What maintenance issues should I be prepared to address after replacing my existing rotary cutterā€™s mechanical drive with an electronic dual drive system?

In older stationary bed knife (or ‘dead knife’)Ā  cutter designs a single motor drives the pull roll section and powers a second drive train to change the speed of the revolver relative to the speed of the draw drum.Ā  Typically mechanical designs such as expansion pulleys, change gears or gear boxes were used within the […]

How can I reduce slitter set up time on a sheeter?

Digital Readout for Slitter Set Up

A good first step – where possible – is to have your scheduling department arrange sheeter orders so you donā€™t have to reposition or introduce additional slitters each time for each production run. Most set up time associated with slitting is positioning the bottom rings.Ā  Here are some time saving tips: If there are popular […]

Is it possible to increase the speed of an older sheeter?

The short answer is yes – by changing the pulley ratio between the cutter motor and the main drive shaft. But there are several implications to making this change. Make sure that the rotating cylinders, particularly the draw drum and knife revolver, are dynamically balanced. Operating unbalanced components at higher speed will prematurely wear out […]

I have retrofitted an electronic drive onto my cutter to improve sheet length accuracy. Now I have problems with the drives faulting or tripping out. What can I do?

Modern AC frequency drives actually generate ā€œnoiseā€ ā€“ electrical harmonics and transients that can affect other electrical components. Maxson uses proven grounding methods to minimize noise associated with drives. Among the standard designs employed by Maxson in their dual motor drive retrofits: Inclusion of an isolation transformer between the main line and the electrical cabinet […]

Unlike my older equipment, my new sheeter has a dual motor drive system governing sheet length and a programmable logic controller that manages machine functions. When the sheeter shuts down, how can I troubleshoot the cause?

Actually it is a lot easier to troubleshoot a machine that is controlled with electronics. Most new sheeters have a programmable logic controller (PLC) governing the operations of the sheeter instead of relay logic. Typically a dual motor drive with two motors, two AC drive and a motion controller takes the place of the mechanical […]

How can I increase the productivity of my sheeter? There seems to be a lot of time when the sheeter is not running because the operators are getting and loading rolls, removing skids, and doing paperwork.

It starts with scheduling. Orders should be set up ahead of time so the rolls and skids are available for the job. Next, stage the rolls behind the sheeter so the operators are not waiting for them. An adequate number of skids should also be placed near the stacker so they are readily available to […]

What skill level should a sheeter operator possess?

An operator must be thoroughly familiar with how the machine works. Mechanical aptitude is helpful in learning this. The operator must also know the safety requirements for the machine. Training in the setup procedures is necessary. Experience in web handling is helpful.

When sheeting light weight paper grades, the sheets have a tendency to jam at the stacker. Even though we direct air at the back of the pile, the problem still persists. Are there other ways to overcome this problem?

Generally, jam ups at the pile are caused by sheet packets lacking sufficient rigidity that they buckle as they drop or are pushed out into the pile.Ā  There are a number of set up issues to consider depending on the type of jam up. Insufficient momentum to drive the sheets forward When there is not […]

On startup, when running two rolls of paper, I have difficulty with sheet hang backs in the first 6″ (150 mm) of the pile. I am not using a custom pallet. I am using standard skids. How can I overcome this situation?

If the hang backs are only in the first 6″ (150 mm) of the pile, my first conclusion might be that the material will not deliver with such a substantial drop off from the delivery section to the skid. Try to get whatever additional height can be gained by raising the side jog blades to […]