New Era Coating/Laminating Line At Work
- Published: October 16, 2017
PATERSON, NJ | At the ICE USA show in April 2017, New Era Converting Machinery showed a coating and laminating line that had been custom ordered for Polykote Corporation, Easton, PA, a line that is now up and running and is said to be meeting the expectations Polykote had for its new equipment. Polykote is a specialty coating company that focuses on unique customer applications using rod, slot-die, flexographic, and gravure application methods with both water-based coating, 100% solids coating, and other formulations. 
“We at Polykote take a lot of pride in quickly turning customer orders around,” says Nick Guzzo, business manager at Polykote. “Given the specialty nature of most of our customers’ applications, this can be a real challenge. The new line from New Era dramatically increases our line speed, upgrades our coating line software, allows for larger roll diameters, and improves our delivery capability, all of which helps our company continue to process challenging customer applications using unique formulations with world-class efficiency.”
The coating line is a purpose-built machine capable of running at 500 fpm under constant, closed loop tension control. The machine can handle 50-in.-dia input bundles at 60 in. wide, laminating two materials prior to windup. Featured is a specialty coating station, which is of modular design that will allow Polykote to change coating technologies in the future as their business grows. The flexibility of the line will also benefit Virtual Graphics, (https://www.virtualgraphicsllc.com) Polykote’s sister company. Virtual Graphics will produce its patented, leuco dye-free, direct thermal color material "RevealPrint," that delivers color without using ink or ribbons.
New Era, in helping Polykote through the process of both purchasing and starting up the machinery and equipment, focused not just on the coating machinery but also on updating the drives and controls.
New Era regional sales manager John Looser says, “This new machine will have much greater throughput than existing equipment. It is capable of running at higher speeds and wider web widths and takes advantage of the improved efficiency of running larger incoming and outgoing roll diameters. The operation is improved dramatically with the updated drive and control system; the ease and repeatability of setting and recalling operating parameters results in a high level of performance stability.”
In addition, the new coating and laminating line incorporates field devices with the latest technology, some of which are Bluetooth-accessible for calibration and data collection.
Polykote says the specialty applications that are its core competency require equipment that is equally capable of performing unique, custom tasks. The company says New Era worked with it in planning, designing, building, and installing the coating line, communicating every step of the way. The result reportedly was a smooth and worry-free installation and startup, with the new coating line meeting every expectation for speed, quality, and versatility.
“This represents a significant upgrade to our capabilities,” says Polykote president John Guzzo. “With New Era’s coating and laminating line, we have been able to enhance our productivity and helped to ensure that we continue to offer world-class cost-efficiency in the specialty coating market.”
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