Chicago, Chicago

New Technology and Innovation sessions will be staged by in the AIMCAL Theatre on the show floor. These presentations will be given by selected exhibitors, both AIMCAL members and non members. Booth 2522.

AVT will introduce a version of the PrintVision/Jupiter automatic inspection system with new added value modules, and improved system detectability and ease of use. Add-on modules include the pRegister, IîEal, and Presco. The pRegister module for automatic registration control is said to bring up to 10 colours into perfect register in less than a minute, with substrate waste cut to less than 100m. The Presco module is for automatic plate and anilox pressure presetting and control. It sets plate and anilox pressure for up to 10 colours in less than three minutes, cutting material waste to less than 200m, the company states. The IîEal module provides in-line colour measurement and management tools that enable press operators to achieve required colours quickly and maintain them accurately throughout the printing run. Based on an SQL database, the PrintFlow is a quality report generating and management tool that collects print quality data from the PrintVision platform. PrintFlow Manager delivers real-time quality information from all production machines equipped with PrintVision to the desktop computers of print managers, giving them full control over production quality. Booth 2934

Badger Plug will be promoting its range of roll suspension and protection products, including core plugs, endboards and sleeve plugs, pad plugs, tube closures and spool plugs, along with components for secure roll packaging and unitizing. The company promises competitive pricing and on-time delivery. Booth 1851.

Componex is an innovator in lightweight dead shaft idler roll technology with its patented Winertia product. This is claimed to run faster, smoother, cooler and with less whip, due to lighter weight and a novel 3D balancing process. Precise 3D balancing is achieved through the patented design of the inner tubing wall. According to Componex, this allows weights to be driven to the centre of the idler tube along built-in balancing lugs. This longitudinal balancing provides better performance and a longer life for the idlers, it claims. Booth 2736.

Davis-Standard's team of flexible packaging and converting experts will be available to discuss the company's range of cast film, blown film, extrusion coating, and liquid coating technology. This includes information about the Black Clawson Converting Machinery, Egan, ER-WE-PA and Davis-Standard product lines. A visual simulation showing the Killion inspection system, which automatically detects and classifies defects such as gels, contamination, black specks and pinholes in cast film, blown film, sheet and non wovens, will be seen on the booth. A special version of this system is available as a problem solving tool for use by film producers or for improving product quality for resin and chemical companies. Booth 807.

Dover Flexo Electronics will be displaying its web tension control, measurement and indication products for use by converters, process manufacturers and web printers. The company's product portfolio includes tension transducers, tension controllers, tension amplifiers and indicators, pneumatic brakes, and custom engineered systems. Booth 114.

Visitors to the Enercon booth will discover the new Plasma3 atmospheric plasma treatment system. The Plasma3 technology is said to have the ability to modify surfaces unresponsive to traditional treatment methods while completely eliminating backside treatment. It produces uniform plasma treatment that adds long lasting and “significantly enhanced” wettability, printability, and adhesion properties to the surface, the company states. It is suitable for most materials, including speciality films, wovens, and non wovens. Visitors interested in receiving a complimentary trial can visit Enercon's interactive corona treating exhibit to examine its electrode and ground roll designs. The 'hands-on' display will show a wide variety of ceramic and metal electrode configurations, with options for blown and cast film applications. Booth 1445.

Extrusion Dies Industries will introduce the Modular Coating System - a slot die coating station incorporating all components from idler roll to backing roll. It is said to eliminate “hours of set-up” in switching from roll to slot die coating and give users of conventional roll coating greater access to the advantages of slot die systems. The MCS is also said to fit in most commercial coating lines, enabling operators of roll coating systems to switch readily between roll and slot die coating or use slot die coating on a trial basis. EDI custom designs each system to meet user requirements and can supply it with an Ultracoat adjustable lip or Liberty fixed lip die. The MCS includes a fluid delivery system, an adjustable support for positioning the die lip with respect to the web, idler rolls, and a precision backing roll. The coating station is mounted on castors. Booth 1615.

Flexo Wash is to show visitors its “innovative and high quality cleaning equipment to satisfy the needs of flexo and gravure printers worldwide, contributing to an improved print quality, high productivity and a healthy environment”. The company's automatic anilox roll cleaners are designed to deep clean and restore anilox rolls or gravure cylinders of all sizes. Booth 1115.

INX International will feature its extensive range of multiple substrate inks, laminates and coatings. From retort to shrink films, folding cartons to bags, corrugated to tags and labels, the company offers products for converters' specific applications and processes. Booth 1751.

Highlighted on the Jennerjahn Machine booth will be the 120in wide JLS and 54in wide JJF automatic slitter rewinders. Both units provide fully automatic roll production for a variety of materials including paper, film, and tape. The autoloader system on the JJF automatically picks up a set of cores utilizing a pneumatic pick and place device. It can be easily adjusted to accommodate a variety of core widths. The shaftless rewind system on all Jennerjahn fully automatic slitter/rewinders is said to eliminate the need for rewind mandrels. Booth 737.

Full details of the SheetWizard sheeter will be available from MarquipWardUnited, and visits to a nearby installation will be available on a daily basis during the show. Developed to offer a flexible configuration, in its base form, the SheetWizard is said to be cost effective and versatile enough to suit a small converter, folding carton plant or commercial printer. When options such as automatic splicing, continuous running zero reject skid change, automatic set-up single or dual level slitting, and web cleaning are added, it can produce the output and quality required for very demanding applications. All of these options are said to have been proven already on the company's SheetPro and SheetRunner models. The SheetWizard machine also offers an optional extended cut-off length range: minimum length is 279mm and the maximum is 2,082mm. Booth 2940.

Maxcess International will showcase products from its Fife, Tidland and Magpowr ranges of web components and accessories for slitting, winding, guiding, inspection and tension control. Booth 421.

Maxson will debut the MDH sheeter with a dual position rollstand, as well as demonstrating its dual knife rotary sheeter. The rollstand can handle two rolls. Each position can lift a roll up to 2,134mm in diameter and up to 3,180kg in weight at speeds of up to 914m/min. The cutter's dual knife technology allows for heavy cutting loads on up to 1,000g/m² material while maintaining accuracies of within 0.015in on sheet lengths and requiring no squareness adjustment, it is claimed. Available in trim widths up to 1,651mm, the cutter's standard configuration allows for a 407-1,651mm cut-off, although extended lengths and shorter digital sizes can be accommodated. The delivery system has a reject gate to divert substandard material from the stacker and is said to run lightweight grades of paper as easily as board. An optional 'continuous run' feature permits the operator to offload piles from the stacker without stopping the machine or losing sheets. Booth 3027.

The Montalvo Corp will be showing its TNT-Series integrated web tension sensing roll, which features a sensitive strain gauge system coupled with a durable, high performance, lightweight aluminum tube. The TNT sensing roll is said to fit virtually any application. It features flexible mounting options, and is available in a wide variety of sizes and load ranges. Booth 1225.

Advanced UV curing and infra red drying systems for printers, converters, and industrial coaters worldwide are the speciality of Prime UV. These systems are said to be easily installed on both new presses and as retrofits on existing presses and machinery. The equipment is claimed to provide instant curing of UV inks, coatings and adhesives. Booth 2629.

Schiavi will be demonstrating its new EF 50 series flexo press for flexible materials in the show's new Flexible Packaging Technology Centre (see separate feature). The 1,450mm web width press has been sold to Canada's Belle-Pack Packaging, and will be installed at the plant in Markham, Ontario, after the show. Equipped with pneumatic self adapting doctor blades, carbon fibre mandrels for plates and anilox rolls, automatic unwind/rewind units and the latest press management system jointly developed by Schiavi and Registron Integrated, it will be producing live jobs each day. On booth 3052, opposite the Flexible Packaging Technology Centre, other Bobst Group companies will present a range of technology for printing and converting flexible materials. This will include the latest in gravure printing, and coating and laminating technology from Rotomec, in vacuum web coating and metallizing from General, and in slitting, rewinding and handling from Atlas and Titan. Booth 3052.

The Tidland Corp will demonstrate its Equalizer differential shafts. New for the show is a core-lock style differential shaft to suit 6in ID cores. “Converters can now choose the level of control that is necessary to produce quality rolls and deliver profit,” explains product manager Sean Craig. “Each shaft design allows converters to take a proactive approach to addressing issues that are specific to the materials their customers require.” The Equalizer Model D4 differential shaft is said to represent the latest technology for converting dust-free rolls with superior structure. Precise control of tension is claimed to allow converters to run ultra thin films. A two-row, 12-ball, torque activated core-lock design is also said to ensure equalized tension across any combination of roll widths. Booth 421.

Tilt-Lock will feature 'fingertip control' roll handling with its patented Tip Lift System. This lifts, turns and transports rolls, coil, or spool materials such as paper, film, or foil “at the push of a button”. A Tip Lift System can cut costs by speeding up production, reducing material damage and eliminating workers' compensation claims associated with roll handling, the company states. Models are available with lifting capacities ranging from 10 lb to one ton. Roll, coil, material, and spool handling equipment and accessories are also available, as well as a wide range of mechanical core chucks. Booth 502.

Vetaphone is to exhibit its new Corona-Plus surface treatment equipment for coating, printing and laminating applications. Treater station innovations include the Quick Change electrode, said to make maintenance and cleaning extremely easy. The TOU8 and TOW8 stations are a compact, open design for single or double sided treatment. They provide for easy thread-up and adjustment of air gap with a digital adjuster, and can both be fitted with the Quick Change cartridge. Booth 1406.