Automatic Determination of Ideal Machine Parameters in Roll-to-Roll Processes

Presented by Nils Barthel, Kampf GmbH

When slitting and winding web-shaped materials, it is essential that the machine is set up with appropriate parameters. The wide variability of plastic films often requires trial and error during the commissioning and start-up phases. In addition to the goal of reducing time and production errors, this places significant demands on employees tasked with finding suitable machine parameters. This study presents an approach to streamline the operation of slitting and winding equipment for users by analyzing process knowledge. The most important machine parameters and film properties are identified and their general individual relationships are isolated. The relationships are quantified by deliberately modifying individual variables in comparison to a hypothetical reference material. A software uses these relations to calculate machine parameters based on material properties and roll information. The results were validated by trials on a slitting machine using various materials.