Apparatus with rotatable arm for unwinding strands of material

1. An apparatus for unwinding a strand of material, the apparatus comprising:

a frame;

a first package unwind station and a second package unwind station mounted to the frame, wherein each of the first package unwind station and the second package unwind station comprises:

a rotatable arm that includes a base, a rotational axis at the base, and an arm distal end;

a downstream strand guide attached to the rotatable arm at a downstream strand guide attachment location that is spaced apart from the rotational axis, and proximate to the arm distal end, wherein the downstream strand guide is an open guide, and the downstream strand guide includes an outer surface with a groove;

a downstream strand guide reference plane oriented parallel to the groove, passing through a deepest part of the groove and substantially parallel with the rotational axis, with one side of the downstream strand guide reference plane defined as a first side, and another side of the downstream strand guide reference plane defined as a second side;

a first upstream strand guide attached to the rotatable arm at a first upstream strand guide attachment location, wherein the first upstream strand guide is disposed proximate to the downstream strand guide, the first upstream strand guide is an open guide, the first upstream strand guide has a first outer surface that is disposed on the first side of the downstream strand guide reference plane, and the first upstream strand guide has a curve that has a radius with respect to a first upstream strand guide centerline, and wherein the first upstream strand guide is static; and

a second upstream strand guide attached to the rotatable arm at a second upstream strand guide attachment location, wherein the second upstream strand guide is disposed proximate to the downstream strand guide, the second upstream strand guide is an open guide, the second upstream strand guide has a second outer surface that is disposed on the second side of the downstream strand guide reference plane, and the second upstream strand guide has a curve that has a radius with respect to a second upstream strand guide centerline, and wherein the second upstream strand guide is static;

wherein each of the upstream strand guide centerlines is substantially parallel to the downstream strand guide reference plane and substantially parallel to the rotational axis, and

wherein the first package unwind station is configured to receive a first package and the second unwind station is configured to receive a second package, each of the first package and the second package include a front end, and wherein the front end of the first package is angled with respect to the front end of the second package.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the arm is an unpowered arm.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the downstream strand guide is a dynamic guide.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the groove has a curve that has a radius with respect to a downstream strand guide centerline.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the downstream strand guide is a grooved wheel.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the downstream strand guide attachment location is disposed proximate to the arm distal end.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the upstream strand guides has an upstream strand guide proximal end attached to the rotatable arm and an upstream strand guide distal end that is free.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each of the upstream strand guides has an overall shape that is elongated from its proximal end to its distal end.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein each of the upstream strand guides has a cylindrical shape.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the upstream strand guide centerlines is completely parallel to the groove.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein all of the first upstream strand guide is disposed on the first side of the downstream strand guide reference plane and all of the second upstream strand guide is disposed on the second side of the downstream strand guide reference plane.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the downstream strand guide has a strand contact surface with an overall width and the first outer surface is spaced apart from the second outer surface by a distance that is less than or equal to the overall width.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, with respect to the downstream strand guide reference plane, the first upstream strand guide attachment location is symmetrical to the second upstream strand guide attachment location.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , including a ferrous material attached to the arm at a location that is proximate to the arm distal end.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the arm includes a counterbalance opposite from the arm distal end.

16. A method for unwinding a strand of material, the method comprising:

providing the apparatus of claim 1 ;

using the first package unwind station to unwind a first strand from the first package, in a clockwise direction with respect to the downstream infeed location; and

using the second package unwind station to unwind a second strand from the second package, in a counter-clockwise direction with respect to the downstream infeed location.