New Methods to Analyze the Steel to Rubber Roller Interface

Presented by Stephen Huff, ABBA Rubber Intl.

Common to most converting lines are nip rollers. These roller-to-roller interfaces
perform many different tasks from conveying the web through the machine to performing complicated processing steps. Most of the knowledge base on nips comes from experience or “rule of thumb.” Data explaining the behavior of the web when it is squeezed between a hard roller surface (steel) and a compliant roller surface (elastomeric covered) is scarce. This paper will examine and demonstrate some of the leading edge methods being used to analyze the inner workings of a steel-to-rubber process nip.