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Q: In a nutshell, explain the role of web guiding.
Jonozzo: Web guiding's fundamental role is to enable converters and printers to process various substrates and materials at the highest speeds possible for their particular machine's capabilities. A web guide handles the inherent physical irregularities present in webs (telescope, offset, baggy edge, etc.); the machine's imperfect roll alignment; and mitigates any other outside influences that can impart a steering component into the web to enable the web to be corrected to the converter's desired position for that specific operation. In short, web guides exist because materials, processes and machines are not perfect.
Marks: The role of a web guide is to constantly and consistently align a continuous web of material to a specific point via a sensor prior to a converting process. Although actual web guiding can differ from one application to another, essentially all web guiding controls use the same "closed loop circuit" principles.
The actual location of the web is determined by a sensor, which relays the input signal to a controller. The controller will compare the actual position of the web to the specified set position. If misalignment is detected, a correction signal is sent to the web guide to properly align the web to its intended position instantaneously. A properly guided web will minimize web alignment deviations, resulting in...