WEB SUPPORT WITH CASTERED AND GIMBALLED ROLLER

WEB SUPPORT WITH CASTERED AND GIMBALLED ROLLER Web support for engaging a fully constrained moving web, having a cylindrical roller which imposes no lateral constraint on the entering portion of the moving web and which angularly decouples the exiting portion of the moving web. An improved mounting mechanism dynamically supports the roller solely at its midpoint along a fixed shaft. A constraining member reduces the movement of the roller to rotation about the longitudinal axis, pivotal movement about a gimbal axis which is parallel to the plane of the entering web portion of the moving web and perpendicular to and intersects the longitudinal axis at the midpoint of the roller, pivotal movement about a castering axis which is substantially perpendicular to the plan of the entering web portion of the moving web and intersects the gimbal axis at a point upstream from the midpoint of the roller, and translational movement along the fixed shaft as required for pivotal movement about the castering axis.