It's No Piece of Cake

It's not a simple two-step process, but many suppliers are offering slitter/rewinders that help converters simplify and manage all of their slitting/rewinding needs.

SLITTING/REWINDING IS an everyday aspect of the package-printing job, often taken for granted as a necessary evil. But, behind this mundane reality are technologies that can impact a company's bottom line. From heavy-duty knives to wide-diameter rewind rolls, there are multiple components to each slitter/rewinder machine. packagePRINTING spoke with several suppliers about this off-press component of the package-printing job and the machines that help make it possible.

Films, papers, and foils

With a wide array of substrates dominating the package-printing industry, converters need versatile slitter/rewinders that can handle the variety of substrates on which they are printing.

Aztech Machinery's (Scottsdale, Ariz.) BSR Sidewinder series is engineered for the label, printing, and converting industries. It comes in a web width range of 10-18˝, a 40˝ unwind diameter, and a 30˝ rewind diameter. It also reaches speeds up to 750 ft./min. Other features include a heavy-duty, cantilever-designed mainframe; a choice of rotary shear or razor slitting; a base unit slitting station with three blades of choice; electronic distance counter; and an ultrasonic web guide.

Valmet Converting (Charlotte, N.C.) offers converters its Titan SMLA series, a free-standing and semi-automatic narrow-width slitter/rewinder for films, papers, laminates, and label substrates. The one-person operational system features adjustable, reusable rewind characteristics, full observation, and accessible cutting station, and rewind shafts. The slit reel is unloadable in approximately 50 seconds, and roll changes are simple. The system includes Windows NT software with a touch-screen interface. Specific measurements include a rewind diameter of 800 mm, an unwind diameter of 1,000 mm, and a web width of 800 mm, with speeds up to 450 m/min.

The FSL series from HCI Converting Equipment Co. (Taichung, Taiwan) offers converters two economical slitter/rewinders (FSL-1000 and FSL-1300) for slitting/rewinding various papers, films, and printed materials. The FSL series features: steel upper and lower circular knives; horizontal swing-out unwind and rewind shafts for easy management by a single operator; a single winding rewind system that eliminates uneven material thickness; automatic tension control for accurate and consistent material tension from start to finish; and a centrally located control panel. Both models allow a maximum diameter of 400 mm, and are equipped with flat and circular knives.

Independent Machine Company (Fairfield, N.J.) has developed a new slitting and traverse winding system for narrow PSA coated material. The 12˝-wide system has a cantilevered unwind to 26˝ in diameter, an auto edge guide, programmable tension control, and slitter entry and exit "S" wrap pull rolls for tension isolation and draw control. The cantilevered Smartwinder-2000™ traverse winding can position and hold spools up to 5˝ wide and 8˝ OD, operating independently with computerized, adjustable servo-driven traverse. Smartwinder software allows each position to vary pitch, stroke length, and end dwell, with an independent closed-loop follower drive system controlling rewind tension accuracy. The system is easily expandable, with operator touchscreen recipe storage capability.

For papers and foils, Kuen Yuh Machinery Engineering Co. (Taichung, Taiwan) has developed the PSB Series, operating at speeds up to 160 m/min. with a rewind diameter of 600 mm and unwind diameter of 1,000 mm. It features auto tension control and auto line positioning on unwind, surface rewinding for large and tight rolls, razor blade and rotary knives, and DC main motor drive.

Pinnacle Converting Equipment, Inc. (Charlotte, N.C.) offers the Stamping Foil Slitter/Rewinder for applications involving the slitting and rewinding of hot-stamping foils. It features lightly controlled tension, 1-3˝ cores, razor slitting combination, and 600 fpm web speeds. Available in various widths, it provides easy operation with flexibility. It also eliminates fused edges, unused material width, and dependability on rerolling before slitting.

Simply slitting

When it comes to heavy-duty slitting, Burris Machine Company, Inc. (Hickory, N.C.) offers the Burris Heavy-Duty Profit-Master Slitter Model 100-HD, a mid-line model that offers speeds up to 1,500 fpm. The master roll has a diameter up to 36˝, a base width of 100˝, and a rewind diameter of up to 40˝. It also features a five hp inverter-duty motor/controller; 3˝ pay-off core chucks with 2˝ steel shaft; knife air manifold with shutoff valve; and a manual unwind screw adjustment web guide, to name a few.

Focus on rewind

Elsner Engineering Works, Inc. (Hanover, Pa.) has developed the Elsner Model ENR-760 Automatic Nonwoven Wipe Perforator Rewinder. It features a three-station rewind turret with optional shaft size for 1-3˝ ID rolls; a web width range of 12 to 30˝; a production rate of up to 15 rolls per minute or 850 feet per minute; and a 10˝ optional maximum rewind diameter. Plus, with the touch-screen operator interface and off-the-floor lift unwind system with automatic edge guide and tension control for 40˝ diameter roll on a 3˝ ID core, the ENR-760 rewinder is helping simplify the rewinding process for converters.

Stanford Products LLC (Salem, Ill.) has also released the Model 142 Jr. rewinder to its line of Doctor Machines®. Designed with the narrow-web market in mind, this model winds a range of products including light-gauge extensible films and pressure-sensitive label stock. It is available in single direction or reversible models with a web width up to 10˝ and unwind/rewind diameters to 24˝. With drive and control technology making it capable of running light tensions, the Model 142 Jr. also runs at speeds up to 1,500 fpm with rolls weighing up to 200 lbs. A two-motor AC vector drive system, touch-screen control, splice table, and optional video inspection are among its other features. Stanford Products offers a selection of slitter/ rewinder systems, as well.

Rewind capacity

Fabian Pesenti, sales manager for Matik North America/Goebel (West Hartford, Conn.) described converters as also "looking for slitter/rewinders with larger rewind capacity. This means larger diameter rolls and larger width rolls."

To meet this need, Matik North America, distributor for Goebel Schneid-und Wickelsysteme, offers the Goebel topslit, an unsupported simplex center drive system that meets a variety of winding requirements. It features a narrow slit and large diameter roll, high speeds, roll edge smoothness, and a splicing table. It has AC maintenance-free drives, as well. The digital control system allows machine setups to be saved and reused as needed for roll consistency. Goebel also offers a variety of slitter/rewinders for paper, cardboard, laminates, plastic films, foils, and related materials in widths from 30 to 415˝.

by Joy English, Assistant Editor