“Closing the Loop” technology showcase opens eyes to new possibilities
Delta ModTech’s 2018 Technology Showcase was designed to highlight advancements in closed-loop machine technology.
It did, but the two-day event also opened eyes and minds to a world of other opportunities in branding, products and processes.
Every few years, Delta ModTech invites clients and partners to a showcase at its facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This year’s showcase, held 11-12 September, included a morning of guest-speaker presentations followed by an afternoon of facility-wide machine demonstrations.
WELCOME TO DELTA MODTECH
After a brief welcome from the Delta ModTech Leadership team, Michael Lasky kicked off the morning presentations with a topic typically not broached by converters: Branding. While it’s easy for us to get caught up in our products and services, Lasky wisely pointed out that it’s the brand that truly propels your success.
He explained how branding is more than just advertising. “Do you have the guts to make something about your product memorable?” he asked. Lasky also integrated his work as a patent attorney into the presentation, discussing some of the strategies required when building a brand.
PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND PROCESSES: PARTNERS STEP UP
The showcase next switched gears to more tangible topics: Machine technologies and manufacturing processes. Joel Oakes, chief technology officer of Delta ModTech, introduced a series of speakers that helped explain the importance of closing the loop during converting production.
HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATIONS
In the afternoon session, showcase participants toured the Delta ModTech facility, where machines were on display to demonstrate new advancements. The big buzz on the floor: New inline coater/dryer capabilities: The fact that Delta ModTech now allows you to bring coating capabilities in-house got a lot of people thinking, especially when they saw a large coater/dryer connected to a converter/packager. The demonstration showed how the complete process can be run inline. This machine also featured the MOD-Track Vision Inspection system performing both closed loop registration control and product conformance inspection. Frontier’s DynaCoat compact slot die coater/dryer also turned heads.
Laser Die Cutting keeps getting better: A microfluidic part was produced using laser cutting, conventional rotary die tools and the MOD-Track vision system. Multiple layer lamination of registered materials that were both die cut by laser and rotary dies using various slug removal techniques showcased Delta ModTech’s closed loop technology. Cuts done on a flatbed press now have rotary application: Cutting previously restricted to flat presses can now be done on Delta ModTech press, improving flexibility for difficult to handle materials.
Low tension relief: Customers struggling to get their web tension less than a pound were happy to see how their new software and modern servo control now reduce web tension to fractions of a pound.
THE NEXT TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE Delta ModTech’s showcase requires an extensive amount of staff time and facility space to put together. But it has proven to be a worthwhile investment, as it brings converting industry thought leaders together to share ideas and explore new technologies. “It’s really an amazing opportunity to share the new technologies that are pushing the envelope in web converting,” concluded David Schiebout, president and founder of Delta ModTech.