Blown Film (December 01, 2003)

Winder enhances production flexibility at film manufacturer

When Bemis Associates (Shirley, MA) sought a new winder for one of its five cast film lines, it had a set of specific performance criteria in mind. The company specializes in the development and production of adhesive films for lamination and other applications. It runs mostly polyurethanes and some polyolefins and nylons, with products ranging from thin-gauge to heavy-gauge webs.

“A big consideration in selecting a winder was versatility,” says Steve Topper, plant engineer at Bemis. “We work with a wide range of webs. Having the right winder means we can handle all of the webs well on a single machine.”

Bemis specified an 84-in. wide model 1013S supplied by Battenfeld Gloucester. The unit is designed for flexibility. It can run PE sheet in multiple rolls at diameters of up to 42 in., and cling-film rolls up to 12 in. in diameter. The winder can run at speeds up to 1500 ft./min.

An innovative layon roll system eliminates changes in the web path during wind-up and indexing, and provides forward or reverse winding capabilities and a highly accurate gap wind. The linear layon roll — part of a multi-roll assembly set in a horizontal carriage that includes an idler and a bowed roll — is controlled by a force transducer to maintain roll pressure and gap accuracy, and improve winding quality.

Battenfeld Gloucester 978-281-1800