New Products for the Converting Industry, PFFC, June 2004
- Published: May 31, 2004
Machinery, Accessories, Services
Control with Modules
Dover Flexo Electronics, Rochester, NH; 603/332-6150; dfe.com
Updated version of the TensionManager control module is a DIN-rail mountable digital tension controller supported by a family of option modules. Modular concept reduces auxiliary equipment costs. Slim profile is said to optimize existing space and fit easily into a machine control panel.
Eliminate Static with Ion Knife
Exair Corp., Cincinnati, OH; 513/671-3322; exair.com
Super Ion Knife eliminates static electricity from paper, plastics, and other product surfaces where poor print quality, dust attraction, tearing, or jamming are problems. The 9-in. stock length is suited to standards of many common materials. Force can be adjusted from a “blast” to a “breeze.” Air consumption has been minimized to 3 scfm of compressed air at 5 psig for normal operation.
Web Coater Runs Thin Films
Applied Films, Longmont, CO; 303/774-3200; appliedfilms.com
The Smartweb sputter web coater focuses on flexible display applications such as LCDs, OLEDs, and TFTs. System is designed to be compatible with clean room production, has low particle generation, and is highly flexible for a variety of layer depositions, company reports. Allows for cleanroom compatibility and modularity.
Track Waste for Each Machine
RTC Technologies Racine, WI; 262/884-4488; rtctech.com
Version 5.0 of Scrap Trakker software combines data collection and administrative software with a hardware package utilizing touchscreen and bar code technologies. Said to enable users to collect corrugated and paperboard waste data faster and more accurately with fewer plant resources. New capabilities allow users to measure and report waste accurately for each converting machine.
Automate the Ink Supply Chain
Stork Prints, Boxmeer, The Netherlands; +31 6 55107558; storkprints.com
The IMS Logistic e-business platform fully automates the procurement, distribution, and manufacturing of ink throughout the supply chain. Windows-based management software package is installed at ink supplier and communicates electronically with dispensing systems located at the packaging or label printer and distribution centers. Manages remote inventory of customer's base inks and is said to provide ink supplier with instantaneous data about required deliveries.
Groove Feed Technology Is Flexible
Davis-Standard, Pawcatuck, CT; 860/599-1010; davis-standard.com
Company has developed its groove feed extruder line to support a wide range of applications, including blown film. Extruders, available in sizes of 2-6 in., 34:1 L/D, include a rear-resistant, unitized groove feed housing with a removable and replaceable groove feed bushing. Bushing is available in multiple groove designs for processing many materials.
Refurbished Rolls Are Like New
Webex, Neenah, WI; 920/729-6666; webexinc.com
Among its offerings, company refurbishes rolls to what it calls an “as new” condition. Full-service roll refurbishing and grinding services include journal repair; precision roll grinding; mirror superfinishing; and roll replating, refinishing, and recovering. Acid flushing of chill rolls also is provided.
Convey Paper with Safety
Fleetwood, Romeoville, IL; 630/759-6800; fleetinc.com
The Stranded Conveyor is a full-surface, plastic, modular belt system for corrugated and paper applications. Company says system allows direct contact with the paper without excess damage and provides a safe working environment for machine operators.
Get a Soft Start
Danfoss Drives, Loves Pk., IL; 800/432-6367; namc.danfoss.com
The MCD 200 Series soft starters are said to offer advanced heat dissipation, eliminating the need for extra ventilation or bypass connectors while simplifying installation and minimizing panel space requirements. Add-on modules provide additional capabilities, including serial communication and the ability to control and monitor motor performance remotely.
Choke Design Is Reliable
ABB, New Berlin, WI; 262/785-8542; abb-drives.com
Swinging choke reduces harmonics at partial load up to an additional 30%, compared to traditional choke designs, company reports. Provides increased inductance at reduced current. Said to lower costs and increase system reliability.
UV Cure with Added Features
Aetek UV Systems, Romeoville, IL; 630/226-4200; aetekuv.com
New features on the UVXL Universal UV curing system include modular, compact power supply; dedicated microprocessor control for simpler setup and operation; and upgraded shutter design making liners easier to change and improving heat rejection. Dichroic liners are available for special curing applications.
Turn Bubble Wrap into Pouches
Ronipal, Tel Aviv, Israel; +972-3-649-9546; ronipal.com
The Kangaroo automatic machine converts two- and three-layer bubble wrap into pouches. Pouch sizes run between 8 and 29 in., at any length, with or without adhesive tape for sealing, at a rate of 20-25 bags/min (depending on material kind and size).
PasteBoard for QuarkXPress
Markzware, Santa Ana, CA; 949/756-5100; markzware.com
PasteBoard Xtension, now for QuarkXPress 6, changes the width and height of the pasteboard. It allows user to adjust by value as well as by percentage, giving a wider range of options.
Update Your Tension Control
Converter Accessory Corp., Wind Gap, PA; 800/433-2413; handleyourweb.com
The company's newest RIC-2 ultrasound automatic tension control is called a cost-effective, labor-saving replacement option for manually controlled brakes, clutches, and drives, including “follower wheel” and “follower arm” mechanical systems. System senses diameter automatically, with a measurement interval range of 15-500 milliseconds, and maintains a consistent tension continually. Said to offer true linear output and to compensate automatically for out-of-round rolls via a measurement averaging feature.
It's a Cushion, It's a Carrier
Rogers Corp., Rogers, CT; 860/774-9605; rogerscorporation.com
R/bak S polyester-reinforced products double as plate carriers and cushions. According to company, mechanical or magnetic mounting hardware is attached easily by most conventional methods. Available in two thicknesses: SF (firm) and SS (soft).
Spool In-Line to Save Space
Amacoil, Aston, PA; 610/485-8300; amacoil.com
In-line spooler assists winding machine designers faced with space restrictions. Suited for times when it is not possible to position a spooler conventionally — in front of, behind, below, or above the take-up spool. Spooler is placed in-line with the motor and traverse drive, all on a single, case-hardened (RC 60) smooth shaft.
Guard Low-Risk Equipment
Scientific Technologies, Fremont, CA; 510/608-3400; 800/479-3658; sti.com
The MiniProtect MP2100 protective light curtain is said to provide reliable, cost-effective Type 2 guarding on equipment where low risk factors have been assessed. Control circuitry is housed in the transmitter and receiver. No separate control box is required.
Imposition Class Is On-Line
Dynagram, Quebec City, QC, Canada; 418/694-2080; dynagram.com
With StaffingTools.com, company offers an on-line training course for DynaStrip imposition software. Course teaches students to create various impositions, import source files, create and modify templates, and output files. Any computer with an Internet connection can be used to access the course.
Potentiometer Does Heavy Duty
Datatran Labs, Sussex, NJ; 845/856-4313; datatranlabs.com
A heavy-duty, high-precision, geared potentiometer is designed to provide dancer roll position feedback signals. Rated for 1 W and will provide better than 1% linearity with essentially infinite resolution, says company. Rated life expectancy, at full power, is more than 20 million complete cycles. More than 700 gear ratios are offered, ranging from 0.06-25 turns of the input shaft for full travel.
Expose Laser-Quality Plates
Lamp Express USA, Boca Raton, FL; 561/869-0442; lexusa.com
Company distributes the Theimer FlexoStar exposure system for flexo plates. Available in four sizes to accommodate most plate formats, unit uses only one lamp to expose a plate in a scanning motion. Flexo plates reportedly approach laser quality with equally good flank angles, deep reverses, and excellent dot reproduction. This, says company, is due to refined optical package, including reflector, lamp, and a special cooling system.
UV Curing Unit Is Portable
Prime UV, Carol Stream, IL; 630/681-2100; primeuv.com
The Easy Scan UV curing unit can be moved from press to press, reportedly increasing production speeds and throughput. Unit, which can be installed on any processing line to cure high-gloss UV coatings, inks, and adhesives, includes company's Elite Operator Interface.
Doctor Blade Cuts Roll Damage
Flexo Concepts, Plymouth, MA; 508/830-9606; flexoconcepts.com
Company offers a 0.020-in. polyester blade material designed to replace steel containment blades on chambered doctor blade systems. Said to outlast steel, nonmetallic containment blade also reduces the amount of steel particles in the ink system, particles that can damage anilox rolls, says manufacturer. Available for shipment in widths between 0.5 and 4 in.
Dry Inks Instantly
Research Inc., Eden Prairie, MN; 952/941-3300; researchinc.com
The Speed-Dri 5061 ink drying system is said to provide instantaneous IR and convection technologies to dry ink printed on target areas to 4 in. wide. Designed for easy installation, low-cost operation, and minimal maintenance.
New Direct Drive Technology Is Here
Danaher Motion, Wood Dale, IL; 866/316-8437; danahermotion.com
Company offers Kollmorgen cartridge DDR direct drive rotary servo motors, said to represent a new category of direct drive technology that combines the performance advantages of frameless direct drive motors with the easy installation of a full-frame motor. Price point reportedly is less than conventional direct drive technology. CE marked and UL listed for global application, motors feature pre-engineered components; an integrated, factory-aligned, high-resolution feedback device; and a bearing-less design said to facilitate “mount-and-run” operation in less than 30 min.
Coat Small Runs with Many Methods
RK Print Coat Instruments, Royston, Herts, UK; +44 (0) 1763-852187; rkprint.com
The Rotary Koater multi-tasking pilot printing, coating, and laminating machine is suited for small-scale production runs such as holograms, security labels, tapes, and medical products. Available as a single- or two-station machine, it coats by meter bar, gravure, reverse roll, air knife, slot die, size press, kiss, and more. Offers hot air drying, IR drying, or UV curing. Has wet or dry laminating capability and can print by flexo, gravure, gravure-offset, and rotary screen.
IR System Dries Efficiently
Radiant Energy Systems, Hawthorne, NJ; 800/486-7786; radiantenergy.com
The SFA IR air heater system dries coatings on micro-porous membrane films. Medium-wavelength system has rapid heat-up and cool-down abilities. System is said to dry efficiently but gently.
Mask with Orange Vinyl
Base-Line, Auburn, WA; 253/852-6681; 800/872-0075; base-line.com
Line of pre-ruled orange vinyl masking sheets now includes material for 29- and 30-in. presses. Especially suited for sheet-fed printers needing an archival-strength stripping base with same grid found on company's pre-ruled paper masking sheets. Company reports vinyl can be cut easily and used repeatedly in pin register systems with minimal register pin hole deformation.
Extrusion Die Cuts Costs
Diamond America Corp., Tallmadge, OH; 330/633-9959; diamondamericacorp.com
The Multiflow Cascade extrusion die is said to reduce costs for changing over materials. Design provides an identical shear history for all material processed, regardless of its position across the die, and is said to be well suited to shear-sensitive or low-viscosity materials.
Measure Low Levels of Dust
Land Instruments, Newtown, PA; 215/504-8000; 800/523-8989; landinst.com
Model 4500 Premier opacity monitor is capable of accurate, low-level dust measurement, company says. A dust measurement range of 0-10 mg/Nm3 is possible with an accuracy of ±0.5% opacity.
Manage Color with Accuracy
Creo, Burnaby, BC, Canada; 604/451-770; 800/685-9462; creo.com
The Mio Edition of Profile Wizard color management software is said to aid the creation of exceptional quality ICC profiles. Allows designers and prepress professionals to create color profiles for monitors and input or output devices for predictable, accurate color throughout the entire print workflow.
Analyze VOCs Quickly
GrafikAmerica, York, PA; 717/843-3183; nirainstruments.it
The NIRA Neptune solvent content analyzer reportedly offers precision results and absolute repeatability. Generates a report in 8 min from start to printout and is press-room explosion-proof. Standard calibration mixture can be introduced directly via syringe.
Control Winding System
Progressive Machine Co., Ringwood, NJ; 973/962-7700; progressivewinders.com
Model MS 102 provides programmable control in a dual-spindle, modular design that allows for multiple configurations of banks of up to 12 individual winding stations to be used in winding multiple strips simultaneously. Accu-Wind computer control system manages all machine functions and winding patterns into a closely supervised, controlled system.
Splice Many Grades of Paper
Adhesives Research, Glen Rock, PA; 717/235-7979; 800/445-6240; adhesivesreserach.com
Arclad 9519 is a high-performance, repulpable splicing tape. Red, single-faced tape offers aggressive tack for splicing various grades of paper, including coated and uncoated papers; fine, lightweight, bond, and specialty papers; and paperboard. Said to provide quick and easy application.
Keep Hazard Labels Safe
Hazard Label Advisories, Kalamazoo, MI; 269/342-0115; hazardlabel.com
The Haz-Com Caddy is called a second line of defense against “right-to-know” label obliteration from inks, oil, grease, and grime in the workplace. Reinforces employer intent to comply with OSHA Hazard Communication requirements. Unit is light, flat, and easy to move around on press top, company says.
Remote Service Offered via the Web
Heidelberg USA, Kennesaw, GA; 770/419-6500; 888/472-9655; us.heidelberg.com
Web-enabled remote service program for prepress products is designed to help company's customers increase uptime and equipment productivity while reducing operating expenses. Customers can connect to Expert Help Desk through access to a secure Service Internet Portal on the web. Features include real-time visibility; quick diagnosis; two-way desktop control or view; and two-way application sharing. Expert must first request permission and customer must grant it before any action can be performed.
Test Slip/Peel Economically
Imass, Accord, MA; 781/834-3063; imass.com
The Spec-1 slip/peel tester is described as an economically priced model designed to offer company's precision and quality but without some of the features of other models. Robust enough for use on coating and converting lines, model comes with a standard interface for PC that can load test data directly into Excel.
Dry Nonwovens Thoroughly
Glenro, Paterson, NJ; 973/279-5900; 800/922-0106; glenro.com
Through-air drying technology is said to be well suited for a wide range of air-permeable products such as nonwovens. Heated air is supplied to the interior of the dryer enclosure through a perforated plenum mounted above the product line. A suction plenum under the line mechanically pulls hot air through the product. Heat transfer is almost instantaneous and is throughout the thickness of the product, company says.
Measure a Wide Range
Electrophysics Corp., Fairfield, NJ; 973/882-0211; electrophysics.com
The EZTherm PRO IR camera is an ultra-high-performance thermography system said to offer superior image quality, wide measurement range, and intuitive user control. Features a flip-out, 3.8-in. LCD display that rotates to make overhead and floor level apparatus viewing comfortable.
Measure Thickness Easily
GEI Intl., Syracuse, NY; 315/463-9261; geionline.com
The BNS-0110 deep throat dial thickness gauge is said to measure the thickness of paper, card, and other sheet materials accurately in increments of one thousandth of an inch. No special skills are required to use the compact, hand-held gauge, company adds.
Control Quality of Your Proofs
GMG, Tuebingen, Germany; +49 (0) 7071 9 38 74-0; colorproof.de
The ProofControl quality control system is said to document proofs reliably and comprehensively in compliance with all industry standards. According to company, system provides complete control over the entire proofing process, detecting the slightest variation in color immediately.
Folder/Gluer Saves Time
Brandtjen & Kluge, St. Croix Falls, WI; 715/483-3265; 800/826-7320; kluge.biz
New features for the UniFold automatic folder/gluer include vacuum feeder segmented table to increase versatility in job setup; revolving fold roller position lock to save set-up time; hand wheel for vacuum feeder; and guarding for vertical buckle fold plate for added safety.
Mount and Proof Digitally
Leader Engineering, Toledo, OH; 419/536-1585; flexomounting.com
Highly automated, wide web (2,794-mm) Vision System offers hands-free digital mounting and proofing to complement the digital workflow for geared and gearless presses. Said to provide high accuracy, significantly reduce mounting time, and eliminate ink proofing. During mounting, register deviation is measured digitally and recorded to within ±0.0002 in. (5 microns) using state-of-the-art linear measuring devices and vision imaging technology.
Clean Anilox Rollers Gently
Flexo Wash, Louisville, KY; 502/297-8808; 888/493-5396
The FW Series anilox roller cleaning system offers “plug-n-play” automated technology for cleaning one, two, three, or six rolls simultaneously. Process is said to be quick and gentle. Will clean and restore rollers used with water-based, solvent-based, or UV inks with no change in solution or equipment settings.
Retrofit Rewinders Add Speed
Elsner Engineering Works, Hanover, PA; 717/637-5991; elsnereng.com
Retrofit program offers V-5 Series rewinder performance levels to users of V-4 Series built after 1973. Retrofit is generally at less than half the cost of a new machine, company says, adding upgrade offers increased speed and performance, plus easier setup and operation.
Sheet Continuously, Mark-Free
Körber Paperlink North America, Windsor, CT; 860/687-9911; kpl.net
The FS Pro folio-size sheeter from E.C.H. Will features a new kind of paper overlapping system said to allow mark-free sheet handling of paper and cardboard. Ensures continuous production via a waste-free, nonstop pallet change, increasing productivity by 10%, company reports.
Perforate Many Materials
Catbridge Machinery, Parsippany, NJ; 973/808-0029; catbridgemachinery.com
The CBM 185 advanced perforator offers infinitely variable cross-web perforations from 3-360 in. repeat. Able to process a wide range of materials, including nonwovens, films, foams, laminates, and caste bubble, system is available in widths to 120 in. It is designed to be integrated easily with other company systems or can be used as stand-alone unit in an existing line.
Print Variable Data with Ease
GRE Engineering, Steinebrunn, Switzerland; +41 71 474 7220
The VP8020 digital print engine from VIPColor is optimized to handle variable content with ease, says company, and is suited for high-mix print runs such as forms, labels, tags, direct mail pieces, and ID cards. Can address color-coding applications and picture coding for easy and accurate product recognition. Prints 600 × 1,800 dpi using 256 levels of gray for what is described as very good color and significant tonal depth.
Sheet Many Materials
Contech, Goddard, KS; 800/961-6449; contech-usa.com
The CompuSheeter II is said to be ideal for many materials, including paper, corrugated, foil, nonwovens, plastic, and more. Features a new variable-frequency vector drive. Standard is a 200-lb unwind; a tension brake with 3-in. cores; user-friendly PLC control system; and programmable length control for tolerances of ±1/16 in. Many options available.
Doctor Blade Has Long Life
Max Daetywler Corp., Huntersville, NC; 704/875-1200; daetwyler.com
The Duralife doctor blade for flexo printing features a hardened, coated blade with a thin, reduced tip said to make it possible to get longer blade life without sacrificing printing quality. Reported successful with highly abrasive inks, blade is well suited for long runs as it wears slowly and evenly. Designed to reduce score lines and protect the anilox roller.
