Tips

One way to increase production and throughput and decrease waste is to utilize web accumulators at the unwind and/or rewind in your converting process. Accumulators allow you to store large amounts of web.

At the unwind, accumulators operate by storing the necessary amount of web to allow the machine to continue running while the machine operator makes the splice to a new, full master roll. The accumulator must be designed to store enough material for a splice to be made in a pre-determined amount of time. In other words, if it takes the machine operator one minute to make a splice, the accumulator must store one minute (plus some for a safety factor) worth of web.

Accumulators at the rewind location are similar, except they operate running empty. When a cut-over to an empty core is required, the accumulator fills with web allowing enough time for the cut-over to be made on the fly.

Use of web accumulators can allow you to run the machine continuously, eliminating stops for splices at the unwind and cut-overs at the rewind. Your production will increase; waste due to machine stops will be eliminated. When you consider lost production time during the course of a normal work day for machine stops, you can easily calculate return on investment when utilizing web accumulators.

Compound motion accumulators operate with two carriages (upper and lower) of idler rolls that move simultaneous up and down to accumulate web. This design has many advantages over other types of accumulator design. Compound motion accumulators are self threading for speedy web-up, they provide superior tension control and reduce the effects of gravity on the system.