guide shafts located above and below a traveling web and fixed between a pair of machine frame elements for suspending a plurality of slitter unit support plates in upper and lower pairs for lateral movement across the width of said web, a slitter unit element fixedly attached to each support plate, a positioning means for each slitter unit support plate mounted between said machine frame elements adjacent to said guide shafts, and means attached to each of said slitter unit support plates for cooperating with said positioning means, the improvement comprising: (a) a separate connecting means between the positioning means for each pair of slitter unit support plates; (b) a separate clutch/brake unit for each pair of slitter unit support plates mounted on said machine frame; (c) individual connecting means between the separate clutch/brake units and paired slitter unit support plates; (d) a single driving means adapted to drive said slitter units through said clutch/brake units; (e) a common connecting means between said single driving means and each of said clutch/brake units; and, (f) a control means for selectively disengaging the brake and engaging the clutch of one or more of said clutch/brake units for individually or simultaneously driving one or more of said slitter unit positioning means to position said slitter units laterally of said web.