Martin Automatic reports that drupa 2016 was a resounding success, and not only for the machine orders taken at the expo. Widely known as a manufacturer of roll handling systems for the converting industry, the company found that visitor interest in its technology extended into new and diverse applications with a variety of materials.

“Drupa was a really positive experience with serious enquiries coming from all around the world and from market sectors as diverse as folding carton, nonwoven, label, aseptic, liquid, shrink, and tube laminate market. We recorded sales of splicers and rewinders to India, Poland, Russia and the UK, with the promise of more to follow once specifications have been finalized,” says Gavin Rittmeyer, VP Sales & Marketing for Martin Automatic.

To match Drupa’s broadening appeal, the Martin stand was designed as an interactive microcosm of the company’s knowledge and skill in automatic roll change, tension control, web handling and the principles and dynamics of web transport, and as such facilitated wide ranging discussions with visitors whose requirements were many and varied. Rittmeyer adds: “Our stand embodied what drupa wants to become – an expo that attracts printers who use all kinds of substrate for different purposes.”

Highlights on the stand included a hands-on roller display, where visitors were able to experience the weight differences of three idler shells, each 3m long.  The Airnertia and MDR roller demo allowed visitors to see the practical effects of roller mass on rotational inertia. ‘Airnertia’ is Martin’s patented roller technology that uses a near frictionless air bearing system to minimize roller inertia. Magnetic Driven Roller (MDR) technology actively accelerates or decelerates idler rollers as the process dictates, to greatly reduce or even eliminate the impact of idler roller inertia and bearing friction.

Another popular display on the stand was Martin’s TMSL automatic splicer, which demonstrated how to unwind and splice both spooled and pancake rolls of film, nonwovens, or even foam, using taped or tapeless technology. It illustrated the company’s platform approach to roll changing and showed how Martin uses complex engineering principles to create simple solutions that are easy to understand, use, and maintain. For processes needing a hot melt splice, like fibreglass, Martin’s new hot melt glue feed showed how to deliver precisely metered adhesive.

“The interaction with existing and potential customers was excellent, highlighting Martin Automatic’s level of commitment to the industry and our ability to engage in conversation about nearly every material and web fed process. By extending the range of our technology on show we attracted visitors with more diverse interests from different industries, making this one of the busiest and most valuable drupa expos in recent years. On that basis, we shall be back in 2020,” Rittmeyer concludes.