EQUIPMENT AIR SHAFTS

provide strong roll support

When dealing with plastic barrier film products, the key to success is to keep on rolling. Only a fraction of a millimeter thick, plastic barrier film is an enormous part of what keeps perishable foods affordable and safe to eat. Its non-porous surface and flexibility help to preserve the food industry's meat and cheese products. Any fresh meat or cheese product owes its shelf life to plastic barrier film's thin skin.

But producing the film is not inexpensive. Materials for the film can cost up to 7 dollars per pound, which is costly considering the huge bulk that the food industry uses daily. After the film is produced, it must be wound in rolls. To offset the high cost of doing business, such a process needs to be fast, be as maintenance free as possible and always be in operation. Machines that package this film must be able to run continuously to keep up with the demand and keep the costs down.

Macro Engineering has built its business on meeting the demand for such machines. The company specializes in manufacturing film winding machinery -- called "winders". Two of its most innovative products are its automatic surface winder and automatic turret winder which can wind materials into rolls measuring five feet in diameter and can roll at 3,000 feet per minute. The company sells its machinery to plastic film producers worldwide and has won the 1995 Canadian Export Award.

Arguably, one of the most important components of any winder is its air shaft. This piece supports the rolls, dictates the speed of the wind, and determines how often and by what procedure the roll is changed. Michael McAlear, Manager of Technical Services, said Macro Engineering has to consider many factors in choosing an air shaft provider. "The shafts need to be strong, versatile and easy to work with," McAlear stated. "We needed a company that could provide us with air shafts built to our own specifications that can respond to continuous speeds ranging, from ten feet per minute to speeds that are several hundred times that. The products have to be long lasting, yet affordable."

Whenever Macro Engineering selects air shafts for its equipment, they use those built by Nim-Cor, Inc. The company specializes in air shafts, air mechanical chucks, auto-locking safety chucks, bowed rolls, roll restorers and other web processing products. The air shafts allow strong roll support with virtually no mechanical vibration. The air shafts feature the patented Iso-Grip technology, a system of independent flanges which provide equalized pressure at all contact points in the roll's core. Its line of carbon fiber air shafts is built from lightweight composite materials that give the shafts the strength and stiffness of steels. These shafts are custom designed to suit specific application needs. The air shafts come in models such as: the large button lug type which is especially durable when used with PVC and conventional fiber cores; shafts with leaf segments that are perfect for thin-walled core or coreless rolls and square shaft models which securely grip wooden or metal square-bore cores pneumatically and eliminate clatter and vibration. The DGS-2300 is a winding differential air shaft that features quick change inserts for different core widths that accommodate plastic, paper or fiber cores. The CDS-4300 provides a dust-free environment by eliminating dust due to core abrasion.

McAlear outlines several reasons why Macro Engineering goes to Nim-Cor for their air shaft needs. First, Nim-Cor's shafts, which are constructed with steel, aluminum or Carbon Fiber (an advanced composite that offers the strength of steel with the lightweight of aluminum), are considered very strong for the film producing industry. Since film producers can wind a bigger roll on the stronger shafts, using Nim-Cor shafts means that film rolls don't need to be changed as often, saving on labor costs. Nim-Cor shafts also allow manufacturers to use longer rolls which can wind exponentially larger rolls of film in a shorter amount of time.

McAlear also pointed out how Nim-Cor works closely with Macro Engineering to design shafts to custom specifications. One of the most popular air shaft styles is the cantilevered air shaft. Available in both Iso-Grip and leaf type, the shaft is only connected on one end, cutting down the time it takes for roll changes, as well as the possibility of job-related accidents. Longevity is also a strong selling point, McAlear said, noting that Nim-Cor can plate their shafts with rustproof nickel, extending the life of the shaft.

Nim-Cor, Inc.

Canadian Industrial Equipment News August 2003

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