Butler Automatic, the inventor and global producer of automatic splicing solutions, has developed an enhanced register sensor for new and existing SP1 Automatic Film Splicers. The new register sensor improves upon the previous sensor’s accuracy and reliability, and features software that more precisely controls the splice position, thereby reducing packaging film waste.
The register sensor in the SP1 Automatic Film Splicer uses registration marks on the film to provide an automatic, in-registration butt splice. In doing so, the splicer provides the downstream process with a consistent product pitch or imprint spacing, eliminating the need for re-registering the film in the process after a splice. The register sensor is important to minimizing film waste.
Butler’s new register sensor delivers a wider range of sensing and is reliable in distinguishing between similar colors than the prior generation. As a result, manufacturers are now able to have print across the full width of the film, even when the print is similar in color to the black register marks.
Although the prior design required the operator to physically relocate the sensor in the in-web direction when adjusting between products of different length or pitch, the new control software allows the operator to achieve the same result simply by entering an offset value on the touchscreen user interface. This enhancement allows operators to more easily locate the splice in different positions on the final product.
The new register sensor is available as an option on any new Butler SP1 Automatic Splicer. It is available for retrofit with any Butler SP1 Splicer that shipped with the factory-installed Bi-Directional Registered Splice. In these machines, it provides the full functionality when installed as a retrofit. The retrofit includes replacement of the sensor head with the new head and amplifier, and upgraded controls and user interface software to support the registration offset functionality. Customers with older splicers who desire improved resolution can contact the Butler Service and Parts Department to check for retrofit compatibility.
