Pivoting splice stitcher and method of stitching an angled splice

摘要

The invention provides a stitcher (10) and a method of stitching an angled or helical splice on a material mounted on a drum, the method comprising the steps of: rotating the drum at a constant speed (U), traversing a stitcher assembly at a constant velocity (V), wherein the stitcher assembly velocity is coordinated with the drum speed so that the stitcher engages the material along the angled or helical splice. The invention further provides a stitcher (10) having a roller (41) rotatably mounted to a support frame (20) having a longitudinal axis, wherein the roller is pivotally mounted to the support frame so that the roller can pivot about the longitudinal axis.