Infinitely variable diameter roller

摘要

A roller assembly for guiding webs and removing wrinkles includes an outer cylindrical surface that is supported on a shaft about which it can rotate. Portions of the outer diameter of the outer cylindrical surface can expand and contract radially using a radial expander that can move axially along the shaft. The radial expander has an increasing radius from a point closer to a central transverse axis of the roller assembly to a point further from the central transverse axis of the roller assembly so that the closer the radial expander is to the central transverse axis, the greater the radial expansion of the outer cylindrical surface.