Situation:

The customer, RR Donnelley, had only a fixed cut-off length press. They required a variable cut-off feature to produce a wider range of products. A new press to do this costs $20 million. Instead, the plant manager decided to upgrade the existing press with electrical drives, and closed loop control with tension transducers for about $3 million.

Problem:

Tension transducers are required on sections of the press. Proper application, high response, and fine resolution is critical in order to meet performance requirements.

Solution:

CMC provided eight 1000 lb. and twenty 150 lb. Cartridge Transducers and fourteen Din Rail Amplifiers.

Result:

Customer made significant changes to existing press rollers based on CMC's recommendations. Incorporated carbon fiber rollers in main press sections and strengthened strut supports in ribbon sections. By incorporating these changes, RR Donnelly realized a significant improvement in load cell resolution and response which resulted in a significant improvement in overall performance of the closed-loop system.

Customer's Comments:

"The new closed-loop system allows us to pre-set different tensions for different types of paper. In the past, operators would have to constantly tweak the tension to make sure it was consistent with the preceding roll because paper characteristics change. With CMC transducers, we automatically and immediately bring the new roll in at the predetermined setting."

Read the complete article from Converting Magazine: An Old Press ( Motter Rotogravure ) Learns New Tricks or download it here.