 |
|
The multiTOUCH-X roll stack. Image: battenfeld-cincinnati |
“The multiTOUCH rollstack has accompanied our show appearances at K for several years now,” says René Hartmann, Regional Sales Manager at battenfeld-cincinnati, introducing a key show exhibit, “and for good reason!” After all, every presentation of the special roll stack, which has long established as key component in the market for sheet production, brings an innovation into play. This year it is the combination with Axe-Crossing, or also called roll skewing, the oblique positioning of the first roller.
multiTOUCH-X combines the great advantage of the smoothing process, which among other things ensures a high-quality surface finish of the semi-finished product, with the production of particularly thin sheets. With this latest development, battenfeld-cincinnati has set itself the goal of enabling sheet manufacturers to produce PP sheetss under 200 µm and PET sheets under 150 µm. Additional components, such as air blades or vacuum boxes, are not used, so the typical reduction in in-line speed is unnecessary. With Axe Crossing, the first roller is positioned in a way that the roller axis can be adjusted, while the second roller remains unchanged. As the rotation axes no longer run parallel to each other, but are slightly offset, occuring roller deflection is compensated. The uniform gap across a large operating range allows the production of particularly thin sheets.
The well-known advantages of the multiTOUCH roll stack, which result from the process combination of two-roller roll stack for pre-calibration and three, five or seven rollers for post-calibration, are also unchanged in the production of thinner sheets. The long and continuous roller contact consistently cools the top and bottom of the sheet, equalizes thickness tolerances, reduces orientations and produces optimum flatness and transparency.
Even in its basic configuration, the multiTOUCH roll stack ensures minimal waste and therefore sustainable sheet production thanks to its high sheet qualities. With its thickness reduction and low raw material consumption, multiTOUCH -X goes one step further when it comes to conserving resources. The Axe-Crossing solution can not only be retrofitted to existing multiTOUCH roll stacks, but other solutions are also available for sustainable sheet production, such as for different thickness profiles across the sheet width (2 gauge sheet).
Of course, the roll stack is integrated into the intuitively operated UX battenfeld-cincinnati control system to monitor and control the process on the one hand, and to have the option of using smart additional options on the other. For example, easy-Start, the automatic start-up function and the automatic thickness change during production are all available. Simple operation and high reproducibility are guaranteed, as the company stresses.
