November 1998 Issue
1998 Diecutter/Diemaker of the Year
Calling on half a century of experience and wisdom, Frank Clay helped shape the diecutting and diemaking industry. By Dawn Whalen The post-war era of the late 1940s offered endless job opportunities for millions of young men. Not many, however, even by the standards of the day, remained with their first employer, or in an industry that, at best, offered them only a job with no strings attached, but no promises either. Frank Clay was the exception—by choice. For nearly 50 years Clay spent his days, weeks and months growing relationships, building a prosperous diemaking operation and helping to ensure his chosen industry as
Static Controls Take Charge
Although it can't be eliminated, static charge build-up can be monitored, neutralized and otherwise controlled. By Stanley Weitz, President, Electro-Tech Systems Inc. Each of the vast number of substrates used in today's package printing and converting applications possesses the ability to produce static electricity when brought in contact with the very equipment used to convert it, making it extremely difficult to support increased printing speeds without sacrificing yields. Cause and effect Static electricity is caused by unbalanced molecules. Generally, static electricity occurs at a point where two surfaces touch each other or are separated from one another, throwing molecules out of their natural balance.
The Wind-Up and Pitch
Look to press suppliers' suggestions, as well as material and tension specs, to make the best unwind/rewind purchase. By Susan Friedman Why venture beyond the standard unwind/rewind system supplied with a press? For package printers, the mission is often to reach a loftier tier of efficiency, productivity or safety. 'Herb' Herbert, president of CTC International, says CTC frequently sells automatic winding equipment to converters seeking a higher level of press automation. "A printing press will always have an unwind and a rewind. But they are not always automatic, unless specified. What comes standard might be a single-arbor unwind and a single-arbor rewind that must
When Transfer Calls
With higher quality, enhanced software and lower prices, suppliers see simplified selection and usage for thermal transfer printers. By Susan Friedman Converters in the market for a thermal transfer printer should first consider how others in the field have put them to work. Thermal transfer printers' flexibility for on-demand, short runs has led some label converters to install them "as a service bureau capability," comments Gene Korzeniewski, manager, product development, Avery Dennison Printer Systems. Short-run, variable information jobs remain an applications cornerstone. "Because of its high per-label cost, thermal transfer is not the best choice for high-volume batch printing," affirms Reggie Twigg, marketing communications
