New Era of Web Tension PROFILE Monitoring for Roll-To-Roll Processes

Presented by Giovanni Grassi, FMS Force Measruing Systems AG

Measurement of tension in web materials is well known since decades. The development focus during this time was mainly set to precision of the loadcells and amplifiers with higher resolution, shorter cycle times and communication interfaces. State of the art is one loadcell on each side of an idler roller.

Evaluation in the electronic unit can be sum/average of both signals or also independent evaluation of left/right signals. This allows an accurate measurement of the (overall) tension in a web, but it does not give any information about the lateral distribution of tension across the web width, although very often a web material does not have equal properties across the web (humidity in the material, gauge variations, etc). With production processes requiring tighter and tighter tolerances this information is no longer sufficient. Especially with wider webs one needs to ensure that the material properties are the same all over the web width.

This can be measured by a multitude of loadcells across the web. With such a measurement device it is possible to do a real-time analysis of the tension distribution across the web. You can detect loose edges, single-sided tension, baggy web, as well as repeating patterns over time/length. This measurement is the base for improving previous (upstream) processes and in addition it allows the qualification of different rolls according to their consistency of tension across the web.

The operator can influence the process based on the process parameters and also document the results through standard interfaces.

This new system, the FMS-segFORCE introduces a new era of web tension PROFILE monitoring for quality assessment and process improvement!
The presentation includes a short video demonstration of the system, some pictures to explain its functionality and typical integration in various processes in industry sectors such as flexible packaging, battery foils, and others.