When “Close Enough” Just Won’t Cut It: A Case Study

For precision rotary die cutters, GMN Bearing USA’s angular contact bearings boost output, quality & offer longer part life cycles

GMN Bearing USA is known for our finely crafted, German-engineered precision bearings—truly the definition of industrial motion in its purest form. Our high performing parts find their place in diverse applications, including precision rotary die cutting equipment. These industrial processing machines operate at high speeds and require the tightest of tolerances, sometimes operating with gaps as small as just a few microns.

This intricate production process includes high volume materials, manufacturing multi-step items, which includes things like “kiss cutting”, multi-level cutting, perforations, zoned adhesion and scoring often linked with personal care products and items such as foil, tapes and non-woven materials.

This means that only the best will do. Enter GMN bearings.

Overview:

The Problem

Our customer, who repairs and services rotary die cutting equipment for an American-based consumer goods manufacturer, was having a very short and costly MTBR (Mean Time Between ReBuilds/Repair) for their RDC (Rotary Die Cutter) equipment. It was a known issue that the reduced MTBR was hindering profits, but the customer felt it could be managed.

That is until one day, when our repair customer realized a quick delivery of bearings became critical after their customer’s equipment had been pushed past its normal rebuild timeframe.

GMN Bearing USA rushed the replacement parts to our customer, and they were grateful for the stock and delivery. However, when the end user was examining the anvil on the rotary die cutter the next morning, they realized how far they pushed the equipment. It was ruined. Now, instead of just paying for a rebuild, they had to have their anvil refinished as well.

The Solution

After hearing about the end user’s plight, GMN Bearing USA engineers stepped in to support their efforts to prevent future occurrences of unexpected downtimes. After a few lengthy bearing examinations and consultative conference calls, a key aspect was found: There was consistent orbital and cyclical loading appearing on the bearing outer races.

The preload of the bearings and overall rigidity of the system could be increased to hold the equipment even tighter in geometric center. Sub 5 micron TIR (Total Indicated Runout) was going to be the new installed target. Increasing rigidity supported rotation around the geometric center and reduced overall bearing load from the heavy anvil. With this heavy equipment, combined with high-speed rotation, very tight balancing and controlling very tight TIR to geometric center, it’s paramount for an acceptable MTBR.

This reduced radial load and tighter rotation increased bearing life, increased MTBR, and increased profitability!

GMN Bearing USA is now evaluating our customer’s entire production system, from rollers to dies to anvils. We have already seen multiple success’ and only anticipate more.

What can you expect from GMN precision angular contact bearings for rotary die cutters?

GMN S Series angular contact bearings offer:

• Up to +20%-30% increased operating capacity (compared with non-angular contact bearing designs),
• GMN bearings = ABEC 7 standards (P4+) with ABEC 9 (P2) running accuracy,
• Greater production accuracy with ≤5 microns in multiple runouts, and
• Longer bearing part life compared with non-angular contact bearings.

Key considerations for our customer when it comes to rotary die cutting and how GMN bearings come into play:

• Materials. Intricately constructed layers that require perforation and cuts can benefit from precision bearings.
• High production volume. Rotary die cutting takes advantage of higher speeds and reduced time per part, but requires exactness in performance, time after time. GMN bearings operate at incredible speeds without compromising reliability.
• Part complexity. For applications for personal healthcare products, rotary die cut parts require a combination of steps such as sheeting, scoring, slitting, etc. This requires sophisticated web tensions for precise cutting pressures with maximum speed. GMN bearings can hold tight tolerances over long periods of time, allowing for uniform, repeatable results.

Other rotary die cut materials that benefit from our precision angular contact bearings include:

• Plastic film
• Nylon
• Felt
• Abrasives
• Foam tapes
• Nonwoven fabrics
• Pressure sensitive adhesives
• Foils

Our bearings are perfect for new equipment designs and can also be drop-in replacements for your existing machine bearings.

Learn more about our S Series Angular Contact Bearings for Rotary Die Cutting Equipment and contact us today for an application evaluation.