To ensure that each roll of tape produced by the single-sided rubber slitting machine is evenly slitted and burr-free, it needs to be controlled from various aspects such as equipment adjustment, material selection, process parameter optimization, and operation specifications. Here are the specific measures:
1. Equipment inspection and maintenance
• Tool Status:
◦ Use high-precision round or flat knives to ensure sharp and notch-free blades. Regularly inspect and replace wear tools (mandatory replacement is recommended after each length of production).
◦ The tool should be installed firmly to avoid shaking during operation, and the radial runout of the tool shaft should be less than 0.02mm.
• Slitting Machine Calibration:
◦ Adjust the parallelism and concentricity of the tool to ensure that the gap between the upper and lower or opposite tools is uniform (usually 10%~20% of the material thickness).
◦ Check the rewinding tension control system to ensure stable tension (adjustable by tension sensor or magnetic particle brake).
• Cleaning and maintenance:
◦ Timely clean up glue stains and debris on the knife surface and guide rollers to prevent impurities from affecting the slitting effect.
2. Material control
• Substrate quality:
◦ Select the original tape roll (such as PET, BOPP, etc.) with uniform thickness, no impurities, and neat edges to avoid slitting problems caused by raw material defects.
◦ The storage environment should be moisture-proof and dust-proof to avoid adhesive aging or substrate deformation.
• Unwinding Alignment:
◦ Use an automatic deviation correction device (EPC system) to ensure that the original coil does not have lateral offset when entering the slitting machine.
3. Optimization of process parameters
• Slitting speed:
◦ Adjust the slitting speed according to the material properties. Thicker or high-viscosity tapes need to be slitted at low speed (such as 30~50m/min), and thin materials can be appropriately accelerated.
• Tension control:
◦ The unwinding, slitting, and winding tension should be adjusted in sections to avoid over-tightness (causing the tape to stretch and deform) or over-loosening (causing the coil to loosen).
◦ It is recommended to use taper control for winding tension, and gradually decrease the tension with the increase of coil diameter (such as initial tension 5N, taper 10%).
• Temperature and humidity:
◦ The ambient temperature is recommended to be controlled at 20~25°C and the humidity is 40%~60% to prevent the change of tape viscosity or the shrinkage of the substrate.
4. Slitting process adjustment
• Tool Matching:
◦ Select the tool type according to the thickness of the tape. Thin tape (<0.05mm) can be slitted with a single knife, and thick tape needs to be cut with a double knife or a circular knife.
◦ The recommended tool angle is 20°~30° to reduce cutting resistance.
• Slitting width control:
◦ The tool holder is driven by a high-precision servo motor to ensure that the slitting width error ≤± 0.1mm.
◦ Regularly use calipers to spot check the width of the slitted tape.
• Burr Treatment:
◦ Add an electrostatic eliminator to reduce electrostatic adsorption debris generated during slitting.
◦ For high-demand products, a brush or a vacuum cleaner can be added to clean the edges.
5. Operation and quality inspection
• Operating Specifications:
◦ Before starting the machine, idle and try to cut to confirm that the equipment is running smoothly.
◦ The first roll of products needs to be fully inspected (width, edge, stickiness), and mass-produced after qualification.
• Real-time monitoring:
◦ Install CCD visual inspection system or laser width gauge to automatically identify slitting defects and alarm.
• Post-processing:
◦ After slitting, the tape should be left for 24 hours before packaging to release internal stress and avoid core deformation.
Frequently Asked Questions and Countermeasures
• Burrs: Check for tool wear or excessive clearance to reduce slitting speed.
• Coil wrinkling: adjust the winding tension and check the parallelism of the guide rollers.
• Tape adhesion: Apply silicone oil release agent before slitting, or replace the low-tack backing paper.
With the above combined control, the slitting uniformity and edge quality can be significantly improved. For high-end applications (e.g. tapes in the electronics industry), fully automatic slitting machines with high-precision servo systems and in-line inspection are recommended.