In any marketplace–be it labels or cell phones–technology rules the day. To make the manufacturing process more effective, companies continuously explore how to lower the bottom line. Flexo and digital presses have increasingly become more automated, changing the role of the operator in order to streamline the process.

Slitter rewinders are no exception. In many cases, the process is as simple as pressing a button. Of course, certain factors like tension and torque have to be declared, but the overall goal is the same: quicker turnaround times, less waste and lower costs.

“The whole industry is becoming more competitive, so we need to focus on efficiencies and fast setup for our customers,” says Tony Bell, sales director at AB Graphic International. “Modern rewinders are a long way from the old equipment that used to be acceptable back then. With the market changing and run lengths becoming shorter as more converters move into digital finishing we see this as a challenge to the number of slitter rewinders being sold in the future.”

As part of the streamlining process, a company like AB Graphic has designed its equipment to handle high-speed slitter inspection applications. AB Graphic utilizes a print face inspection camera embedded into the control, and the equipment features a FleyeVision system to further speed up the process.

According to Gavin Rittmeyer, vice president of sales and marketing, Martin Automatic, companies will also explore wider web widths. While manufacturers are accustomed to widths ranging from 5” to 26”, the boundaries will be pushed to 30” and beyond. Speeds will increase, as well. “Speeds are going to be going from 50 fpm–and some label printers are familiar with 750 fpm–and they’ve never heard of 1,000 fpm,” he says.

Chase Machine and Engineering, another manufacturer of slitter rewinders, points to machine controls and varying range of substrates. “Processing these materials at faster speeds will always be a challenge,” explains Guy Gil, national sales manager at Chase. “With the advancement of AC and servo drive technology, controlling speed and tension have become easier. What will drive machine design innovation and function will be new and exciting products and materials that ultimately have to be processed.”

“What we chose to do is give the operators maximum flexibility in terms of automation, so that the rewinder could function, rewind and transfer the material to a new core,” adds Rittmeyer. “Then we unload the roll, all without the presence of the operator next to the machine.”