For Williams Paper, a St. Louis trade converter, the addition of a Maxson Model DFK 350 high-speed, dual rotary knife sheeter is part of a plan to fill the need for quality, precision sheeting within its geographical area. The family-owned business has secured a niche for itself by going the extra mile to provide small orders and special sizes of fine paper and industrial-grade board stock.
By investing in a sheeter with the latest technology, Williams Paper secured more high quality, value-added business. “Many of our customer are package printers who specialize in fine work,” says president Dick Williams. “They must follow strict guidelines for food packaging. This means the sheeted stock must be accurate, as well as free from dust or fiber.
Two Maxson Pivot Arm Roll Stands on the Model DFK/350 Sheeter allow Williams Paper to sheet narrow width rolls side by side or two rolls superimposed.
“We needed a sheeter that would satisfy our customers’ requirements for cut quality, accuracy, and pile quality. At the same time, we wanted to increase sheeter productivity by reducing set-up time and increasing operating speeds,” Williams adds.
The sheeter has, in fact, done that, he reports. “We get comments (from our customers) about the cleaner board off the dual rotary knife sheeter.”
The sheeter’s cutting section has two revolving knives that create a scissors-like cutting action. Its cyclic velocity drive provides an accuracy of +/- 0.015 in. (+/- 0.381 mm) regardless of sheet length, line speed, or caliper. Sheet length settings are keyed in via a computer station and can be completed in less than two minutes. “On our older sheeter, we had to switch out gears when changing the sheet length. The new sheeter speeds things along tremendously,” says Williams.
To optimize efficiency during roll changes, Williams Paper selected two shaftless, self-loading roll stands. “Having a second roll stand loaded and ready reduces downtime during a roll change. It also gives us the flexibility to sheet narrow-width rolls side by side, so that we can get full use of the sheeter’s width,” he says. The company can also sheet two rolls of lighter-caliper material superimposed to boost production without sacrificing cut quality.
The DFK has a PEN MAM dust collector that cleans the top and bottom of the sheet. An extending grid allows for continuous operation while off-loading material at the stack. According to Williams, “The grid system provides additional efficiencies that make frequent size changes and small order sizes more economically feasible.”
Williams says that, due to the sheeter’s high-speed precision, he is able to turn orders around in three days. While production off the sheeter varies depending on caliper and cutoff (the maximum is 1,200 fpm), on average the Maxson DFK sheets a truckload of material during an eight-hour shift. “Our best production figure to date is 23 tons sheeted during an eight-hour period,” notes Williams.
At Williams Paper, the Maxson DFK handles board calipers ranging from 0.008 in. to 0.032 in. The unit handles rolls up to
57 in. (1,448 mm) wide and offers a sheet-length range of
18 to 65 in. (457 to 1,651 mm).
Williams Paper has plans in the development stage to move to a larger facility, and the company has set a goal to double its business within the next 12 months. The Maxson DFK sheeter will obviously play an important role in those plans.
Reprinted from Converting, April 1995
