The advent of digital presses, with their fast turnaround time and sheet formats, brought new challenges for specialty paper, film and board converter Connemara Converting (Bolingbrook, IL). Suppliers of substrates used for digital presses were asking for custom sheet sizes and sheet quantities to be delivered in 48 hrs. Managers wanted to meet the burgeoning demand for digital-format sheets with cut sizes of 12 x 18 in. Connemara president Charles Connolly also wanted to be able to produce and deliver large-format sheets (65 x 81 in.). His two existing sheeters, a SHM 1700 and a Valmet TSK, both of which produced a maximum sheet size of 56 x 64 in., couldn't provide them.

“Many of our customers are investing in new printing presses which have far greater demands on sheet quality control such as dimensional tolerance and squareness, flatness and mark-free surfaces,” Connolly said. “If the sheeting results do not match the technical specification provided by the press manufacturers, the press owner will not reach the full output and quality potential of his investment. With this in mind, we are determined to ensure that our services fully meet the present and future demands of our customers.”

It was time for a new sheeter. And after doubling its facility size to 180,000 sq ft, the company certainly had the room. Although content with his two current sheeters, Connolly decided that this time he would locally source his new sheeter. He hoped that being able to drive rather than fly overseas to see how the machine was being built, and testing the machine and making changes if necessary, would make for an easier process. “It would save lead time and anxiety,” Connolly said.

He began his search in the spring of 2006 for a sheeter that had the flexibility to create a range of sizes, had twin blades and the ability to cleanly cut thicker boards.

Marquip Ward United's (www.barry-wehmillerco.com) Sheet Wizard™—the first sheeter Marquip has made for the converting industry—fit the bill. “I liked its robustness,” Connolly explained. Before the Sheet Wizard, Marquip had only made sheeters for paper mills. “(Marquip) geared it down to converting size versus mill size,” Connolly added.

The Sheet Wizard's dual rotary knife technology gave Connemara the capability to produce the large-format sheets it was looking for, complementing the two existing sheeters. Connemara also added a Pemco 66 automatic ream-wrapping line to handle the digital format sheets.

Not only can the sheeter produce a range of sheets, from large-format to digital, its sheeting head is able to provide excellent cut quality up to 1,000 gsm, Connolly said.

In addition, the machine's newly developed sheet delivery and stacking system allows the sheeter to run paper and board grades at speeds up to 1,100 fpm with little or no marking. The decurler actually decurls in three stages, proving a less aggressive action which eliminates surface marking and cracking.

The Sheet Wizard also has cut-to-register-mark sheeting capacity, plus cross-cut knives can be sharpened without removing them from the machine for faster knife maintenance and reduced downtime. The PC central control system lets operators save key operating settings and allows Marquip technicians to monitor and manage the machine remotely, providing 24-hour, daily support.

Not that Connolly has to travel that far to get assistance. Marquip's facility is just a few hours drive north to Phillips, WI, and it has service technicians in Chicago as well. Due to the short distance, Connolly also was able to see the first Sheet Wizard (Connemara has the second) being made and was able to test some of its materials on the machine. Liking what he saw, Connolly decided on the Marquip sheeter and it was installed in January. Within a month, Marquip had assembled the sheeter and trained the operators.

“Deciding to purchase locally has made the process more seamless,” Connolly concludes.

Not only was the purchasing process easier this time around, the new sheeter also met all the technical requirements. “(The Marquip sheeter) allows us to supply to our customers with customized sheets quickly, at a competitive price,” Connolly says. “The key is having the right materials, machinery and facility in order to service customers right away. Thus, we are able to change along with our customers' needs.”

Together with the large-format and digital-sized sheets, Connemara also inventories a wide range of grades, basis weights/calipers and master roll widths to accommodate a custom sheet size or slit-roll size. The new sheeter's cut-to-register-mark function now allows Connemara to provide cut-to-mark sheeting services as well.

These new capabilities join other services offered at Connemara, including slitting/rewinding, retail roll rewinding, guillotine cutting and ream rewinding.

For more photos, see this article's expanded version online at www.convertingmagazine.com