Menges Roller, located in northeast Illinois, is pleased to announce the expansion of its heat transfer roll division with the purchase of an advanced-technology lathe capable of manufacturing heat transfer rolls up to 20 feet long.
The new high-capacity CNC lathe has state-of-the-art computer interfaces and very exact machining capabilities.
As converters and plastic packagers have moved to wider web widths, faster linespeeds, and more layers in laminates, Menges Roller has seen increases in its heat transfer roll business, especially large-format double-shelled models.
This new machine seamlessly integrates with Menges Roller’s CAD (computer aided design) department. When the Menges Engineering Team completes their final thermal modeling and design for a heat/chill roll, the roll’s schematics can be uploaded directly to the machine. Additionally, with this machine’s advanced milling functions, roller shafts, outer shells and internal components can all be made to very exact tolerances. This machine can fabricate components that are accurate to one-tenth of one-thousandth of an inch (.0001).
According to Matt Menges, president of Menges Roller, “heat transfer roll popularity is definitely increasing, especially in the packaging sector – but we’re also seeing engineers across all of our industries experiment more and more with these rolls. They’re thinking, ‘why wait for my stock to cool naturally…I’ll just put in a chill roll and speed-up production by 10%.’ Honestly, our expansion is simply a response to our customers’ needs.”
Menges Roller is well-known for its innovations in heat transfer rolls. The company recently won a 2013 AIMCAL Technical Excellence Award for its Hybrid Chill Roll design.
Heat transfer rollers are liquid-filled and most are double-shelled with spiral flutes that help circulate the thermal fluid. Heat transfer rolls are capable of achieving temperatures up to 350 Fahrenheit. They serve many applications, such as optimizing the properties of adhesives in laminating. Cold ‘chill rolls’ are often used to cool recently-extruded plastic film.
The new CNC machine is a European-made Toolmex TUR930-1100MN. It can machine steel and aluminum rollers up to 20 feet long, up to 8,800 pounds. The machine itself weighs over 22,000 pounds.
Menges Roller Co.
(847)487-8877
