What's New in Narrow Web
- Published: September 30, 2004
Machinery, Accessories, Services, Materials
Adhesive Offers Quick Tack
MACtac, Stow, OH; 330/688-1111; mactac.com
PressGold 710VHP hot melt adhesive is designed to increase label converting and dispensing speeds. Said to provide the necessary quick tack and aggressive adhesion to stick to low-energy substrates such as HDPE and corrugated board. Adhesive can be converted wider (to 20 in.) than conventional hot melt adhesives, company adds.
Press Improvements Announced
Comco, a div. of Mark Andy, Milford, OH, USA; 513/248-8000; comcointl.com
Press improvements include new-style, high-efficiency air knives said to save energy costs and improve press speeds; a new auto register system in a retrofit package designed for the Commander Series printing press that has 41½2x faster correction rate and higher resolution; and a pneumatically controlled nip roll for the print station impression cylinders.
Electronic Ordering Expanded
Avery Dennison, Painesville, OH, USA; 440/358-4943; fasson.com
Company has collaborated with Tailored Solutions to simplify order entry and reduce material receiving time when purchasing Fasson-branded products. Narrow web converters now can take advantage of this collaboration by placing orders electronically via Fasson Connect utilizing the newest version of Label Traxx 4.0 software.
Rewind Very Thin Films
Gidue S.p.A, Turate, Italy; +39 02 9668181; gidue.com
The ATR automatic turret rewinder includes a dancer-operated tension controller, a slitter unit, a “Banana Roller,” a blade-cutting device, and a double-spindle rewinder on a rotating turret. Each spindle is servo-driven. Reel changes at 200 mpm are achieved with reel diameters to 1,000 mm possible. Allows cutting of very thin films as well as carton board to 450 gsm.
Facestock a Money Saver
ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Macedon, NY, USA; 800/334-7987; oppfilms.com
Label-Lyte 55 LLC-536 is the newest addition to the Label-Lyte facestock family. This topcoated, conformable product is positioned as a lower-cost alternative for semi-squeeze p-s applications on PE or PP containers. Said to offer high printability with conventional UV and water-based flexo printing, as well as excellent semi-squeeze performance with an MD modulus more than 20% lower than that of standard BOPP.
Shrink Label Films Offered
Klöckner Pentaplast, Gordonsville, VA, USA; 434/293-7718; kpfilms.com
Pentaprint OT M276/41 vinyl shrink label film has a frosty matte surface for full-body shrink sleeve label applications. Pentaprint 45-micron PETG films are designed for full-body shrink sleeve label, bottle capsule (cap seal), tamper-evident band, and multi-pack applications. Pentaprint AS8 (vinyl) and AS7 (PETG) are shrink label films that offer anti-static coatings for sleeve label, bottle capsule, tamper-evident band, and multi-pack applications.
Inspection Platform Is Enhanced
Arpeco, Mississauga, ON, Canada; 905/564-5150; arpeco.com
The latest edition of Tracker Premier, a platform for inspection slitting and rewinding, features productivity enhancements, advanced control systems, a touch-screen interface, electronic fault detection, and superior tension management systems, company says. Available in web widths of 13 and 16 in. with running speeds of 935 fpm.
Software Adds RFID Wizard
Tharo Systems, Brunswick, OH, USA; 330/273-4408; 800/878-6833; tharo.com
The newest version of Easylabel software has added an RFID Wizard. Currently supported printers are the RFID-enabled Zebra and Printronix thermal transfer label printers, with more printer drivers being added as other printer manufacturers add RFID capabilities to their printers. The Wizard offers support for EPC (Electronic Product Code) specifications.
Web Inspection Gets "Smarter"
BST Pro Mark, Elmhurst, IL, USA; 630/758-3112; bstpromark.com
The SUPER HANDYScan 3000 web inspection system, the sixth generation of the product, offers a range of “Smart” features, including an all-new user interface, variable picture-in-picture split screen, dual camera, UV viewing capabilities, and more.
Longer Anilox Roll Cleaner
Flexo Wash LLC, Louisville, KY, USA; 888/493-5396; flexowashus.com
A new version of the FW 991 anilox roll cleaner has the same benefits as the standard model, company says, but is 191½2 in. longer. It reportedly will clean both narrow and mid-web anilox rolls.
First Mac OSX Bar Code Verifier Launched
Axicon CodeMaster, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 513/871-6657; axicon.com
A Mac OSX version of traditionally PC-based bar code verifiers is available. Advances in firmware will enable all of the read-heads to work across numerous operating platforms, including Mac OSX, Windows CE, and Windows 95 or later. Connectivity with Mac is USB, while Windows connections can be either the Serial or USB ports.
Adding Coating Versatility
Davis-Standard Corp., Pawtucket, CT, USA; 860/599-1010; davis-standard.com
A horizontal three-roll stack offers a solution to processors of complex applications requiring low melt strength materials, such as polyester. The technology allows for casting, laminating, and sheet processes. The roll stack is available in a range of sizes from 12-30 in. Each roll is independently servo driven with precise roll dimensions and roll gaps available.
Poly Bags "On Demand"
Better Packages, Shelton, CT, USA; 203/925-2883; betterpackages.com
The Better Bagger 900e tabletop bagmaking system produces poly bags on-demand from ready-made rolls of poly tubing. The unit is recommended for the paper industry, where rolls of paper in various lengths are packaged in long, narrow poly bags. It can produce poly bags of 2-8 ml thick, from 2-8 in. wide, and 4-99 in. long. Multiple rolls of tubing can be run simultaneously for higher efficiency, eliminating the need for workers to measure and cut custom bags by hand.
Features Aid Inspection
Double E Co., West Bridgewater, MA, USA; 508/588-8099; doubleeusa.com
Video inspection system focusing on color fidelity and image quality features a camera equipped with a CMOS sensor offering 1.3 million pixel resolution and 24-bit color depth; a split-screen feature; 90-deg image rotation through four positions; and 6x or 10x motorized zoom.
Synthetic Paper Tamper-Evident
Arjobex America, Charlotte, NC, USA; 704/587-3000; polyart.com
Polyart TE synthetic paper combines the properties of company's expanded HDPE films and ultra-destructibility by delamination. Said to offer p-s converters a tamper-evident substrate well adapted to security labels. Once applied on packaging for which integrity must be guaranteed, the label delaminates if there is any attempt at removal, demonstrating that tampering has occurred. Reportedly, the substrate is durable, resistant to water, grease and chemicals, and offers temperature resistance from -76 to +140 deg F.
Dry Ink with Two Methods
Research Inc., Eden Prairie, MN, USA; 952/941-3300; researchinc.com
The Speed-Dri Model 3620 heater is an ink drying system said to provide instantaneous IR and convection technologies to dry ink printed on target areas to 1 in. wide. Very fast dry rates result from the use of both heat transfer modes, company adds, and model is designed for easy installation, low-cost operation, and minimal maintenance.
