AN OVERVIEW OF THE ROLLER INDUSTRY

 Why are rollers used

 What is a roller
 Where are rollers used
 How are rollers manufactured
 Where is the roller market going

2
 Why Roll Coverings?
 Virtually all industries use rollers of some
type
 Elastomer covered rolls provide
performance factors not possible with
rigid materials
 Large number of polymer types and
compounding ingredients allow tailoring
of the roller to meet specific service
requirements
3
Rubber Covered Roll Composition

 Core
Metal (Steel, Al, Bronze)
 Nonmetal (FRP)

 Bonding layer
 Bonding agent
 Cover
 Rubber, Polyurethane, Resin

4
 Polymers

Thermoset plastics Thermoplastic elastomers

• Phenolic or • copolyesters
melamine resins
• polyether block amides
• epoxy and polyester
resins (UP) • TPU
• etc. • TPO/TPV
• SBS, SEBS
Thermoplastics
• PP Elastomers
• PE
• PS Natural rubber synthetic rubber
• SBR
• PVC
• NBR
• etc. • EPDM
• Silicone
5
• etc.
 What is a Roll Cover?
 Rollers are covered with elastomeric
compositions to allow the creation of a
uniform pressure area called the “NIP”
 “NIP” region dynamic performance must
remain constant
 Roller compounds must be stable over
time in the service environment

6
Functions of Roller Coverings

 Feed  Drive
 Meter  Squeeze
 Emboss  Stamp
 Insulate  Isolate
 Conduct  Dissipate
Electricity Electricity

7
 Roller Design Factors
 Solvents & Chemicals
 Temperature
 Pressure
 Rotational Speed

8
Wide Range of Elastomers
 NBR  AU, EU
 NBR/PVC  NR
 XNBR  SBR
 HNBR  MQ
 EPDM  MQ/EPDM
 CSM  FKM
 CR  Thiokol
 ECO
9
 Some Important Properties for
Rubber Rollers
 Hardness  Abrasion resistance
 Modulus  Hysteresis
 Tear Strength  Chemical Resistance
 Cut Resistance  Ozone Resistance
 Compression Set  Heat Resistance
 Permanent Set  Co-efficient of friction
 Resilience  Non-glazing surface
 Smooth surface  Good printability

10
Rubber Roller Dynamics - The “NIP” area

HARD ROLL

A Entrance - compound relaxed

B Entry Bulge - high extension & speed
C Nip Center - high compression
C D Exit Bulge - high extension & speed
B D
E Exit - compound recovered
A E

ELASTOMERIC ROLL

11
Roller Market Segmentation

Graphic Arts
35%
43% Pulp & Paper
Steel & Aluminum
Textiles
9%
General Industrial
Business Machines
4%
7% 2%

12
 Steel mill Rubber Rollers
 Must be resistant to the
 Wringer rollers
chemicals and Oils,,,
 Squeeze rollers
 High elasticity with
 Coating rollers
abrasion resistance
 Insulation rollers
 Eccentrical property
 Deflector rollers during working
 Tension bridle rollers  Changeable raw polymer
 Brake rollers rely on changeable service
 Support rollers condition

13
Industrial Roller Markets

 Paper industry  Food Industry

 Steel / metal  Leather Industry
industry  Circuit Board
 Furniture Industry
Industry
 Wood Industry
 Plastic Industry

14
 Roller Manufacturing Processes
Selection
 Manufacturing process is selected
based on:
– Size of the roller
– Elastomer type
– Compound processibility
characteristics

15
 Rubber covered roll
Recipe selection approach

 Select a typical roll recipe and

various chemicals
 List down the requirement of
properties
– Eg . least chemical affect.

 Design experiments - “Ideal recipe”

16
Various methods of covering rolls
 Casting - rollers used in Steel Mill, Pulp and
Paper, and General Industrial.
 Molding - small rollers used in Offset
printing and Business Machines
 Calender Building - medium rollers used in
a majority of applications
 Strip Building - rollers used in Graphic
Arts, Pulp and Paper, Steel Mill, Textile and
General Industrial

17
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
1. Mixing process

18
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
2. Covering machine and roll

19
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
3. Rubber covered roll-Autoclave for curing

20
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
4. Rubber covering - Cured roll maturing

21
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
5. Rough Grinding at Grinder

22
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
6. Grinding

23
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
7. Failure phenomenon - Hair crack

24
 Rubber Roll Manufacturing
8. Failure phenomenon - Destruction

25
 Industry Trends
 Increasing environmental scrutiny
 New equipment designs
 Competitive pressure has led to
evaluation of alternative production
technologies
 Changes in industry will demand higher
performance standards, and the roller
industry must keep pace with these
technical advances
26
 Summary
 Rollers are used in nearly
 Hardness every industry
 Hardness stability  Rollers utilize nearly all
 Chemical and Solvent polymer types because of
resistance the diverse applications
 Hysteresis loss  Successful players in the
roller industry will be those
 Dimension stability
who are successful
 Permanent set communicators and are able
resistance to meet the current & future
requirements, and adapt to
the industry changes

27