Roller Performance Workshop

Abstract:
The most fundamental element of any web handling or converting process is the roller. Whether driven or idling, each roller in a process has the opportunity to slip and scratch the web, leading to loss of control (either tension control or web guiding) or scratching and debris generation.

This workshop will present the process knowledge needed to design and maintain rollers to run in traction, without slip, and scratch-free. Good roller design and maintenance will also help your process by minimizing roller contributions to machine or crossweb tension variations.

Who will benefit from this workshop?

This workshop is directed towards technical employees of any level with a need to understand the fundamentals of roller design and performance. Though the seminar will include some engineering theory and equations, the workshop?s goal is to show how theory and experiment lead to practical solutions to common problems.

Seminar Outline
The workshop will aim for a 50-50 split between seminar and lab demonstration time. Seminar topics will include all the background needed to understand the lab demonstrations and more, including:

• Roller conveyance introduction; purpose of roller conveyance
• Physical properties important to roller conveyance
• Right angle rule of roller tracking
• Roller traction and factors influencing traction
• Traction measuring and prediction from roller and web properties
• Roller alignment methods, requirements, and specifications

Lab Demonstrations


Lab #1 - Measuring Roller Drag from Bearing and Inertia
Learn the simple techniques of roller spin up and spin down testing and how they can be used to calculate roller inertia and bearing drag at process speeds and tensions.

Lab #2 - Measuring Web-to-Roller Traction vs. Speed/Tension Conditions
See how the available web-roller traction decreases at higher speeds and lower tensions. Measure the effect on air lubrication and web-roller traction loss of surface roughness (either web or roller), roller grooving, and web porosity. See how roller misalignment or diameter variations affect traction loss.

Lab #3 - Measuring Roller Alignment
Learn the simple and advance methods to measure and maintain roller alignment. Demonstration will include machinist levels, dial indicators, tramming sticks, Pi tapes, and optical alignment techniques.

Lab #4 - Measuring and Calibrating Load Cell and Dancer Rollers
Learn how the feedback devices of closed-loop tension work and when to trust they are providing accurate tension measurement.

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