Atlas Converting Equipment (Bedford, UK) is pleased to confirm that it has recently commissioned a Titan SR8 twin-shaft cantilever slitter rewinder at Plastic Packaging for its production facility located in Hickory, North Carolina (US).
Founded in 1957 by Mr T. Cass Ballenger as a polyethylene bag converter, Plastic Packaging has grown into one of the leading flexible packaging companies in the US with a strong commitment to sustainable growth through package innovation, state-of-the-art capabilities and commitment to excellence.
Today, Plastic Packaging is a vertically integrated operation with two extensive manufacturing facilities employing approximately 200 people. Consistent reinvestment has driven the company to diversify its business into graphic arts, printing, lamination and specialised converting, which is the main focus of its primary production facility in Hickory, NC. Here, the company has extensive converting operations including pre-press, printing, laminating, slitting and converting for a diverse range of flexible materials for packaging applications in bags, pouches, sleeve labels and other roll stock. Three state-of-the-art flexographic printing presses, including a recent installation with smartGPS setup technology, were installed at Plastic Packaging in Hickory by Fischer & Krecke of Germany, a Bobst Group sister company of Titan.
The capability of handling a wide variety of flexible materials at high production speeds was an essential part of the Titan SR8 slitter specification for Plastic Packaging. The 1,650mm (65in) wide Titan SR8 slitter has a maximum rewind diameter of 800mm (32in), running at production speeds of up to 600m/min (2,000ft/min) with a laser core positioning system providing a quick, accurate guide for the operator in positioning new rewind cores for re-starting the slitting process. Slit widths can be as narrow as 25mm (less than 1in) and the slitter also features an automatic knife positioning system.
The handling and unloading of the finished reels is also an important consideration. The SR8 is fitted with an automatic reel stripping system which enables the finished slit reels to be safely pushed off the rewind shafts and on to unloading booms.
“We installed our first Titan (SR5) slitter over 20 years ago and then added a second SR6 machine three years later, so we know how well the Titan machines perform,” explained Preston Bryant, VP of operations at Plastic Packaging. “The SR8 slitter is impressive and we were able to see it in action before we made our final decision to purchase. That was enough to convince us it would be the perfect solution for our current slitting requirements, which it has proved to be. The machine is performing extremely well,” he confirmed.
The highly versatile SR8 slitter is the most successful in the Titan range and more than 200 machines are now in operation for many different converters worldwide.