Tube Winder Basics: How Paper Cores Are Made

Bamco strives to be a wealth of information for its customers, fellow employees, and the industry overall. The next few articles take aim at explaining important machinery that we provide belting for. On top of that we want to discuss; the belts used, vendors that provide the belts, and important attributes when it comes to the belting.

Tube winding is a very common process where belts serve multiple crucial rolls. However, before we get into the belting side of things, let’s cover the basics when it comes to tube winding. Paper cores start out as all paper products do…as paper. Parent rolls are generally brought in at the needed width . If they are not the proper size, the parent rolls are loaded onto an unwinder, slit to width, and rerolled into the rolls needed for tube manufacturing. Once the paper is at the proper width, there are two styles of tube manufacturing.  

Convolute Winders

This is meant for tubes that are not spirally wound. The width of the parent roll is going to be the width of the tube. All plies are applied directly on top of each other. These cores generally have a large inner diameter and are common in the metallurgical industry  

Paper is unwound from the slit roll and is fed through a series of pullies that ensure proper tension on the paper. The paper is then attached to the drum winder through a vacuum system.  A lazer is used to detect the paper and apply the glue accordingly. The paper is then wound around the roll until the desired wall thickness is reached. This can be as thick as 25mm in some cases. A paper cutter then cuts the paper from the parent roll.

Spiral Winders

                  This is generally what people think about when they think of tube winders. These are used to create things such as; straws, paper towel rolls, toilet paper rolls, tape cores, film cores, textile tubes, and lid rings (like on Ben and Jerry’s containers.

Instead of one big parent roll, like in convolute winders, there are many rolls (sometimes up to 24) that are a smaller width. Each roll will be a ply and is unwound at the same time. Ply diverters are used to ensure that the paper does not get tangled up.  Precision glue is then applied to the plies on an auxiliary roller.

The plies are then rolled around a mandrel at an offset or spiral. This process is done in conjunction to tube winder belts. These belts ensure accurate pressure is applied to the tube being created. The belts can move at speeds of up to 120m/min.

Once the tubes are created, they need to be cut. This can be done several different ways. First off, it can be done manually or programmed. Knives can be stationary or move using pneumatic amortization. Machines also vary in the number of knives being used. Some machines are as simple as one knife on either side of the tube that makes the cuts. Some machines are complex with 12 knives that move with the roll. It all depends on the customer’s needs and what is being manufactured.

Tube Accumulation System.

  All tubes manufactured have to go somewhere. Smaller tubes, such as tape cores, may pile up in a box. Other systems might require complex accumulation to ensure proper flow and drying time for the glue.

Hopefully this gives a baseline to further discuss belting and hosing needs when it comes to keeping these machines running.

Product Spotlight: Sheet Slow Down Belts

Product Spotlight: Sheet Slow Down Belts

Sheet Slow down belts or “suction belts” are critical for controlling sheet delivery and stacking at the end of high-speed printing lines. These watch-band like belts are designed with special materials and profiles to grip a sheet without marking or damaging it as it exits the sheeter. They are operating at increasingly fast speeds and as they begin to wear out you can see sheets slipping, fling off of the pile, jam, or misalign.

How To Prevent Foreign Material Risk From Your Conveyor Belts

How To Prevent Foreign Material Risk From Your Conveyor Belts

In 2002 the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) listed foreign material contamination as the leading cause of food recalls. This underscores how physical foreign material contamination is a persistent problem that affects all sectors of the food processing industries. It's been estimated that the average direct cost of a recall from foreign material recall is 10 million dollars, not to mention the irreparable damage to the brand's image. This article is to provide practical guidance on how manufacturers can help avoid conveyor belts becoming a potential source of risk through prevention, screening, and looking for future solutions.  

Can a V-Guided Conveyor Belt Fix Your Belt Tracking Issues?

Can a V-Guided Conveyor Belt Fix Your Belt Tracking Issues?

Belt tracking issues can disrupt your conveyor system and lead to unnecessary shutdowns. In addition, it can lead to belt damage if the belt mis-tracks into a conveyor belt frame causing damage to the belt that often leads to the need for replacement. To keep a belt tracking properly a simple solution many conveyors systems use is a V-guide. This article is a guide to all the things you need to know about your v-guided conveyor belts.  

Top 5 Best Practices for Selecting Belts in the Meat Processing Industry

Top 5 Best Practices for Selecting Belts in the Meat Processing Industry

When it comes to the food processing industry, each part of any facility must meet stringent standards to ensure that the final product is safe for consumers. In any meat and poultry facility conveyor belts provide a vital role of moving products from one stage to another. The selection of these belts is key to not only the overall safety of the end product, but to improve efficiency and prevent high maintenance costs for the facility. Here are the top five best practices to make sure your facility has the best belt for their production line:  

SAE Flange: Code 61 vs. Code 62 vs. Caterpillar

SAE Flange: Code 61 vs. Code 62 vs. Caterpillar

The other day, I was identifying a customer’s fitting and came across something that I have never seen before. A flange fitting with a clamp that only had two bolt holes. I spent all day measuring it and trying to figure out what it was. After some research, I discovered it was an old Code 62 fitting. That gave me the idea to break down the differences between the Code 61, the Code 62, and the supercat fitting.

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: How to determine the correct hose and fitting for your application?

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings:  How to determine the correct hose and fitting for your application?

In our last article we explained how hydraulic hoses and fittings work within a hydraulic system in order to perform for different applications (Read Here). If you work in one of those industries and use a hydraulic system it is important to take into consideration the specific requirements you need from your hoses and fittings. Various applications require different hoses and fittings and selecting the right one is important for optimal performance and safety. 

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: Understanding Their Applications and Importance

Demystifying Hydraulic Hoses and Fittings: Understanding Their Applications and Importance

In any application where moving heavy items is essential, industrial machinery and equipment will often use a hydraulic system to get the job done. These systems provide immense power by using extreme pressurized hydraulic oils in order to do work. To utilize this fluid power a central component of any hydraulic system are hydraulic hoses and their fittings. This article is intended to give a brief introduction to hydraulic hoses and their fittings and the diverse applications they could be used for. 

SAE Rating Guide

SAE Rating Guide

When you look at the layline of your hose and see an SAE rating, you may ask yourself,” What does that mean?” Long story short, this rating is used to tell you several things about the hose:

  • What hydraulic fluid to use.

  • What the hose is made out of.

  • The temperature that the hose can operate in.

  • The size range of the hose.

  • Other crucial facts

Which Mechanical Splice Is The Best?

Traditional lacing (also called straight splicing or standard lacing ) is where a mechanical fastener is attached to each end of the belt and joined with a pin that goes through the center. The pin that joins the lacing can be removed at any time so that the belt can be removed from the machine for cleaning or other purposes. The lacing and pins can be made out of a variety of materials, such as stainless steel and polyurethane, to fit the certain applications. Out of all of the lacing methods this is generally the fastest, easiest, and most inexpensive. When it comes to installing the lacing, you need to square the belt. Check out the video below for a step by step demonstration on how to do so.

Thermoplastic vs Braided vs Spiral Hose: Which Is Better?

When it comes to hydraulic hose, there are a lot of different options for varying applications. Most hoses are made of synthetic materials, natural fibers, or metal wire. Covers then change to fit the conditions that the hose will be used in. One also needs to keep in mind the categorization of pressure ratings. High pressure is 1500-6000 PSI, medium pressure is 300-3000 PSI, and low pressure is 300 PSI or less. With all of that being said, when it comes to most heavy duty equipment such as excavators and bull dozers, there are three main kinds; thermoplastic, braided, and spiral.

How Do Conveyors Work?

How Do Conveyors Work?

When it comes to belt conveyors, they may vary in size and shape depending on what is being conveyed. With that being said, there are several components of conveyors that carry across the board. In this article we are going to cover those parts, how they interact, and how energy is transferred to move materials.