Automatic pilot

To maximise the performance of slitting and rewinding, speed is of course essential. But efficiency and avoidance of mistakes are equally crucial.

David Annoni, of Italian company Ghezzi & Annoni, says it is not just the speed of the slitter rewinder, but the speed of the whole production process that matters: one must complement the other. As a result, his company focuses not only on developing fully automated slitter rewinders, but on a fully automated production process. “There is no use having a Ferrari slitter rewinder that is too fast for the rest of the process: you would rather have a steady BMW at the end that can keep up,” he says.

The company is working on developing a box filler that will do just that. That’s why, in addition to fully automated machines such as the FA300 fully automatic slitter, Ghezzi & Annoni sells products such as the ATI 30 tape packaging machine, which works with box filling and automated palletising equipment to streamline the whole production process.

“This is the future of the converting industry,” says Mr Annoni.

In keeping with the automatic trend, Mike Attard of UK-based Eurograv says the development of fully automatic lathes has been a large step forward for slitters. He told Converting Today: “The minimum downtime and reduced operator tasks mean the machines can operate faster and longer and fit in more production cycles.” This includes products such as Italy-based FEBA’s 4L-400, which has a revolving turret fitted with four shafts. Two perform cutting operations while the other two can be loaded or unloaded. The machine is designed to allow a non-stop slitting cycle that saves both time and money, as well as improved accuracy.

“While all converting companies felt the pinch of the recession, this can’t put a stop to investment and innovation,” says Mr Attard, adding that for users price should not outweigh performance in purchasing policy, especially in the long term. Cycle times could become 35% quicker; there is no need for lubrication of the displacement system; and maintenance is less frequent.

An electromagnetic displacement system allows the machine to use sonar sensors to automatically position blades in relation to the external diameter of rolls undergoing slitting, and a laser beam automatically centres the blade. This process can happen regardless of how much material has been removed during grinding and polishing which, Mr Attard says, is essential to optimising the automatic blade axis angle. The system can be very flexible: 400 different slitting processes can be stored in electromagnetic displacement machines, and it can also incorporate a computer connection for production supervision and set-up, while a standard modem link allows immediate factory intervention.

With the demand amongst many converters shifting to rapid changeover times, Deacro (based in Canada) is developing both removable mandrel slitters (lift-out slitters) and cantilevered slitters. The cantilevered configuration entirely removes the need to handle the rewind mandrels. During operations, the rewind mandrels are fully supported, ensuring a vibration-free operation. When the rewinding operation is complete, pneumatic support arms are lowered, and operators can simply slide the finished rolls off the open end of the rewind shafts. With Deacro's pneumatic roll stripping system and roll handling device, this procedure can be fully automated.

Speed and efficiency are key marketing points for equipment produced by USA based Jennerjahn Machines. The JJM-54 utility slitter rewinder features a top rider roll motor with programmable torque control; automatic roll starts with tail blowover and tuck; a single pre-set counter; a shafted unwind stand with dancer tension control; a pneumatic brake system, and an integrated end load hydraulic lift system for master rolls. The machine is designed to limit downtime and improve operator efficiency.

Focus on cost

Meanwhile, another American company, Elsner, has developed a quick-change blade cartridge that is now a standard feature in its Model ENR-1000 perforator rewinders. The new blade increases the perforation pattern changeovers, and changeover time is reduced significantly, according to the US Regional Sales Manager, Jay Roth.

“The feedback we have had from customers is that they are putting their focus on cost,” says Mr Roth, but not at the expense of efficiency. The introduction of the blade matches a growing customer demand for cost-effective options that are also energy efficient, particularly in the USA, where the recession has forced the converting industry to look for opportunities to cut costs.

These often require innovation – and AB Graphic International is one company that is showing the value of ‘thinking out of the box’. Its Omega VSR vertical slitter rewinder can be supplied with servo drive options for speeds of up to 400m/min. The machine can wind films and delicate substrates. As a new feature, the VSR will have a new 2K (2,000 pixel) camera inspection system. The company is also offering an Omega HSR high speed slitter/inspection rewinder, that deals with larger unwind/rewind diameters. The machine is designed for the same speeds as its VSR counterpart, up to 400m/min.

Concern with cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency to reduce environmental impact is also an issue. The Flexor 270C is offered by AB as an eco-friendly option for small to medium businesses. This diecutter-slitter is useful for low volume blank label production. The machine features crush cutting knives; a die cutting station; and a matrix take-up station, along with other standard options such as exchangeable air shafts, label and metre counters and end of roll sensors.

Meanwhile, Swedish company Grafotronic is promoting a semi-automatic turret rewinder range with web widths from 280, 380 and 440mm. The slitter uses a web guide from BST Servotechnik and a tension system to ensure quick production.

Another new development is from German company Rotocontrol, which revealed an RSP single pass 100% security inspection machine at Labelexpo Americas 2010. The small machine, taking up only 1.2 x 2.7m of floor space, is designed to ensure rigorous quality control. It features a vision system that provides 100% inspection of the web and stops the machine when a fault is detected, prior to slitting or other post-inspection operations. The faulty label is automatically placed on the inspection/splice table, where an operator can perform corrective actions. Once the fault is corrected, the web reverses and the corrected label passes under the vision system a second time, ensuring a 100% compliant product is passed to the next stage of production. These RSP machines are available in 340, 440 and 540mm web widths, with three distinct levels of compliance:

¦ Full Compliance mode, where a defective label must be corrected and re-inspected before the process can continue, and cannot be overridden by the operator;

¦ Controlled Compliance mode, where the operator can choose to re-inspect the corrected label with a single button push, or bypass the re-inspection system and accept a defective label after manually inspecting or correcting it; and

¦ High Speed Inspection mode, where the re-inspection capability is not used.

The company’s International Sales Manager, Ralph Beier, has just announced an installation in South Africa for the RSC slitter rewinder inspection machine, equipped with a Vision System from AVT. The order was placed through Rototec, the local distributor in South Africa for Rotocontrol.

Advanced Labels is a company specialising in pharmaceutical, home personal care, chemical, FMCG, 'peel read' and 'coupon' labels and is led by Richard Jones, Managing Director.

The Rotocontrol RSC series offers a full suite of standard features in an economical, compact, extremely robust machine designed to maximise operator efficiency. Standard features such as cartridge slitting system, vertical inspection zone, automatic tension control, S-Drive servo driven operation, job save and simple, functional controls mean more time producing labels and less time in set-up.

Tried and tested

Atlas Converting Equipment recently commissioned a Titan SR8 twin-shaft cantilever slitter at Plastic Packaging’s production facility in Hickory, North Carolina.

Plastic Packaging has two extensive manufacturing facilities employing around 200 people. Specialised converting is the main focus of its primary production facility in Hickory. Here, the company has extensive converting operations including prepress, printing, laminating, slitting and converting for a diverse range of flexible materials for packaging applications in bags, pouches, sleeve labels and other roll stock. Three state-of-the-art flexo presses, including a recent installation with smartGPS set-up technology, were installed at Plastic Packaging in Hickory by Fischer & Krecke, a Bobst Group sister company of Titan.

The capability of handling a wide variety of flexible materials at high production speeds was an essential part of the Titan SR8 slitter specification for Plastic Packaging. The 1,650mm wide Titan SR8 has a maximum rewind diameter of 800mm, running at production speeds of up to 600m/min, with a laser core positioning system providing a quick, accurate guide for the operator in positioning new rewind cores for re-starting the slitting process. Slit widths can be as narrow as 25mm, and the slitter also features an automatic knife positioning system.

The handling and unloading of the finished reels is also an important consideration. The SR8 is fitted with an automatic reel stripping system which enables the finished slit reels to be safely pushed off the rewind shafts and on to unloading booms.

“We installed our first Titan (SR5) slitter over 20 years ago and then added a second SR6 machine three years later, so we know how well the Titan machines perform,” explains Preston Bryant, VP of Operations at Plastic Packaging. “The SR8 slitter is impressive and we were able to see it in action before we made our final decision to purchase. That was enough to convince us it would be the perfect solution for our current slitting requirements, which it has proved to be. The machine is performing extremely well,” he confirms.

The highly versatile SR8 slitter is the most successful in the Titan range and more than 200 machines are now in operation for many different converters worldwide.

Slitter success

It has been a busy summer at Interfilm’s facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Southern California, as the company’s operations team successfully completed two major initiatives: the installation of a new high speed 80 inch Kampf Conslit II slitter followed by the plant receiving a ‘superior’ rating in an audit by AIB International of Manhattan, Kansas.

The new slitter continues Interfilm’s strategy of continuous improvement through investing in equipment and technology upgrades. This is the third Kampf slitter installed in the company’s plants in the past three years.

“Interfilm is committed to keeping pace with technology: as such, we have added six state-of-the-art high speed 80 inch slitters since 2004,” explains Cindy Simpler, Interfilm’s Senior Vice President of Operations.“The new equipment provides higher throughput, better roll build and improved safety, all of which enable excellent production and improved response to our customers.”

The company is also proud to annouce that on 18 August, the Rancho Cucamonga facility was audited based on AIB International’s requirements of the Consolidated Standards for Food Contact Packaging Facilities. The audit was conducted by Louis Stratford, Regional Director for AIB International, and resulted in the Rancho Cucamonga facility scoring 920 out of a possible 1,000 points: a ‘superior’ rating in the first scored audit for the California facility.

AIB International audits evaluate the entire production process from receipt of raw materials through shipment of finished goods.

Interfilm’s Greenville, South Carolina, facility was also rated Superior by AIB in July, making the California facility the second of four plants to be audited. The other two facilities in North Aurora, Illinois, and Glastonbury, Connecticut, will be audited later this year.

Interfilm’s specialty films division, Brushfoil, in Guilford, Connecticut, has been ISO-9001 certified since early 2007.

Rotocontrol’s small machine, taking up only 1.2 x 2.7m of floor space, is designed to ensure rigorous quality control. It features a vision system providing 100% inspection of the web and stops the machine when a fault is detected, prior to slitting or Rotocontrol The JJM-54 utility slitter rewinder features a top rider roll motor with programmable torque control; automatic roll starts with tail blow-over and tuck; a single preset counter; a shafted unwind stand with dancer tension control; a pneumatic brake systemJennerjahn Elsner Engineering’s RRW 1400 slitter rewinder is designed for giftwrap and film. It has an automatic core hopper and feed system, with a heavy duty servo driven rotary shear type cut-off knife and 3-station winding turrets. Elsner The Titan SR8 twin-shaft cantilever slitter rewinder has a maximum rewind diameter of 800mm, running at production speeds of up to 600m/min. Titan

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Interfilm
Rotocontrol
Elsner Engineering
Jennerjahn
Deacro
Grafotronic
AB Graphic
Eurograv
Ghezzi & Annoni
Atlas/Titan (Bobst)