Selecting the Proper Web Handling Equipment – Part 1 of 5

The following is the first part in a series of 5 blogs that will go through a presentation given by New Era Converting Machinery’s Bob Pasquale at 2018 AIMCAL R2R Conference. The presentation is titled “Selecting the Proper Web Handling Equipment.”

Part 1 will offer an overview and introduction to the blog series. Part 2 will discuss uses, types, drives, and the selection of pull rolls. Part 3 will go through various considerations when selecting heating/cooling rolls. Part 4 will continue with a consideration of accumulators, their uses, and design considerations and features. Part 5 will wrap the series up, finishing with web turns and web flips, and then offer a brief Conclusion.

OVERVIEW

A key requirement of every web processing line is the ability to properly handle and convey the web among the various machine sections.

Though much time is typically spent focusing on the unwinding, winding, coating, drying, laminating and embossing sections, typically very little time is spent on the equipment sections that are required to allow for the proper handling and conveying of the web from section to section.

The proper handling and conveying of the web covers many areas including:

• assuring that proper web tension is provided and maintained into, out of and between the various equipment sections
• assuring that the web is provided to the next section and removed from the previous section at the proper speed/rate
• assuring that the web is delivered to the next section at the required temperature

Additionally, in certain web processing lines there is the need to change the orientation of the web, whether by:

• turning it at right angles to the main web direction
• inverting it during processing

In this presentation we will discuss the equipment that is required to allow for the above to occur.
We will break the equipment into four major categories which are:

• Pull Rolls
• Heating and Cooling Rolls
• Accumulators
• Web Turns and Web Flips

For each of the above equipment categories we will discuss:

• the need for it
• the uses of it
• the factors and considerations that go into the design and selection it
• the pros and cons associated with the selection

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*That concludes part 1 of our 5 part blog series, “Selecting the Proper Web Handling Equipment” – click here for part 2!