Closing the Loop

While sleeve adoption continues to gain ground across all packaging applications except corrugated, there are still limits to the payback. "Composite plastic sleeves are simply not as durable as steel cylinders, and some brands are easily damaged," explains Deamer. "Also, as we look at bigger presses, with more colors and web widths over 52˝, sleeves no longer have as great an ergonomic benefit. At that point, automated handling systems may be required as the sleeves become too heavy to handle manually."