Types of Slitting Machine

Suppose you have a roll of any material that is too wide for the roll-fed procedures, like a laminator, printer, or die cutter. What would you do? Ideally, you should cut down on inventory and material costs. This can be achieved by purchasing medium-sized rolls and cutting them into the desired sizes. For this purpose, let's learn the different types of slitting machines.

What Is a Slitting Machine?

The machine responsible for roll cutting is termed a slitting machine, a slitter, or a slitter rewinder. Roll slitting is a shearing operation that cuts a huge roll of material into thinner rolls. The terminology for log slitting goes back to the times of sawmills when logs were being cut into smaller pieces. The sawmills were also used to cut iron rods into little portions. But in today's age, slitting is a procedure in which a coil of material is cut into smaller coils of lower widths. Slitting is an effective alternative to other procedures owing to the versatility of the materials and high productivity. Rewind slitting includes rewinding the material through a series of knives in order to make thinner rolls.

The Slitting Procedure

In a slitting machine, the three leading components are known as the rewind, the slitting section, and unwind. Slitter rewinders are usually employed to cut paper, plastic films, and metal foils. As for the unwind, it is usually a pause to maintain precise tension in the material. A few machines boast a driven unwind that decreases the influence of inertia during the unwinding of a tension-sensitive material or heavy rolls. Finally, the slitting section displays three primary components - razor slitting, crush cut slitting, and rotary shear slitting. Some options are included in the rewind section as well, but the primary category is center winding utilizing differential rewind shafts.

Types of Slitting Machines

Broadly speaking, two types of slitting machines exist in the market. These are known as slitter rewinders and roll slitters. Both are loosely termed slitting machines, serving some differences. Each type presents some perks based on the needs. Let's understand both machines.

Roll Slitters

This is called by different names, such as single knife roll slitters, log slitters, baloney slicers, and baloney cutters. Roll slitters utilize a fixed band blade or a wide circular blade to thoroughly cut through the roll of a flexible material. This slitting machine even cuts through the core of the material. The core of the majority of master rolls is 3". There is no need for the master roll to be unwound. It is possible to skip the lengthy process of arranging empty cores and slitting blades. Automatic models feature auto-cutting and positioning. Plus, these are PLC-controlled. These slitters can cut through varying materials, like PVC, foam, rubber, and vinyl.

Roll slitters are more useful than slitter rewinders due to their affordability, quick arrangement, and no need for pre-cut cores.

Slitter Rewinders

This slitting machine cuts the master roll into any preferred thickness roll. First, it unwinds the master roll, followed by passing the whole web into a set of slitters. Then, it rewinds the sections on a brand-new core. Slitter rewinders display an unwind for holding the master roll. The machine presents a multi-blade slitting station with flexible slitting heads. This allows the cutting of a wide material into the desired thickness.

Differential shafts are flexible to enable tension at the same shaft to balance from one slitting roll to another. This is particularly needed when material width differs throughout the web. Perks of this machine include the ability to cut a measured length and providing the best possible slit-edge standard.

Parts of a Slitting Machine

Slitting is accomplished on slitting lines, which includes 4 common components:

1. Pay-off or Uncoiler Reel: Firmly grasps the master coil on the internal diameter.
2. Slitter: Consists of 2 parallel arbors positioned by rotary cutting knives.
3. A Recoiler: Takes the slit coils at a driven, stretchable mandrel.
4. A Tensioning Unit: Mounted between the subsequent recoiler and the slitter to maintain even tension across the web.

Conclusion

It's clear why these slitting machines are so often used in industrial applications. With these tools, your business will move swiftly and efficiently, so give them a chance!