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Catbridge Machinery’s Technology and Innovations Reduce Downtime

Catbridge Machinery has developed a number of technological innovations and advances to maximize slitter rewinder productivity. A key to improving productivity is reducing downtime. This has been especially true in tape converting and other plants where narrow cuts, relatively small finished roll diameters and frequent job changes limit run times. To optimize performance, Catbridge has either eliminated or shortened downtime in several areas of slitter rewinder operations.

Reducing downtime starts with the unwind process. Catbridge offers various two-position unwind configurations to allow rolls to be loaded while the machine is running. The configurations of these shaftless floor pick-up unwinds minimizes down time from roll changes and is beneficial particularly when orders are small and do not use an entire jumbo. Two-position configurations include two single position unwinds back to back, two single position unwinds in sequence and two single position unwinds in a drawer slide configuration. Splice tables are also conveniently located and designed for time savings when joining jumbo rolls.

Automatic knife positioning systems are important for lowering downtime. Catbridge offers patented shear, score and razor auto knife placement systems. These systems greatly reduce setup times while improving cut accuracy, consistency, and repeatability. The auto score system, for example, can precisely position up to 120 score knives within a few minutes, resulting in faster run times, more rolls per shift and more consistent roll dimensions and quality.

Other technology for increasing running time includes an effective, high-performance control system. The Catbridge advanced system, with a user-friendly interface, integrates all machine controls and provides recipe control, programmable tension and density, data logging and remote support. Automated roll unloading systems also help increase running time. Catbridge offers a wide variety of roll unloading systems such as roll discharge pushers and unloading trees.

Slitter rewinder design is also critical for reducing downtime, with turret winders offering the best productivity gains. The basic cantilever design allows faster core loading and faster finished roll discharge while eliminating shaft handling. Catbridge turrets are available in continuous, automatic, single or multi-shaft models and can be configured for center winding, center/ surface winding, minimum gap winding, or all three modes.

Catbridge has developed two main innovations for substantially improving turret productivity. The Catbridge roll enveloper saves time and reduces cost. This unique feature allows tapeless, glueless, no fold-over starts for both core and coreless winding. Furthermore, the enveloper significantly improves roll quality by eliminating the possibility of fold-over ridges mirroring through an entire roll. The enveloper includes a traversing shear or razor cut-off knife and an enveloping system that positions just the right amount of material around the new core, or the shaft when winding coreless. The innovative Catbridge tabber also helps increase turret run time by performing two functions in one. The tabber applies tape to the full web width to serve as both a tail tie for finished rolls and a core attachment for beginning new rolls.

Catbridge slitter rewinders are designed to eliminate as much downtime as possible, raising profitability and increasing efficiencies. Our turret winders, surface winders, duplex winders and single-shaft winders offer many time-saving features ranging from patented knife positioning systems to the unique roll enveloper and tabber. The turret design, ideal for small to medium sized rolls, offers an extra advantage in slitter rewinder productivity.