Web cleaning review

10 May 2012




Cleaner – and now greener

Contact cleaning pioneer Teknek reports “very positive customer feedback” from its recent introduction of what it claims is the world’s first oxydegradable clean machine adhesive roll. The UK-based company, part of the Illinois Tool Works group, has now phased out old stocks of adhesive film rolls and moved all future supplies to its EcoFilm version.

A key issue was that the contact cleaning process uses sheeted adhesive rolls to collect contamination. Once consumed these sheets have to be disposed of. After extensive research, Teknek developed the oxydegradable contact cleaning adhesive roll. It is said to retain all the benefits of the company’s Nanocleen+ adhesive roll (silicone-free, static dissipation, extra-wide format, slant cut) with the added advantage of being ‘green’. Moreover, there is no price differential between the old and new versions.

Ruaridh Nicolson, Teknek’s sales and marketing manager, says: “Customers have given a definite green light to the new EcoFilm product. They appreciate our efforts to help them comply with their environmental obligations. Our main challenge was to develop a film which lasts long enough to meet the process needs, yet will degrade easily when disposed of. We are constantly looking for ways of adding value to our customer offering through a process of continuous product innovation.”

Cost-effective and efficient cleaning

The CyanX-Stat sheet/web cleaner was developed to offer a cost-effective and efficient method of cleaning a static charged surface of a wide variety of debris. It is supplied in single unit modules, said to make installation simpler than fixed systems.

Available in lengths from 150mm to 2.5m effective width, the modules can be installed independently, to clean one side of a material, or juxtaposed to clean both sides. They can be offset or staggered to cover a wide substrate, and used in any position, both vertically and horizontally, and supplied left or right-handed. Custom-made sizes, either left or right-handed and for use on the top or bottom of a web can also be supplied.

Each module has two ionising bars situated at the front and back to ensure that any static charge is dissipated before surface debris reaches the vacuum slot, and that the material is cleaned and static free. To achieve the most effective cleaning, an air manifold situated between the ionising bars gently ‘scrubs’ the substrate surface to loosen any debris.

The manifold is adjustable to achieve optimum air direction. Its design is said to ensure that only the minimum amount of air is needed and the action of the air reduces the vacuum required to clean a surface.

The CyanX-Stat will remove debris ranging from anti set-off powder to much heavier particles, including perforations and board swarf.

Kelva claims ‘widest range’

The Cleanflow is Kelva’s “top of the line” non-contact system, claimed to cover the market’s widest range of web cleaning applications. Various models and designs are available, in widths from 30cm to 8m.

Using a combination of underpressure, blown air and ionisation, Cleanflow is said to leave a web “virtually free of dust”. Advantages of the system include no interference on web guiding or web tension; no contact damage on the web; low maintenance costs due to little wear and tear; and a compact design that enables integration into “practically any application”.

Extended range

PrintConcept Grafische Maschinen has had the European sales rights for Doyle sheet-fed and web cleaning systems for 15 years. These US-built multi-modular, direct contact systems are used mainly for offset, flexo and gravure printing, cleaning paper, cartonboard and corrugated board.

Last October, PrintConcept expanded its product range considerably by obtaining the exclusive European sales rights for Polymag Tek’s EcoClean contact web cleaning systems. The US manufacturer holds 18 patents for these systems, 1,250 of which have been installed since 1994. They can be used to clean labels, aluminium coated materials and sensitive substrates such as films and foils “efficiently and without risk of damage”.

EcoClean features oscillating elastomer rolls of pre-cut adhesive with a claimed continuous cleaning efficiency of 96%+ for particles as small as 50 micron, at web speeds up to 450m/min. Suitable for working widths up to 7,600mm, the system has applications in: narrow web flexo or offset; labels; paper or foil converting; slitting and winding; cross cutting; paper converting; coating and laminating; finishing; and screen and sheet printing.

Depending on the customer’s requirements, PrintConcept can now decide which of its systems will be the most efficient for each application. In the case of very high demands on cleanliness, such as involving pharmaceuticals or food, more than one system can be combined in a DualClean configuration.

Jetstream is a ‘new approach’

Claimed to represent a new approach to web cleaning – “improving quality, reducing downtime and boosting profitability” – Baldwin Technology’s Jetstream combines the latest in aerodynamic nozzle technology, web ionisation and brushes, all in one turnkey system.

The Jetstream features automatic splice detection and is available for use on web widths up to 4m. The system’s compact design is said to minimise the amount of space that is required for installation.

The Jetstream functions with a high velocity air flow that travels along the web surface through an aerodynamic nozzle and into the cleaning module, forcing dust particles into the module with it. An ionising bar positioned upstream of the cleaning module compensates static electricity, enabling the loose particles.

Simco all in one

Simco Nederland has introduced the Cleanion SE web cleaner, which is said to combine all the actions needed to remove particles down to 10 micron from a moving web. It uses a dust collector that also provides the air volume for the blowing section, so no additional compressed air is used.

The Cleanion SE is already in use for cleaning plastics films and cartonboard in food, medical and dairy applications.


Kelva's Cleanflow is said to leave a web “virtually free of dust” Cleanflow

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Cyanx
Kelva
Print Concept
Teknek
Baldwin Technology
Simco

Cleanflow Cleanflow


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