By Bob Pasquale, senior vice president of technology, New Era Converting Machinery

When exploring the possibility of acquiring new coating and laminating assets, a specification should be generated to outline requirements. In this article, the information that typically is required by the equipment manufacturer to provide an appropriate quote will be addressed. Part 1 focused on the requirements that are directly related to coating, drying, cooling and laminating needs. Part 2 will look at the balance of the processing line, focusing on the web materials, tension control, unwinding and winding, guiding, web transport rolls, and drive and controls.

Editor’s Note: Part 1 of this series, which appeared in the 2025 Q3 issue, focused on the requirements that are directly related to coating, drying, cooling and laminating needs.

Web material specifications

When specifying a coating and laminating line, it is important to provide detailed information on each of the webs that are to be run on the equipment. For each material, it is important to indicate the following:

• Material type,
• Minimum and maximum web width,
• Minimum and maximum thickness,
• The relationship between the web width and web thickness,
• Which unwind the material will be handled on, and
• Web tension requirements. (This is not necessarily required for “standard” web materials but should be specified for any “special” webs, laminates and coated webs.)

Tension control

It is important to indicate the relationship between the web width and thickness for each material. This relationship can have a major impact on the design of the tension-control system, particularly when running multiple webs on the same machine. Let’s look at an example of the difference in calculating the system requirements when all the information isn’t available vs. when it is.

In the first example, partial information is provided about the materials being run, with the following being indicated:

• Web material: 0.5-2.0 mil PET and vinyl
• Web widths of 30 in. – 60 in.
• Using a typical web tension of 0.75 PLI/mil of thickness for PET and 0.25 PLI/mil of thickness for vinyl, the tension requirements can be calculated at:
  • Minimum: (0.5 mil) x (30 in.) x 0.25 PLI/mil = 3.75 lbs
  • Maximum: (2.0 mils) x (60 in.) x 0.75 PLI/mil = 90 lbs

Based on that information, the tension range is 3.75 to 90 lbs, which is a 24:1 ratio.

In the next example, the same materials are being run, but more details about the materials are provided, with the following being indicated:

• Web material: 0.5-1.0 mil PET and 1.0-2.0 mil vinyl
• 30 in. to 60 in.-wide PET, 45 in. to 60 in.-wide vinyl
• Using the same web tensions of 0.75 PLI/mil of thickness for PET and 0.25 PLI/mil of thickness for vinyl, the tension requirements are calculated at:
  • Minimum: (0.5 mil) x (30 in.) x 0.75 PLI/mil = 11.25 lbs
  • Maximum: (1.0 mils) x (60 in.) x 0.75 PLI/mil = 45 lbs

Based on this detailed information, the tension range now is 11.25 to 45 lbs, which is a 4:1 ratio.

These examples illustrate the importance of providing thorough information regarding the webs to be processed since there is a significant difference in the design and associated cost of the machine’s components when dealing with a 4:1 tension range vs. a 24:1 tension range.

When specifying a system, it is important to include the following tension-related information:

• Are there sections of the machine that require different tension ranges? (This typically is based on experience with running the same or similar products.)
• How can the tension differential be generated?
• Can a driven roll with a nip roll against it be used?
• Can both sides of the web be touched with pull rolls?

Unwinding and winding

There is a significant amount of information required to have Unwinds and Winders quoted to meet an end user’s requirements (see Figure 1). At a minimum, for each unwind and winder, one should answer these questions:

• What is the maximum material roll diameter?
• What is the weight of the maximum roll?
• What are the ID and OD of the cores that will be used?
• What is the length of the cores, and what is the relationship of the core length to the web width?
• Will the rolls be unwound/wound using shafts or is shaftless roll handling required?
• How will rolls of material and cores be loaded into and removed from the unwinds/winder, and are the roll/core handling equipment to be included with the machine?

In addition to those questions, for each Unwind, one should indicate:

• Will the unwind operate continuously, or will it stop to allow for roll changes?
  • If it stops for roll changes, will the process continue to run? If the process continues to run, how much time is needed to prepare the webs and make a splice?
• Will the rolls always be unwound in a single direction, or is the ability to unwind in both directions needed?
• What method is required to cut the web (razor, scissors, ruptured with knife, etc.)? This information is not required for “standard” web materials,
• How are the ends of the web held together (tape, sewn, welded, etc.)?
• Is a lap splice acceptable or is a butt splice required?
• If a lap splice is acceptable, is there a maximum tail (length of free web beyond the tape) that is allowable?
• Is a roll that stays close to the surface of the unwinding material required?

For the Winder, one should indicate:

• Will the winder operate continuously or stop to allow for roll changes?
  • If it stops for roll changes, will the process continue to run? If the process continues to run, how much time is needed to transfer the web to the new core?
• Will the rolls always be wound in a single direction (same side in), or is the ability to wind in both directions needed?
• What method is required to cut the web (razor, scissors, ruptured with knife, etc.)?
• How will the web be attached to the new core (tape, spray-on adhesive, staples, etc.)?
• Does the leading edge of the web need to be attached to the core or is a tail (length of unattached web) acceptable?
• Is a pack/pressure roll required?
• Is a roll that stays close to the surface of the winding material required?
• Is taper tension required?

Guiding

When specifying a coating and laminating line, it is important to provide detailed information on the guiding requirements. These details include:

• Where is guiding needed?
• Is edge guiding or center guiding required?
• How much correction is needed? (This typically is a function of the condition of the incoming material and rolls of web.)
• What guiding accuracy is desired?
• What type of guiding sensor works with the webs? (If there is no experience, testing may be required.)
• Are manually positioned sensors acceptable?

Web conveyance rolls

Of importance to the web handling in any coating and laminating line are the rolls used to convey the web through the system. Regarding these, the following information should be included in any specification:

• For Idler Rolls, Driven Rolls and Nip Rolls:
  • What are the preferred materials of construction?
  • What is the preferred surface coating and finish for the rolls?
  • Are there any material compatibility issues?
  • Are there any deflection requirements?
  • Are there any areas of the process where contact with a particular side of the web should be avoided?
  • Is there a minimum bend radius?
• For Spreader Rolls:
  • Are there any locations where they are required?
  • Is there a preferred type?

Drives and controls

An integrated drive and control system is an important component of any coating and laminating line, and there are several items that should be identified as part of the specification (see Figure 2). These include the following:

• Preferred component vendors,
• Types of and locations for operator interfaces,
• Location of the main drive panel,
• Special codes or requirements (This includes regulations, such as UL, CE and any internal specifications.), and
• Any requirements for a supervisory system, such as preferred platform, number of control points, number of recipes and where/how the data is to be stored.

Conclusion

In this two-part article, many of the primary requirements for specifying a coating and laminating line were covered. There are many other items not covered, including static control, web treatment, edge trim/slitting and gauging systems. For items such as these, it is important to provide as much information about the requirements as possible so that the equipment suppliers can provide a quote that aligns with the system’s needs. 

Bob Pasquale is one of the founders and original co-owners of New Era Converting Machinery, where he served as president for over 30 years. With the recent integration with IPCO, he has assumed a new roll as senior vice president of Technology. Bob has been in the web-converting machinery manufacturing business his entire life, working in his family’s business prior to graduating from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1985 with an engineering degree. Since graduation, he has worked in many areas of the business, including project management, project engineering, technical sales, director of manufacturing, director of engineering, new product development and director of operations. Bob holds multiple patents related to web processing and has been active in several trade associations, including ARC, where he currently serves as president on the Board of Directors and regularly delivers technical presentations. Bob can be reached at email: bob.pasquale@neweraconverting.com, www.neweraconverting.com.