Calender Knives

Alcon Post #9

Tool Highlight

367 Calender Knife

Tire, rubber, and polymer producing companies use calender knives (see picture above, and Item 5 in schematic at the bottom) in the early stages of rubber or polymer production. After the polymer material is mixed to the required chemistry, it is next run through a calender to reduce the thickness to finished, or near finished thickness, using two or more horizontal cylindrical rolls. Calender knives are used to cut a strip of rubber or polymer from the roll for further processing downstream. Because the cylindrical rolls are expensive, the knives are sacrificed to prevent scoring (or grooving) the rolls. The knives are designed to be softer than the rolls and do not rotate. Rotation would promote scoring. Hence the need for pinholes in most calender knives. The knives are supplied sharp and as they become dull a "flat" is produced on the edge that becomes the bearing surface. As each blade becomes too dull to cut, the blade is unbolted from the handle (Item 4), indexed or rotated by hand to the next available sharp spot, and re-bolted to the handle.

2400-3 Calender Knife Carrier

Shown above is the calender knife carrier (also Item 3 in the schematic sketch below). The carrier performs several duties. It is adjustable along the calender bar (Item 2), supports the handle (Item 4), that carries the knife (Item 5) and contains the pressure adjusting the screw (Item 7). As shown in the schematic, the knife contacts the calender roll below the center of the roll. This aides in keeping the knife in the cut.

Calender Knife Bar Assembly - from our catalog

View a video about calender knives on our YouTube channel by clicking on the link: Calender Knife YouTube Video

If you have any questions, please call our customer service department at (330) 773-9171. 


Our catalog options shown on our website:

Alcon's Calender Knives Selection & Custom Ordering

565 Lafollette St, Akron, OH 44311

 (330) 773-9171

  Visit our website at www.alcontool.com

YouTube: Alcon Tool Company

Sleeves & Slitters

Alcon Post #8

Tool Highlight

Sleeve - inside view

Sleeve - outside view

Sleeves and slitters work together to reduce -or, in industry terminology, "convert"- wide rolls of material into narrower strips. Generally, the material from the original roll is unwinds, travels over a shaft mounted with sleeves, is slit (cut), then rewound onto cores for use by the end customer/consumer. Materials that involve this method of cutting include thin paper, film, and foil.

The slitter (knives) are mounted in holders that accommodate bearings allowing the slitter to walk along the rotating sleeve. Slitters cut with pressure through a radiused edge. While a sharp edge would ship quickly, producing a jagged cut as well as scoring of the sleeve, a radiused edge performs optimally for clean, consistent cutting performance.

Sleeves require a higher hardness than the slitters thereby sacrificing the less-expensive slitter, which can be easily replaced and/or resharpened. Replacing dull knives with properly radiused ones takes only minutes while replacing entire sleeves that need reconditioned can require hours or days in total.

All Alcon sleeves are through-hardened, which permits regrinding. Regrinding extends the life of the sleeve itself which means savings for your company. Eventually, all sleeves need to be reground due to the scoring (or grooving) of the sleeves. Alcon can perform this service as well and return the sleeve surface to its original condition and can match a set of sleeves to the same diameter within .001-inch.

To achieve optimal tool life and cutting profile, and to best-fit the specific cutting application, slitters can be manufactured from a variety of steels and materials. Alcon is prepared and capable of producing the slitters that you need to the exact specifications that you require.

Slitter - top & side views

Check out our Youtube video about Sleeves and Slitters by clicking on the link below:

Sleeve and Slitter YouTube video

565 Lafollette St, Akron, OH 44311

 (330) 773-9171

  Visit our website at www.alcontool.com

YouTube: Alcon Tool Company

DMG NLX Machine

Alcon Post #7

Machine Highlight

At Alcon we use our DMG NLX lathe primarily for turning bars and producing pivot pins for earth moving equipment. The NLX size limits are: rounds up to 14" diameter and lengths up to 49". By using the steady rest, it allows us to machine bars with a high length-to-diameter ratio. The live tooling helps us perform additional operations that would typically be accomplished on other equipment, promoting efficiency and holding down costs.

Click below to view a video that explains what the NLX machine does and why we use it here at Alcon by clicking on the link below:

Click to view YouTube video about our NLX

565 Lafollette St, Akron, OH 44311

 (330) 773-9171

  Visit our website at www.alcontool.com

YouTube: Alcon Tool Company

Pivot Pins

Alcon Post #6

Tool Highlight

"Dry" 1.75 x 6.13” Pin

"Wet" Pin

Alcon manufactures lots of pivot pins for earth moving equipment and heavy machinery. These pins are typically used in coupler and machine joints. Pins require high tensile strength alloy steel and can be induction hardened to improve wear resistance. We produce what are referred to as "wet" and "dry" pins, per customer request. "Dry" pins are lubricated through zerk fittings attached to the coupler or machine arm, whereas "wet" pins have a deep hole drilled along the center axis with a small cross hole located midway along the length. The zerk fitting on wet pins is installed in one end of each pin.

Pins are just one of many products that Alcon regularly produces. Visit our website to learn more and contact us today!

565 Lafollette St, Akron, OH 44311

 (330) 773-9171

  Visit our website at www.alcontool.com

YouTube: Alcon Tool Company