Stainless steel SL2 slide and bearings used in paper trimmer

Paper production, as a continuous, high-volume process, requires that most of the work be undertaken on fully automated machines and systems. As any failure on these machines could have serious commercial and financial consequences, a major manufacturer in the sector has installed a manual back-up assembly for the edge-trimming process; this purpose-built unit was supplied by HepcoMotion.

The beam assembly positions two water jets that trim the paper to size. Fitted so as to straddle the paper as it moves between the rollers, the HepcoMotion system is manually adjustable to allow these jets to cut different widths of paper.

To withstand a combination of water and aggressive chemicals, the system's beam is aluminium with a stainless steel HepcoMotion SL2 slide and bearings. The water jets are mounted on two stainless steel carriage plates that are manually positioned via a handwheel and lead screw assembly.

Tough and ready

The project supervisor explains: "We required a ready-made corrosion-resistant assembly that would give us good rigidity and be easy to fit and use. Its ability to hold the position when set was equally important. For us, HepcoMotion was the obvious supplier, as past applications using HepcoMotion products have been very successful. The company was also able to provide a value-for-money, custom-built assembly for the application, and good technical back-up."

HepcoMotion's SL2 stainless steel-based slide system offers an extensive range of slides and bearings, together with specially treated aluminium components. Whether the application requires very high precision under clean room conditions with no lubrication, or excellent corrosion resistance in washdown and harsh environments, the SL2 is a flexible linear choice, offering long service life and virtually zero maintenance.