UNWINDING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UNWINDING A TIRE COMPONENT FROM A STOCK REEL AND FOR OUTPUTTING SAID TIRE COMPONENT IN A TRANSPORT DIRECTION

The invention relates to an unwinding system, an assembly and a method for unwinding a tire component from a stock reel and for outputting said tire component in a transport direction, wherein the unwinding system comprises a reel station, an output conveyor and a transfer device for transferring a leading end of the tire component from the reel station to said output conveyor, wherein the transfer device comprises a retaining member which is movable along a guide path between a pick-up position and a release position, wherein the retaining member comprises a retaining surface for releasably retaining the leading end of the tire component, wherein the transfer device further comprises an arm that is rotatable around the inverting axis for moving the retaining member along the guide path, wherein the retaining member is movable with respect to the arm in an extension direction perpendicular to the inverting axis.