Spotlight on the States

A look across the Atlantic confirms that converting equipment manufacturers in the USA have not been idle on the innovation and development front. The Double E Co, for example, has introduced a ‘revolutionary’ large diameter reel spool shaft said to deliver exceptional value, as it is often less expensive yet stronger and stiffer than heavier metal alternatives.

A carbon fibre body, shrouded in aluminum to house the gripping strips, gives the new HCRS expanding shaft its strength. Claimed to be unique, this hybrid design allows large reel converters to wind larger rolls without increasing hoisting requirements (as the shaft itself is much lighter) or changing core diameters.

Also allowing higher critical speeds to increase machine throughput and minimise vibration, the shaft uses a ‘convenient’ dual-valve inflation system to ensure roll security.

Another new development – the Plasma4 surface treating system from Enercon Industries – in the company’s words ‘breaks through production and economical barriers with ecology in mind’.

The Plasma4 adds value to engineered films, wovens and nonwovens by cleaning, etching and functionalising surfaces. Enercon’s Atmospheric Plasma Technology Manager Rory Wolf says: “Early adopters are impressed with the foresight put into the design which eliminates many of the industry’s previous performance barriers”.

Outstanding features claimed for the Plasma4 include: high and long lasting treatment; ‘the industry’s most efficient use of gas chemistry’; no electrode breakage; automatic gap adjustment; and no ozone.

Mark Andy launched its latest Performance Series flexo press, the P5, at Labelexpo Americas in September, and 12 machines have already been sold to converters around the world, including Indonesia, Venezuela, Sweden and France as well as the USA.

According to Mark Andy, the new machine ‘confirms a new reality about short run printing - digital is not the only solution to be considered to maintain a competitive advantage in today's market’. The demonstration at Labelexpo showed key features that allow an operator to set up and change over four different print jobs in six minutes.

The Performance Series is said to be capable of profitably running jobs as short as 250m, as well as any longer runs. Its ‘innovative print platform’ has drastically reduced tools and operator steps while maintaining a high level of consistency, quality and repeatability, it is claimed.

"This new Performance Series is a game changer for the converters who aim to remain competitive today and into the future," states Jeff Feltz, Mark Andy’s Director of Product Management.

Another US company innovation is a range of sheet extrusion winding systems introduced by Processing Technologies International (PTi) to complement its extrusion systems. The new range includes cantilever, A-frame, turret and automatic winders - all supported by sheet accumulators featuring fully integrated pneumatic tension control.

“Market demand drove us to develop these winders,” explains President of PTi Dana Hanson. “Sheet producers are focusing more on turnkey solutions for their production requirements. We have developed several styles of winders to suit the different needs of our customers. For example, the automatic winder provides fully automated features including cut and transfer, shaft extraction, roll un-loading/core loading and roll weight measurement and recording.”

Several of the winders are capable of differential shaft winding, allowing for multiple webs on a single shaft.

“We have been very pleased by the response from the market,” states John Chalmers, Vice President of Business Development. “We’ve installed multiple units since their introduction with several others on order. Although initially developed solely to support our sheet extrusion systems, we’ve also decided to offer the winders/accumulators as stand-alone units.”

A ‘world first’ is claimed by Spartanics for its new M590 hot stamping machine. Said to be the first hot stamping system designed for finishing both secure and non-secure foil feature cards and similar printed products, it will run inline with the company’s M500 diecutting system or offline.

Said to be equally effective inline with laminators and/or diecutters with throughputs up to 540 hot stamps/min or as a stand-alone finishing machine for secure foil application, the M590 can do multiple stamps simultaneously (6-up and more). This compares with traditional machines that apply hot stamps one at a time.

Spartanics says the new machine can deliver a complete return-on-investment within a few months for high volume operations that gain the throughput advantages of 6-up hot stamping in multiple patterns.

The M590 system registers sheet or web materials in X, Y and/or Theta (rotation) and can be customised to specific applications. Each foil stamp is individually and automatically adjusted for pressure, flatness, temperature and dwell time.

Installations

While the equipment suppliers have been busy innovating, converters in the USA are looking to improve and expand their manufacturing capabilities by investing in new machinery.

For example, a new slitter rewinder line from Davis-Standard has helped GAF-Elk Corp, North America’s largest manufacturer of residential roofing, improve efficiencies and achieve savings. Designed for a maximum web width of 2,000mm and speeds of 305m/min, the line is being used for slitting and rewinding fibreglass non-woven mat products.

The ‘user-friendly’ rewinder offers recipe set-up and winding curves, shaftless floor pick-up unwind, a splice table with pull roll and score slitters, and an AB digital drive system. To simplify line operation, Davis-Standard customised a programmable PLC controller for GAF-Elk’s custom recipes and programmable rewind tension curves. A custom splice table system allows splices to be made without relaxing the winding tension.

In another investment, Sheets Unlimited in Renton, Washington, recently installed the first 112 inch Vanguard pressure roll singlefacer with preheaters, splicers and roll stands from MarquipWardUnited.

Claimed to be less expensive to operate than a belted singlefacer, the Vanguard is also said to provide precise flute formation and excellent bonding at high speeds on all product from microflute to heavy board. MarquipWardUnited can now supply a complete 112 inch corrugator with pressure roll type singlefacers.

According to Krist Leland, Director of Manufacturing at Sheets Unlimited, “The machine performed perfectly from the moment we hit the start button. Within five minutes, we had reached 600ft/min and within the first hour, more than 1,000ft/min.”

Another recent MarquipWardUnited installation was a SheetWizard sheeter at the Chicago facility of Case Paper. The 1,650mm machine, which has a 4-web running capability, to handle a wide range of paper and board products, replaced two older sheeters and removed the need to guillotine sheeted product.

McCracken Label Co, of Chicago, has purchased its fourth Aquaflex flexo press, an ELS (Electronic Line Shaft) 16.5 inch, 8-colour state-ofthe-art servo press, from PCMC.

The Aquaflex ELS is claimed to offer the best price and performance in a narrow web press, with ‘consistent non-stop production capabilities, excellent reliability and outstanding print quality’.

“We already own several Aquaflex presses which perform well for us,” comments John Coaker, owner of McCracken Label. “When we decided to diversify into film markets, the ELS was a perfect choice due to its superior registration and low waste capabilities.”

PCMC has also sold a Fusion flexo press to flexible film packaging company Temkin International of Payson, Utah. It will allow Temkin to increase production while significantly improving print performance and productivity for the company, whose customers include major floral, food and personal care businesses.

According to PCMC, the Fusion provides ‘new standards for environmental friendliness and operator simplicity’.