Discovering the Correct Covering and Coating

Published: October 31, 2022

By William R. Bradley Jr., Vice President, Business Development, American Roller Company

For over 25 years I have had the honor to work with hundreds of companies and thousands of people optimizing roller coverings or coatings used in their process. Discovering the correct covering or coating for each customer is always exciting, and it usually starts with one area to improve. Generally, this area is the bottleneck for their manufacturing process responsible for product quality, line speed, and higher maintenance or downtime costs.

In these applications, the surface of one roller can present limitations many manufacturers are forced to accept, usually effecting the most critical parts of their process. Key factors include (but are not limited to) product adhesion, alignment, tension, static, and surface treatment. There are multiple ways to address these challenges, but often roller surface improvement in direct contact with the finished product brings the most benefits.

With applications requiring an elastomeric or rubber covering the stakes are raised, as this roller surface has limited life and performance vs, chrome, ceramics, or hardened steel. These coverings are vital for coating, laminating, embossing, or high nip applications to produce an optimal final product. Rubber coverings are temporary, and generally have a predictable lifespan unless a catastrophic event damages the surface (i.e., web wrap up, excessive pressure, etc.). Today’s latest technology in compound development is bringing new and exciting rubber covering options to the market, improving durability, chemical resistance, and electrical conductivity. Challenge your roll covering supplier on what new solutions do they have to offer? Do they formulate the coverings they supply in-house, or do they rely on an outsourced vendor for an off the shelf commodity product? How do they control their process insuring consistency with their coverings? All great questions to determine if you are using the best rubber roller surface for your critical application!

For more information, visit www.americanroller.com.