Cutting apparatus for continuous webs

Claim 1

Apparatus for cutting a plurality of webs of paper or the like simultaneously to form a succession of sheets, including support means for an equal plurality of supply reels of web to be cut, a pair of pull rollers for pulling web from the supply reels, a rotary knife disposed to receive all of the webs from the pull rollers, a mark sensor from each web arranged to emit a detection signal on sensing each register mark on the web, a knife sensor arranged to emit reference signals representing rotation of said knife, drive means for said pull rollers and said knife, modifying means for each web, and control means arranged to receive said detection signals from the mark sensors and said reference signals from the knife sensor and to derive from the detection signals from each mark sensor, by comparison with said reference signals, feed control signals for the respective web, said feed control signals being applied to said modifying means for modifying the rate of feed of each web to the knife means to maintain the detection signals from the mark sensors in the desired relationship to the reference signals from the knife sensor so that a desired constant sheet length is produced.