Slitting news

First Filmatic goes Dutch

Windmöller and Hölscher has installed the first Filmatic T winder at a customer's plant in The Netherlands. The dual stacked turret winder with reverse winding capability made its debut at K 2001. It was originally developed for the US market, but will be of interest to the whole blown film industry.

The prototype is now in operation at Velsen Flexoplast, Wieringerwerf, a Dutch producer of flexible plastics packaging, serving the food and non food industries. Since early January, 2002, the first machine has been running at the company in conjunction with a three-layer Varex blown film extrusion line. Prior to installing the Filmatic T, Velsen used a competitor's winder, which could not maximize production on the extrusion line. "Our operators were dissatisfied and frustrated, because they were constantly asked why they didn't produce more than 5,000kg per day," says Michel Hoogeveen, Velsen's plant manager.

The company, which has a long standing relationship with W&H, decided to install the new turret winder. "It made sense to us when we saw it at W&H's plant during discussions for another extrusion system", he explains. "We use an in-line printing press with this production line, so it's especially important to have the capability to wind in either direction. And there seems to be an increasing demand for in-line printing directly at the blown film line; so when we ordered another three-layer Varex extrusion system from W&H, we immediately ordered another Filmatic T as well." The new line will be delivered later this year.

Demand from customers has resulted in a shift towards coex films with special characteristics and high film qualities, all of which demand reverse winding capability. "And this, of course, is an area where a manufacturer actually can achieve greater profits, much more so than in the mono-layer film arena," states Michel Hoogeveen.

Other economic advantages are claimed for the Filmatic T. Its compact design and small footprint require minimum plant space (the entire winder actually fits into one shipping container) and the initial purchase price is low, according to W&H. Adhesiveless transfer, easy roll and shaft handling and multiple up slitting without bleed trim are said to make the winder an excellent solution for a number of high tech films.

"Our customers are very happy with our new capability," says Michel Hoogeveen. "I believe we made the right choice. W&H seems to have a solid know-how regarding everything involved with the entire extrusion process. I'm very impressed." The company's recent decision to purchase another Filmatic T confirms its satisfaction with the winder.

The Filmatic T is also offered as a retrofit for both W&H and other blown film lines.

More information from: Elisabeth Braumann, Windmöller & Hölscher - TEL: +49 54 81 14 2929.

Close control

One of Mario Cotta's latest slitting systems was sold to a French paper mill and installed on a Jagenberg rewinder, where it is cutting paperboard with a weight of 200-600g/m₂ at speeds of up to 1,000m/min. The width of material is 2,600mm.

The system's positioning is said to be accurate to within 0.15mm. It is fully automatic, using PLC and PC control, and the software can be directly updated through a phone line.

More information from: Clare Hogg - Simplex Turbulo - TEL: +44 (0)1264 860186.

Shafts save downtime

Field Packaging (Portsmouth) has installed another pair of Elite Cameron patented differential shafts on its Titan centre winder, used to process high quality, printed flexible packaging for the cigarette industry.

"Our customers' high demands mean that we have to produce very high quality, and consistently tensioned reels," explains Andrew Knatchbull, Fields' manufacturing manager. "Since the installation of the shafts, we have seen a large reduction in change-over times and hence overall downtime, together with a vast improvement in tension consistency, across the full machine width. This has reduced the percentage of reels we have to rewind by 80 per cent."

Steve Cording, Elite Cameron's sales director, comments: "As well as fitting the airshafts to our own slitters, we have retrofitted many to competitors' machines".

More information from: Tim Self, Elite Cameron - TEL: 01823 283411. EMAIL: tself@eliteconverting.com

Elsner rolls out improvements

Elsner Engineering has introduced the V-5-30 automatic rewinder to produce core or coreless consumer size retail rolls of a wide range of materials. It replaces the V-4-30 model, offering many new features to improve set-up, operation and productivity. Servo drive technology eliminates gear trains and precisely monitors, synchronizes and controls operations. Advanced PLC electronics continually monitor cut length, production speed, product characteristics and other operational parameters for claimed outstanding accuracy and delivered product quality.

The machine handles materials as diverse as tissue, kraft, glassine and acetate, freezer paper, waxed paper, shelving paper, mounted foil, non woven fabrics, and giftwrap. Cut length is adjustable from one metre to an infinite length which will fit in the maximum 89mm finished roll diameter. The unit will handle 305-762mm web widths. Finished consumer size rolls are delivered automatically at up to 50/min, or 18m/min.

Easy set-up is accomplished by a touchscreen operator interface which allows selection of operational parameters such as core or coreless rewinding, cut length and running speed. The PLC has a user friendly display for access to built-in settings for various substrates. It also provides a fault history and machine diagnostics.

An off-the-floor mill roll lift with automatic edge guided unwind is standard, as is an automatic tension control which constantly monitors the web. Options available include oversize roll capacity, precision perforation, and roll closure facilities. The machine can also be coupled to Elsner's shrink film overwrapper, to produce rolls ready for retail display.

More information from: David R Midgley, Elsner Engineering - TEL: +1 717 637 5991.

Daco picks Polygraphica

Daco Solutions, supplier of machinery for the label and converting industry, has appointed Polygraphica Equipment as its distributor. Mark Laurence, sales manager of the Polygraphica Label Division, reveals: "We have already taken orders for three slitter rewinders and have several interested parties in the Combi turret rewinder."

The three-spindle Daco Combi Turret is designed to run either off-line, using its integral unwind unit, or it can be positioned at the end of any rotary printing press, (no interlinking is required) for in-line finishing. One such unit installed at Columbia Print, in Bolton, is being used to produce labels with only two metres of material on each roll. Previously these were rewound on a slitter rewinder. John Holgate, Columbia's production director, states: "The Combi Turret is producing in one hour the same number of rolls as the slitter produced in an eight hour shift."

Due to the demanding nature of the job, the label being printed on a clear material and being irregular in shape, a camera system was fitted. It enables the turret to cut accurately between the labels, giving exactly 30 on every roll. With four cycles per minute, the operator simply loads the new cores and the rewound labels are automatically ejected.

More information from: Mark Laurence, Polygraphica - TEL: +44 (0)1924 200444.

Converting non wovens

Converting Solutions has supplied a 3.4m wide duplex centre surface slitter to Technical Textile Services, of Denton, UK, for conversion of a large range of coated and non coated non wovens products.

The type DCS-1000 slitter has an unwind roll capacity of 1,200mm, with rewind roll capacity of 1,000mm. It was supplied with a pneumatic crush cutting system, and dovetail mounted pneumatic crush cutting knives operated against a hardened anvil crush cutting drum roller. Features include automatic load cell tension control, automatic web guiding system, and MMI interface screen for production data, recipe storage, fault diagnostics, all settings and controls, and length counting.

An overhead dual speed off-loading system was also supplied by Consol.

More information from: Barry Taylor, Converting Solutions – TEL: +44 (0)1254 668856. EMAIL: barry@consol-uk.com

Latest by Bimec

Italian based supplier Bimec recently introduced the TCA range of duplex turret slitters. Several models are available, the main features being: unwinding of parent reels up to 1,000mm on shaftless unwind stands; rewinding of slit reels up to 450mm diameter on the model TCA/44 machine, and 600mm on the TCA/64; and a maximum speed of up to 450m/min.

Options include unwind and rewind located either on the same side of the machine or on opposite sides. All versions are claimed to feature easy operation to reduce downtime and make web setting much easier. Devices for quick and easy unloading of finished rolls are also available.

More information from: Bimec - FAX: +39 0331 235249.

Knives revitalized

Dienes Werke has modernized a Jagenberg Syncro AS16 cross cutter, built in 1977, belonging to the M-real paper factory in Hallein, Austria. At a maximum speed of 300m/min, cutting widths of 320mm have been achieved. Up to eight layers of paper with a total weight of 800g/m₂ can be processed.

The service lives of the top and bottom knives are said to have been increased almost ten-fold. A dramatic reduction in dust levels is also claimed. In addition, a fully automatic top and bottom knife adjustment mechanism has been installed that has enabled the machine downtime to be reduced by more than 70 per cent.

In another development, the Dienes Cutting Laboratory claims a world first with the high speed Type PSGDF high performance shear cut knife holder - it has been possible to simulate cutting speeds of up to 3,500m/min in the lab for the first time.

The PSGDF holder features a patented double axle guidance system to ensure accurate vertical lift with zero backlash. Exact adjustment of the shear angle is made possible by the use of special plates. Also patented by Dienes is a technique for regulating cutting forces that is independent of the cutting path. This enables adjustment of the knife engagement forces independent of material and speed.

More information from: Hugh Morris, Engelmann & Buckham - TEL: +44 (0)1420 82421.

Alpha advances flexibility

Flexibility is said to be a key feature of Alpha Converting's Alphatwin range of slitter rewinders. The standard machine offers rewind diameters of 600 or 800mm, and a host of options, while the Alphatwin Compact, which incorporates the same technology for smaller work at a lower price, can wind to 500mm diameter.

Alpha has also introduced an improved automatic knife setting system on the Alphatwin. Removable knife holders offer flexibility between different slitting systems, and improved reliability and maintenance. The company claims to have reduced the cost by 40 per cent. It has a typical setting time of 75s, asnd can be easily retrofitted.

More information from: Simon King, Alpha Converting - TEL: +44 (0)1767 692244. EMAIL: sales@alpha-converting.co.uk

Stopping static at speed

Running slitters at high speeds on certain materials can result in a large build-up of static on the material, causing a range of problems that lower productivity. Parkland International has incorporated Meech static eliminator systems into its slitters to avoid this.

Parkland founder Peter Kelly explains: "The Meech system has two major advantages. The first is that the bars can be fitted a fair distance from the reel, out of the operators' way and therefore enabling easy job changeover. The second is the ability to adjust the anti static levels of the system.

"Because our clients are changing materials frequently, the ability to apply the most appropriate static elimination regime to a particular process is important to optimize productivity. With such flexibility, we advise our clients to calibrate the system to suit the materials they use, then simply re-set the system when jobs are changed."

More information from: Sue Gray, Meech SCT - TEL: +44 (0)1993 706700. EMAIL: marketing@meech.co.uk

Costs driven down

ABB drives have helped UK based BPI Films cut the energy bill for its slitter by 66 per cent.

The BPI plant at Sevenoaks produces 13,000t of film a year for customers in the food and medical packaging industries. The company has a slitter which was operated using old hydraulic gears, with ABB motors but without encoders and drives. The gears proved inefficient and unreliable and were subject to breakdown, and therefore needed much maintenance.

BPI decided to replace the hydraulics with an ABB variable speed drive. The application uses two 75kW ACS 600 drives - one as the main drive to regulate the speed of the machine by driving a rubber covered roller, while the other drives the winder core shaft.

The main drive reduced the demand of the principal motor from 22A per phase to 7A per phase, a saving of 66 per cent. Even with the winder core shaft motor being driven, used to give extra torque when winding sticky materials, the overall energy saving is 33 per cent.

Using ABB winder software, the main drive takes signals from the winding machine, processes them and outputs a speed or torque signal. This keeps the motor running correctly and maintains tension in the material, taking account of the changing diameter of the reel.

More information from: Rodger Goodwin, ABB Automation Ltd - TEL: +44 (0)850 867974. EMAIL: rodger.goodwin@bg.abb.com

Gone to Greece

Faes Switzerland has delivered a Quadro 200 TTR slitter to Theodorou Automation SAICT, in Gerakas, Greece. The machine is equipped with a range of features and can convert ribbons on 1 and 0.5in cores.

More information from: Arnold Huber, Faes AG - TEL: +41 1 787 52 16. EMAIL: sme-ag@access.ch