The Wind-Up and Pitch

"Shaftless designs," he adds, "are the most expensive but offer the advantage of loading and unloading rolls directly from the floor. It is the preferred style for large diameter rolls or wider webs, however interest is growing for all applications."

Cantilever designs are best for "fairly narrow-web material," says Harold Sexson, sales manager for Aztech Machinery. "You can't cantilever much more than a couple of feet without building a larger cabinet to support the other side of the shaft. With narrow webs, cantilever designs are the cheaper option, but cantilever actually becomes the more expensive option for wide web when you add the cost of the supporting body."