APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SUPPLYING RUBBER SHEET MEMBER

To provide a sheet material supply device and a sheet material supply method which can efficiently supply a rubber sheet member wound in a roll shape in a compact space by suppressing a deviation in the width direction.SOLUTION: A conveying machine 5 is arranged above a holding machine 3, and a width direction position of a rubber sheet member S fed out from the holding machine 3 is detected by a sensor 11 at a prescribed position between a gripping position P1 set below the conveying machine 5 and a releasing position P2 set on the upstream side in the conveying direction above the conveying machine 5, the tip part Sf of the rubber sheet member S fed out from a holding machine 3 is gripped by a gripping machine 8 at the gripping position P1, and the gripping machine 8 is pivoted to the releasing position P2 as a turning center C at a position midway in the vertical direction between the gripping position P1 and the releasing position P2, and after the released tip part Sf is pressed against a mounting surface 6a of the conveying machine 5 by a pressing part 12, the rubber sheet member S successively fed out from the holding machine 3 is placed on the mounting surface 6a and conveyed to the downstream side in the conveying direction by the conveying machine 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7 【課題】ロール状に巻き取られているゴムシート部材を、幅方向のずれを抑制してコンパクトなスペースで効率よく供給できるシート材の供給装置および方法を提供する。【解決手段】保持機３の上方に搬送機５を配置し、搬送機５の下方に設定された把持位置Ｐ１と搬送機５の上方の搬送方向上流側に設定された解除位置Ｐ２の間の所定の位置で保持機３から繰り出されたゴムシート部材Ｓの幅方向位置をセンサ１１により検知しつつ、保持機３から繰り出されたゴムシート部材Ｓの先端部Ｓｆを把持位置Ｐ１で把持機８により把持し、把持位置Ｐ１と解除位置Ｐ２との上下方向中途の位置を旋回中心Ｃとして把持機８を解除位置Ｐ２まで旋回移動させて、把持解除された先端部Ｓｆを押え部１２により搬送機５の載置面６ａに押圧した後、保持機３から順次繰り出されたゴムシート部材Ｓを載置面６ａに載置して搬送機５により搬送方向下流側に搬送する。【選択図】図７