Web Lines: Thinking About New Equipment?
A new year often brings new budgets and thoughts about new equipment. If you are lucky enough to be handed a project to buy new converting equipment,...
Get a Grip: Driving Your Web
In my October 2007 column, In Search of Tension Isolation, I myth-busted the belief that a high traction driven roller can completely isolate one tension...
In Search of Tension Isolation
In web handling, one of the myths told most frequently is that of the independent tension zone, protected from other tension zones by the protective powers of the tension isolation. Like most myths, we want to believe, but alas, scientific reason is the myth buster....
Baggy Webs: Part 4—Minimizing
What does minimizing a baggy web mean? Two things. First, we would like to minimize the level of bagginess in our webs. Second, we would like to minimize the waste associated with running the inevitable baggy web in our processes. To minimize the creation of baggy webs, we must take on their causes....
Going Thin
Thinner gauge materials impact both on operating costs and the environment. The difficulty with going thin is that problems such as wrinkling, air entrapment, and tension control, and various other problems typically associated with material profile perturbations, such as gauge band variations, can become magnified when processed on some types of slitter/rewinders and other converting machinery....
Cygnus Tension Control
See how MAGPOWR’s Cygnus Tension Control can reduce setup time and learn about the key benefits of a new closed loop tension control. ...
Baggy Webs: Part I Nightmares
This is the first of four columns on baggy webs, starting with understanding the problems they create. To most converters, the ideal web is one that is...
Twist & Shout
A wrinkle is the web’s equivalent of a shout—stop it, you’re hurting me! To avoid your web shouting at you, think about how to apply uniform tension across it....
Dancer Rollers: Trust but verify
In last month’s tension quiz, I gave out five points if your process had a calibrated tension transducer roller. Those of you with dancer rollers might have wondered why you didn’t get any points. Why am I “dissing” dancers?...
Web Tension: A Pop Quiz
Today's column is a pop quiz on web tensioning. Feel free to work as a team on the answers. If you score poorly, don't worry, but it's worth your while...
Upgrade the Old, Bring in the New!
Noven Pharmaceuticals may not be a household name, but the patented creation of this 500-employee company helped revolutionize the way people receive...
You’re Too Tense!
When planning to purchase tension controls, there is a lot for the converter to consider. "It’s not just as easy as buying brand X controller and throwing it on your system and away you go." Here are some of the important questions to consider....
Drawing Conclusions: Part 1
In planning the tension control for any web line, there are only three options: tension control, torque control, and draw control. Between any two rollers or rolls controlled by a motor, brake, or clutch, you have to select one of these three choices....
Why Tension?
Why is tensioning such a crucial first step? What are the benefits of a well-tensioned web? What is the right amount of tension for your product? Don’t slack off now...keep reading for these answers and more....
Mechanics of Tension Control, Part II
For this basic tutorial in the mechanics of web tension control, tension is defined as the force applied to a continuous web of material in the machine direction....
Web Tension 101
Typically, tension is measured in PLI (pounds per linear inch) in the US. If you know PLI and you want to know total tension applied to the web, multiply PLI times the width of the material in inches. If you know total pounds of tension applied to the web and you want to know PLI, divide the total pounds of tension across the web by the width of the web in inches....
High & Low
Winpak Technologies is a global packaging group that manufactures and distributes high quality machines and packaging materials for the food, beverage,...
Get More with Less
Brakes and clutches are yet more converting-process components affected by this “less is more” philosophy....
Pay Attention to Tension
Our web handling expert reveals the subtle secrets of the slitting/rewinding process....
Pillowing Puzzle
Creative thinking and a wrinkle remover from CAC resolve a perennial problem for Relizon Co....
Well Done Tension
I'm in love with a new gadget that makes cooking easier. It's the electronic temperature probe. These have been available for manufacturing applications...
Mapping Your Way to Better Tension Control
Web handling defects often can be traced back to a specific location in your web line. Web tension at that location is always a prime factor in understanding...
Harmonic System Gets Tension Under Control
Family-owned Capital Printing, based in Fairfield, NJ, serves its growing customer base the old-fashioned way, reports president and founder Vijay Patel:...
Over-Tensioned Webs and What to Do about Them
Webs are often tensioned beyond their elastic limit in specialty-type processes such as metallizing. Usually, the high tension is in a zone where web...
Tension Control
Reynolds' captive carton converting operation counts on reliable components from Montalvo to maintain its high-volume operation.
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