Have questions about roll handling, material handling, web handling, converting equipment, core chucks, shafts, safety chucks, tension control, rollers, winding or other manufacturing applications? Explore answers to common questions below or contact Double E Group for help with your specific application.
Converting is the process of transforming continuous materials into another form or finished product.
Processes can include unwinding, printing, coating, laminating, slitting, cutting, embossing, rewinding, and other operations performed on paper, film, foil, nonwovens, textiles, and other materials. Double E Group provides a wide range of converting and web handling equipment used throughout these processes.
A web is a continuous flexible material traveling through a manufacturing process. Paper, plastic film, foil, nonwovens, textiles, labels, and flexible packaging materials are common examples.
Web handling encompasses the equipment and engineering used to transport and control continuous flexible materials through manufacturing machinery.
Important factors include tension, traction, alignment, guiding, spreading, roller design, winding, unwinding, and the physical characteristics of the material.
Roll-to-roll manufacturing processes a continuous material from an unwind roll through one or more production operations before collecting it onto another roll.
Printing, coating, laminating, slitting, inspection, and other processes can all be incorporated into roll-to-roll production lines.
Double E Group provides a broad range of converting, web handling, and material handling products, including core chucks, core shafts, safety chucks, rollers, brakes, tension-control equipment, unwind and rewind solutions, slitting equipment, core cutters, roll handling equipment, shaft handling equipment, and other material handling solutions.
Double E products and material handling solutions are used across converting, flexible packaging, printing, labels, paper, film, foil, nonwovens, plastics, corrugated products, tissue, textiles, automotive, aerospace, food and pharmaceutical packaging, medical manufacturing, and other industrial applications.
No. While Double E Group has extensive expertise in web converting and roll-to-roll manufacturing, the company also provides material handling equipment for applications well beyond converting.
Solutions can be used to move, lift, rotate, position, transport, or manipulate rolls, shafts, carts, drums, reels, and other heavy materials and equipment.
Yes. When a standard product does not meet an application's requirements, equipment can be engineered around the customer's material, machinery, dimensions, loads, operating environment, production process, and other requirements. This is especially common with specialized roll handling, shaft handling, and material handling applications.
Yes. Existing drawings, dimensions, photographs, equipment specifications, manufacturer information, and part numbers can help identify a suitable replacement or alternative. Double E Group supplies replacement and application-specific shafts, chucks, rollers, brakes, tension controls, safety chucks, web guiding, spreading equipment, slitting equipment, or complete roll stands and processing modules.
Yes. You don't necessarily need to determine the exact product before contacting Double E Group.
Provide information about the material or load you are handling, your existing machinery, operating conditions, production goals, and the problem you are trying to solve. Double E Group can help determine the most appropriate solution. You can also browse Double E Group products or contact Double E Group to discuss the application.
The required information varies by product, but useful details may include:
The more information available about the application, the easier it is to identify or engineer the appropriate solution. Contact Double E Group to discuss your requirements.
Start with the application rather than the product. Explain what you need to move, support, wind, unwind, cut, control, lift, position, or improve.
Double E Group's engineering and application specialists can then evaluate the requirements and recommend a standard product, modification, or custom-engineered solution. Browse the Double E Group product range or contact the Double E Group team for assistance.
Powered roll movers allow operators to move large rolls without manually pushing the full weight of the load. The appropriate equipment depends on the roll weight and diameter, floor conditions, required maneuverability, and whether the roll needs to be moved across a flat floor or through floor transitions.
Double E Group offers a range of roll handling solutions and material handling equipment for applications ranging from relatively light loads to extremely large industrial rolls.
Specialized powered roll movers can move large rolls across a production floor without using a forklift. For applications that also require lifting, loading, rotating, or positioning the roll, a powered roll handler may be more appropriate.
A roll mover is primarily designed to move or push a roll across the floor. A roll handler can perform additional operations such as lifting, transporting, turning, loading, unloading, stacking, or positioning a roll.
Consider the maximum roll weight, diameter, width, core inside diameter, roll orientation, pickup method, required lifting height, floor conditions, available space, and how the roll must be positioned at its destination.
Providing this information allows Double E Group to recommend a standard roll handling product or develop a solution for a more specialized application.
Yes. Many roll handling systems can grip and support a roll through its core. This can be especially useful when contact with the outside surface of the material needs to be minimized. Double E Group offers both hoist-based roll handling systems and other roll handling configurations for different applications.
One option is to lift the roll through its core rather than gripping its outside surface. Core-engaging tooling can support and manipulate the roll while minimizing contact with the wound material.
The best method depends on the roll's weight, dimensions, core construction, material, and required movement. See Double E Group's roll handling equipment for available approaches.
Yes. Lift-and-turn roll handling equipment can pick up and rotate rolls between horizontal and vertical orientations for loading, palletizing, transporting, storage, or other production requirements.
Yes. Depending on the application, powered roll handling equipment can lift and precisely position a roll for loading onto a machine shaft. Specialized positioning features can make alignment easier and reduce the physical effort required from the operator. Double E Group's roll handling systems include solutions for machine loading and unloading.
A roll upender changes the orientation of a roll, typically between horizontal and vertical positions. Upenders can be useful when rolls arrive or are stored in one orientation but must be processed, packaged, or transported in another.
Yes. Roll dimensions, weights, production layouts, pickup points, machine clearances, and handling processes vary considerably between facilities. Custom tooling, lift heights, bases, controls, and other features can be incorporated into material handling equipment for specialized applications.
No. Material handling equipment can be used anywhere heavy or difficult-to-handle materials must be moved, lifted, positioned, rotated, loaded, or unloaded.
Applications can extend into automotive, aerospace, food and pharmaceutical packaging, medical manufacturing, warehousing, general manufacturing, and other industrial environments.
Yes. Dedicated shaft handling equipment is available for lifting, transporting, inserting, extracting, turning, and positioning shafts, reel spools, core plugs, and similar components.
Web wrinkles can result from several conditions, including uneven or improper tension, roller misalignment, web thickness variations, roller geometry, insufficient traction, material characteristics, and other machine conditions.
Determining where a wrinkle first begins to form is an important step in diagnosing the underlying problem. Double E Group offers several types of wrinkle removal and web spreading systems for converting applications.
The solution depends on the cause. Corrective measures may include improving roller alignment, adjusting tension, correcting traction problems, or adding an appropriate web spreading or anti-wrinkle device.
A spreading device should be selected based on the web material, width, speed, tension, and the nature of the wrinkle problem.
Web wandering can result from roller misalignment, uneven tension, material variations or camber, inadequate traction, and other machine conditions.
Web guiding equipment can correct lateral position, but the web path, rollers, and tension control should also be examined to determine whether another condition is causing the web to move.
Web breaks can result from excessive or inconsistent tension, defects in the material, damaged or improperly aligned rollers, abrupt speed changes, process problems, or other mechanical conditions.
Identifying where and under what conditions the break occurs can help isolate the cause. Evaluating the web tension control system and roller system can be part of the troubleshooting process.
Web slippage occurs when there is insufficient traction between the web and roller surface. Tension, wrap angle, roller surface, speed, contamination, and the material itself can all affect traction. The appropriate roller design and surface can therefore be an important part of the application.
Misaligned rollers can cause lateral forces within a moving web. These forces may contribute to wrinkles, tracking problems, uneven tension, and other web handling problems.
Maintaining proper alignment throughout the web path helps the material travel through the process predictably. Learn more about Double E Group's web handling rollers and technical information on live shaft vs. dead shaft rollers.
Proper tension keeps a moving web under control as it travels through a converting machine.
Poor or inconsistent tension can contribute to wrinkles, web wandering, registration errors, winding defects, slippage, and web breaks. A properly selected web tension control system helps maintain more consistent material tension through the process.
Web tension can be measured using load cells and associated tension-control equipment. The system measures the force exerted by the web and can provide feedback to a controller for monitoring or automatic tension adjustment. Double E Group provides web tension control systems and sensing components for converting applications.
A closed-loop tension system measures actual web tension and continuously compares it with the desired tension. The controller then adjusts a brake, clutch, drive, or other device to compensate for changes.
This allows the tension control system to respond automatically as operating conditions change.
Excessive tension can stretch or distort the web, increase the likelihood of breaks, and contribute to winding defects. Excessive rewind tension can also create excessive internal pressure within a finished roll.
Insufficient tension can allow the web to lose traction, wander, wrinkle, sag, or wind loosely. Proper tension measurement and control can help maintain more stable web behavior.
Taper tension gradually reduces winding tension as the diameter of a rewind roll increases.
This can help control the internal forces within the finished roll and reduce problems such as excessive roll hardness, crushed cores, starring, and other winding defects.
An open-loop system controls tension based on calculated or predetermined operating conditions without directly measuring the resulting web tension.
A closed-loop system measures actual tension and uses that feedback to continuously adjust the system.
The appropriate approach depends on the accuracy, process requirements, and complexity of the application. Double E Group's web tension control solutions can be configured around different converting requirements.
The torque required to produce a given web tension changes with roll radius. As an unwind roll decreases in diameter, the braking torque required to maintain the same tension also changes.
A properly designed tension-control system, working with the appropriate unwind brake or drive, compensates for changing roll diameter.
An unwind stand supports a roll of material and allows it to feed into a converting or manufacturing process under controlled conditions.
An unwind system may incorporate shafts or chucks, safety chucks, brakes, tension control, web guiding, rollers, and other components. Double E Group offers complete roll stands and processing modules.
A rewind stand collects processed web material onto a new roll. Rewind systems must control factors such as tension, torque, alignment, roll buildup, and speed to produce a consistent finished roll. Double E Group provides rewind stands and converting modules for new and existing production lines.
A shafted unwind uses a shaft inserted through the roll core. A shaftless unwind supports the roll using chucks that engage the core from each end.
The appropriate design depends on roll weight, width, core construction, loading requirements, production speed, and other operating conditions. Double E Group offers both shafted and shaftless unwind and rewind equipment.
Often, yes. Existing equipment may be improved with updated shafts, safety chucks, brakes, tension controls, rollers, guiding equipment, sidelay adjustment, or other components.
A core chuck engages the inside diameter of a roll core so the roll can be securely supported and/or torque can be transmitted during winding and unwinding.
A core shaft typically passes through the full width of the roll, while core chucks generally engage the core from its ends or are mounted to an existing shaft.
The correct approach depends on the machine configuration, roll dimensions, loading method, weight, torque, and application.
Air-operated chucks use compressed air to create gripping force. Mechanical or torque-activated designs generate engagement mechanically and may not require compressed air.
The best choice depends on core material, core diameter, torque, roll weight, tension, available utilities, operating environment, and roll-change requirements. Double E Group offers multiple types of expanding, pneumatic, and torque-activated core chucks.
Improperly selected or operated core holding equipment can damage a core. Chuck design, gripping surface, expansion characteristics, torque, core material, and core quality should all be considered.
A properly specified core chuck should provide sufficient grip while minimizing unnecessary core damage.
Core slippage can occur when there is insufficient gripping force for the required torque or tension. Worn gripping elements, incorrect sizing, inadequate air pressure, core variation, contamination, or an unsuitable chuck or shaft design can also contribute.
Some chuck systems can accommodate a range of diameters or use adapters to run different core sizes. The required range should be identified when selecting the core chuck.
Useful information includes core inside diameter, core material, roll width, roll weight, web tension, speed, torque requirements, direction of rotation, and whether the application is winding or unwinding. Contact Double E Group with these application details for assistance selecting a chuck.
An air shaft is an expandable shaft that uses compressed air to engage the inside diameter of a roll core.
Inflating the shaft causes gripping elements to expand against the core so that the roll can be supported and torque can be transmitted. Double E Group offers multiple air shaft and expanding core shaft designs for winding and unwinding applications.
Possible causes include insufficient air pressure, worn or damaged gripping elements, an incorrect shaft size, excessive torque, core dimensional variation, or damage to the core. Selecting the correct core shaft and maintaining its expansion system are important for reliable gripping.
Many air shaft components can be serviced or replaced depending on the design and condition of the shaft. Bladders, lugs, valves, journals, and other components may be replaceable.
An inspection can help determine whether repair or replacement is the better option. Double E Group's support downloads include product documentation and specification information for many products.
In some applications, adapters can allow an existing shaft to accommodate larger core diameters. The appropriate solution depends on the shaft design, core sizes, load, speed, and torque requirements. Double E Group offers core shafts and shaft adapters for a range of applications.
Important specifications include core inside diameter, roll width, maximum roll weight, web tension, torque, machine speed, shaft length, journal dimensions, and operating environment. Contact Double E Group with this information for shaft selection or engineering assistance.
A safety chuck supports the journal end of a roll shaft on an unwind or rewind stand while allowing the shaft to rotate during operation.
Safety chucks facilitate roll loading and unloading while securely supporting the shaft during production.
Safety chucks provide a repeatable method for supporting and securing roll shafts. Properly designed systems can simplify loading, maintain roll security, transmit torque, and reduce operator exposure to common loading hazards.
The two safety chucks and the shaft they support must be properly aligned. Misalignment can increase wear, cause binding, affect rotation, and shorten the life of the chucks, shaft journals, or related components.
Yes. Safety chuck engagement designs can accommodate different journal geometries depending on the equipment and application.
Sidelay allows the position of the supported roll and shaft to be adjusted laterally.
This can be useful for web alignment and for positioning the roll relative to downstream equipment.
Yes. Pneumatic operation can be useful when the chucks are difficult for operators to reach or when automated opening and closing is desirable. Double E Group offers multiple safety chuck configurations for converting applications.
Rollers support, transport, redirect, spread, and help control a moving web. Their diameter, surface, inertia, alignment, bearings, balance, and construction can all influence web behavior. Double E Group supplies a wide range of web handling rollers for converting, packaging, printing, and other applications.
Consider web material, width, speed, tension, load, temperature, chemical exposure, traction requirements, surface characteristics, inertia, and operating environment. Depending on the application, roller designs can range from conventional aluminum rollers to lightweight composite configurations.
A spreader roller creates lateral action in a moving web to help flatten the material, remove wrinkles, separate slit webs, or maintain web width. Double E Group offers multiple web spreading and wrinkle removal systems.
An anti-wrinkle roller is designed specifically to reduce or eliminate wrinkles in a moving web. Different designs produce different spreading effects, so the appropriate wrinkle removal technology depends on the application.
Carbon fiber rollers can provide high stiffness with low rotational mass. Low inertia can be beneficial in applications involving rapid speed changes, delicate webs, high speeds, or applications where roller responsiveness is important. Double E Group's roller product range includes both conventional and advanced composite roller solutions.
In a live shaft roller, the shaft rotates with the roller body. In a dead shaft roller, the shaft remains stationary while bearings inside the roller allow the roller body to rotate. The appropriate design depends on the application's speed, load, temperature, drive requirements, dimensions, and other operating conditions.
For a more detailed comparison, see Double E Group's guide to live shaft vs. dead shaft rollers.
Roll imbalance can contribute to vibration and other problems, particularly as roller speed increases. The appropriate balance requirement depends on roller size, weight, speed, construction, and application. See Double E Group's technical information on roller balancing for additional details.
A brake applies controlled resisting torque to the unwind roll. That resistance helps create and regulate tension as material is pulled from the roll. Double E Group supplies pneumatic unwind brakes and brake pads for converting applications.
A large roll requires different braking torque than a nearly empty roll to produce the same web tension.
Tension-control systems can compensate for changing diameter and adjust the required braking accordingly.
A tension clutch transmits controlled torque and can be used in winding and other tension-control applications. The required clutch depends on torque, speed, heat dissipation, control requirements, and the application.
Slitting divides a wide moving web into narrower widths as it travels through a converting process. Double E Group offers a complete range of slitting systems, knife holders, knives, anvils, and slitting accessories.
Shear slitting uses opposing cutting edges in a scissor-like action. Score slitting uses a blade pressed against a hardened surface or anvil.
The appropriate method depends on material, thickness, speed, edge-quality requirements, and other process conditions. Double E Group's slitting equipment supports multiple converting and cutting applications.
Yes. In-line slitting systems can often be incorporated into existing converting equipment to add edge trimming or multiple-slit capability.
The available space, web path, material, speed, number of cuts, and required slit quality should be evaluated first. Double E Group provides both slitting components and complete slitting stations and processing modules for new or existing converting lines.
A core cutter is a machine used to cut longer paper, cardboard, plastic, or other cores into the lengths required for winding, converting, packaging, or other production operations. Double E Group offers core cutters from Appleton - a Double E Group company - in manual, semi-automatic, and automated configurations.
Core length and cut quality can affect downstream winding operations, roll alignment, handling, and finished product quality. A clean cut can also reduce dust and debris generated during core preparation. Appleton core cutting systems are designed for accurate, repeatable industrial core cutting.
A core plug fits into a roll core to provide support, engagement, or connection between the core and winding or unwinding equipment. Core plugs are commonly used in paper, tissue, converting, and other roll-processing applications.
Reducing the weight of components that operators must handle can make installation and removal easier, particularly with large industrial rolls. Double E Group offers lightweight core plug solutions, including designs incorporating advanced composite materials.
Dedicated shaft handling equipment can lift, support, transport, insert, and extract heavy shafts while reducing the amount of manual handling required from operators.
A shaft handler may be appropriate when shafts are heavy, long, awkward to maneuver, frequently changed, or difficult to align with machine supports. The appropriate shaft handling system depends on shaft weight, dimensions, machine configuration, required movements, available floor space, and production workflow.
Hoist-based roll handling equipment uses an overhead hoist or crane together with specialized roll-engaging tooling to lift, transport, position, or rotate rolls. Options can include horizontal and vertical roll lifters, lift-and-turn equipment, and customized handling devices.
A lift-and-turn roll handler is designed to lift a roll and rotate it between horizontal and vertical orientations. These systems can be useful for palletizing, machine loading and unloading, storage, and other operations where roll orientation must change.
Roll carts and roll dollies can be used to transport rolls through a facility and, depending on the design, lift or position them for loading, unloading, storage, or production operations.
Double E Group maintains a downloads and technical documentation library containing manuals, brochures, specification sheets, forms, and other product information.
Yes. The Double E Group video library includes demonstrations and information about core chucks, core shafts, material handling equipment, safety chucks, core cutters, slitting equipment, and other Double E Group products.
Double E Group products are covered according to the applicable warranty terms. Visit the Double E Group warranty page for current warranty information and coverage details.
Start by gathering as much application information as possible, including dimensions, weights, speeds, tensions, materials, operating conditions, photographs, drawings, and a description of the problem or desired result. Then contact Double E Group. The engineering and application team can help evaluate the application and determine whether an existing product, equipment modification, replacement component, or custom-engineered solution is appropriate.