Detailed explanation of the working principle of the ribbon slitting machine: how to achieve high-precision slitting?

Ribbon slitting machine is a precision equipment used to cut wide ribbon (thermal transfer material) into a specific width, and its high-precision slitting depends on the collaborative optimization of mechanical design, control system and process parameters. Here's how it works and how to achieve high-precision slitting:

First, the core composition of the ribbon slitting machine

1. Unwinding system

◦ Constant tension control, through the magnetic particle brake or servo motor to dynamically adjust the unwinding speed to avoid material stretching deformation.

◦ Equipped with an EPC device, the edge position is detected by a photoelectric sensor, and the transverse position of the coil is adjusted in real time (the accuracy can reach ±0.1mm).

2. Slitting unit

◦ Round knife slitting: High hardness alloy round knife (hardness HRC60 or above) is matched with the bottom roller, and the knife pressure is controlled by pneumatic or servo pressure.

◦ Laser slitting (high-end model): non-contact cutting of laser head, suitable for ultra-thin ribbons (such as 3μm), no flash.

3. Winding system

◦ Independent servo motor drives the winding shaft, using taper tension control (the initial tension is large, and gradually decreases with the increase of the winding diameter).

◦ Equipped with surface take-up or center take-up mode to ensure that the web is flat and wrinkle-free.

Second, the key technology of high-precision slitting

1. Dynamic tension control

◦ PID closed-loop control is adopted, and the unwinding/rewinding torque is adjusted in real time through the tension sensor feedback, and the tension fluctuation range can be controlled within ±5%.

◦ Segmented tension setting: Adjust the tension parameters according to the ribbon material (such as wax-based, mixed-based, resin-based).

2. Tooling system optimization

◦ Tool angle: The round blade angle is usually 30°~45°, and the blade life can reach more than 1000km.

◦ Tool runout control: the radial runout of the spindle ≤0.005mm to avoid the fluctuation of slitting width.

◦ Online sharpening system: Some equipment is equipped with automatic sharpening device to maintain the sharpness of the cutting edge.

3. Slitting width control

◦ High-precision guide roller: straightness ≤ 0.01mm/m to ensure that the ribbon has no lateral offset.

◦ CNC tool adjustment system: servo motor drives the toolholder to move, with a resolution of up to 0.01mm (such as Mitsubishi servo system).

◦ Visual inspection: CCD camera monitors the slitting edge in real time, and adjusts the tool distance (optional function).

4. Environmental control

◦ Clean room (Class 1000) to reduce dust adhesion.

◦ Stable temperature and humidity (23±2°C, RH50±5%) to prevent the ribbon from being deformed by moisture.

Third, influence of process parameters

Fourth, solutions to common problems

• Flash/flash: Check for tool wear or insufficient tool pressure, and replace the ceramic-coated round knife to increase the life by 30%.

• Coil wrinkling: Adjust the winding taper curve to increase the wrapping angle of the flattened roll (recommended ≥ 45°).

• Width out-of-tolerance: Calibrate the parallelism of the guide rollers and check the resolution of the servo drive encoder (≥ 17 bit).

Fifth, cutting-edge technology trends

1. AI adaptive control: Optimize the combination of tension/velocity parameters through machine learning to reduce test waste.

2. Nano Coated Tools: Diamond-like (DLC) coating can extend tool life by up to 3 times conventional ones.

3. Digital twin system: virtual debugging predicts the slitting effect in advance, shortening the changeover time by more than 50%.

Through the integration of the above technologies, the modern ribbon slitting machine can achieve a slitting accuracy of ±0.02mm, which meets the needs of high-end applications such as RFID tags. In the actual selection, the equipment level needs to be matched according to the thickness of the ribbon substrate (commonly 4.5-12 μm) and the capacity requirements.