By Giancarlo Caimmi, Ph.D., commercial dir., Nordmeccanica USA Group Historical background My early days in an engineering department were spent in a flexographic printing-press factory. At the time, that company was one of the two largest in the world, and its products were distributed worldwide with our primary markets being North America, South America and Europe. That … [Read more...] about Converting-machinery operation: Addressing operator safety and achieving the “zero-touch” target
Web Handling
The transformative impact of “Digital Twin” technology in the packaging-material industry
By Iñaki Senar Zuñiga, paper converting sales director, MTorres In the ever-evolving landscape of the packaging-material industry, the advent of “Digital Twin” technology has ushered in a new era of efficiency and precision. By enabling “virtual behavior” testing of new substrates on equipment, this revolutionary technology has significantly reduced the reliance on real … [Read more...] about The transformative impact of “Digital Twin” technology in the packaging-material industry
Alignment for process owners: Part 2: When should alignment be done and how precisely?
By Joe Kotwis, P.Eng., co-founder, Webineering, LLC The job of a web-handling machine is relatively straightforward: Deliver the web from Point A to Point B at the specified quality, width and speed. Persistent web-equipment difficulties frequently center around issues with Rollers, Alignment and Tension (RAT). At this firm, we spend a lot of time preventing RAT infestations … [Read more...] about Alignment for process owners: Part 2: When should alignment be done and how precisely?
Image-based speed and length measurement method for roll-to-roll manufacturing
By Takayuki Uozumi, optical engineer, Canon, Inc. In roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing, accurate control of web speed is important for coating & laminating processes, and length management is critical for cutting processes. To measure speed and length, rotary encoders, which rely on physical contact with the surface of the products, are widely used in roll-to-roll … [Read more...] about Image-based speed and length measurement method for roll-to-roll manufacturing
Alignment for process owners: Part 1: Why alignment?
By Joe Kotwis, P.Eng., co-founder, Webineering, LLC The job of a web-handling machine is relatively straightforward: Deliver the web from Point A to Point B at the specified quality, width and speed. Persistent web-equipment difficulties frequently center around issues with Rollers, Alignment and Tension (RAT). At this firm, we spend a lot of time preventing RAT infestations … [Read more...] about Alignment for process owners: Part 1: Why alignment?