Steve Katz, Editor03.21.16
Mike Stradiot, VP of sales and marketing at AirTrim, points out that the practice of rolling up matrix on an air shaft incurs a significant long term cost. “It requires stopping the press for each matrix removal application. This causes PSA label manufacturers to repeatedly lose valuable production time. In addition, traditional pneumatic rolled matrix often requires the press to operate at slower than designed speeds to ensure weaker matrix remains intact,” he says. “Finally, depending on the matrix fragility, PSA label manufacturers often need to purchase wider than needed web stock just to increase the strength of the matrix.”
Today’s matrix waste removal systems can automatically capture the matrix waste at the press or presses, cut it into manageable, little pieces and convey it to a compactor or baler while removing airborne dust particles. There are many advantages to investing in a matrix removal system, and they include increased press speeds and uptime, as well as costs and labor savings. The following is a review of some of the products and services from the industry’s matrix removal specialists.
Precision AirConvey (PAC)
Precision AirConvey (PAC), based in Newark, DE, USA, offers matrix waste removal systems designed to increase productivity, decrease downtime and lower material and labor costs. “PAC Matrix Waste Removal Systems capture matrix right at the press, shredding it and whisking it away pneumatically to a waste bin or baler,” explains Kevin Bock, PAC’s director of technical sales. “There is no reason to waste time and halt production time removing large, awkward rolls of matrix waste.”
According to Bock, matrix winding and inefficient matrix removal systems keep many companies from running their presses at higher speeds for fear of jams and tension breaks. “PAC Matrix Removal Systems keep up with higher speeds without windups or web breakage. The equipment also reduces workers comp claims resulting from repetitious heavy lifting,” he says.
For label converters, PAC’s EnviroPulse 14 system enables companies that deal with pressure sensitive materials to eliminate expensive system clogs and costly downtime. “Our oil mist lubrication system coats your system’s interior ductwork with a micro-thin layer of food-grade mineral oil which neutralizes the waste’s stickiness,” explains Bock. “This coating is critical for keeping the adhesive material from adhering to tubing or other system components.”
PAC also offers an innovative mister. “The EnviroPulse 14 uses a 100 psa atomizer at the infeed nozzle to produce such a fine mist that very little oil is required, thus saving money on oil costs,” Bock says. “Material costs are often a manufacturer’s highest cost factor. PAC Matrix Waste Removal Systems enable label manufacturers to save money on material costs by reducing the width of the waste removal to 1/8.”
PAC’s solutions are targeted to the narrow web and mid web markets, but the company is starting to make inroads into the wide web segment. And the company’s solutions are completely customized.
As part of its service offering, PAC provides a comprehensive, custom installation program. Explains Bock: “After a custom set of drawings has been designed for a customer, our installation teams are sent to the customer’s facility for implementation. Since our solutions can range anywhere from $5,000 up to sometimes $1 million, the sizes of our crews will vary depending on the scope and detail of the job. Our technicians take on the responsibility of tying our solution onto the customer’s production line. Our crew sources installation equipment, lift equipment, and any other tools needed to successfully install our equipment. Due to our customers having a wide national presence, as well as international, we will go anywhere in the world to service and install our equipment. We just recently wrapped up installations in Poland and Germany.”
Precision AirConvey feels so strongly that its Matrix Waste Removal solutions will increase productivity, decrease downtime, and lower material and labor costs, that the company guarantees a full return on investment in less than 12 months.
AirTrim
Springfield, OH-based AirTrim specializes in pneumatic conveying systems. The company offers the label industry a variety of equipment and components for the effective removal of PS matrix waste. “In addition to allowing presses to operate more hours per week, a matrix removal system can also allow faster press speeds and potentially reduce raw material costs,” says Stradiot.
If the matrix is being conveyed in continuous form, AirTrim’s patented Matrix Twister Removal System is designed to pneumatically convey PSA waste matrix and edge trim from a label press or diecutter to a compactor, baler, or dumpster. Stradiot explains, “The patented design ‘twists’ the matrix into a roped form for ease of conveying, reducing the amount of exposed adhesive by collapsing it onto itself. The more aggressive the adhesive, the better it sticks to itself and the easier it is to convey. A fine, food-grade silicone mist, introduced into the inlet of the system, ensures system performance.”
AirTrim recently introduced its “Move It Trim System” (MITS) line of portable waste trim collection units. Of special interest to label manufacturers are the MITS-MX portable units to chop and collect PSA matrix and edge trim from label presses. “These trim units are perfectly suited for two specific areas. First, they are ideal for smaller PSA label manufacturers that desire more production efficiency but often lack the funding resources for larger, central systems. Second, inexpensive weekly rental options are available to prove the technology on-site and/or validate a specific application,” Stradiot says.
The MITS units include controls, trim intakes, duct, fan, silencers, cutter and a dust filter all housed in a powder-coated steel cabinet. Two versions of this unit are available from AirTrim: With MITS-AIO-MX, the air/material separator is internally integrated. Or, with the MITS-CCF-MX, the air/material separator is supplied as a separate unit to allow more flexibility for location and sizing considerations.
“The highly portable and economical MITS-MX units are built around proven cutter technology that is designed specifically to cut the most aggressive adhesive found on label matrix,” Stradiot says. “In addition to allowing presses to operate more hours per week, these waste trim units also can allow faster press speeds and potentially reduce raw material costs.”
Matho
Matho is an Ellwangen, Germany-based supplier of matrix removal equipment, and the company has announced North American partnerships with both Gallus and Prati.
According to Mathias Thor, project manager, Matho’s cutting technology results in overall waste reduction. “Our equipment cuts the matrix into very small pieces, directly at the normal rewind position of a typical label printing machine. And extraction of irregular shaped matrix forms due to constant extraction tension from the transportation fan,” he says.
Matho’s most popular units for the label industry are the EM Modules (EM-160, EM-180 and EM-200). “The modules include all the necessary parts to take the matrix away from the production machine and to cut it as soon as possible – the intake funnel, piping silencer, cutter, stand, electrical control box, and an oil spray system that taregets the open and sticky side of the waste,” Thor says.
One of the company’s “storage” products is the Cuttopress CP-6000, a central extraction system with a compactor/press container as a storage solution. “Often we use already existing press containers or locally rented ones,” Thor says. “Another very popular system is our new Cuttopress CP-2000, a compact baler for up to three matrix machines.”
Matho’s installation process in North America involves Gallus, its partner for the region. “After all sales and negotiation activities, we have a project manager at Gallus Inc. in Philadelphia, who prepares the customers for installation. Then, after we ship the system, we usually install the EM-Modules next to the production machines, followed by the main pipe system to the main transportation fan. After that, we connect the transportation fan with the material separator which is located on top of a compactor, baler, etc. After all these processes, we connect all motors and start up the system followed by training of all press operators and production managers.”
BloApCo
Blower Application Company (BloApCo), based in Germantown, WI, USA, offers pneumatic trim removal technology to the label industry. Ric Johnson, sales manager, says that BloApCo’s machinery can achieve high production throughputs per hour due to the scrap material being conveyed to a common collection area, freeing the operator from having to repeatedly stop and remove the scrap matrix from the turret that is collecting the matrix. “Utilizing a common collection point creates more space around the converting machinery to allow the operator to easily monitor the matrix converting process,” Johnson says.
BloApCo offers trim cutters, trim handling fans, diverters and material separators. “The typical arrangement for our label customers involve a trim cutter, which cuts the matrix into separate pieces, and a trim handling fan. The fan provides the air movement to convey the matrix from the label converting machine/diecutter to the collection point – the baler, compactor or collection bin.”
According to Johnson, the main advantage of a centralized matrix removal system is the elimination of having to stop a production run to deal with the accumulation of matrix scrap at the label diecutter. “A pneumatic matrix removal system will transport the scrap to an area away from the diecutters and operators and will only need to be attended to once or twice a day,” he says.
BloApCo offers a broad selection of trim cutters and trim and material handling fans, thus allowing end users to match the appropriate cutter to their specific converting machinery and type of material (paper, film or foil). BloApco’s installation process involves the placement of the trim cutter and pickup tube relatively close to the converting machine (within 10-15 feet), connecting of ductwork from the converting machine, trim cutter and trim handling fan to the collection device (material separator, cyclone or drop-out box).