Calender lines

for Plastics production The story of a success FONDERIE ED OFFICINE MECCANICHE RODOLFO COMERIO: founded in 1878 under this company name by Rodolfo Comerio in Busto Arsizio, Italy, considered at that time the Italian capital of textile industry, it started its business exactly with designing and manufacturing calenders and textile padders and since then the Company has come a long way. In the early 1900s Rodolfo’s son, Enrico, expanded the business by designing and manufacturing tooling machines demanded by the military industry grown in Italy in those years. His successor, Rodolfo, had the bright idea to orient the Company towards the current production of machineries, while manufacturing theThe first story calenders of installeda success in Italy for rubber Calenders for plastics processing, supplied to Pirelli Industries in 1925, FONDERIE ED OFFICINE MECCANICHE Rodolfo Comerio is nowadays the oldest and for thermoplastic resins (PVC) processing, RODOLFO COMERIO: founded in 1878 under company in the World specialized in designing supplied to Montencatini Group in 1942. this company name by Rodolfo Comerio in Busto and manufacturing plants for production and Since 1960 Rodolfo’s sons Enrico and Carlo, Arsizio, Italy, considered at that time the Italian lamination of plastics sheets, entirely realized in the current owners and the Company’s fourth capital of textile industry, it started its business Italy, which are matter of pride for the owners, as generation, have definitely worked towards exactly with designing and manufacturing well as for the Company’s partners that will soon increasing the productivity levels, steadily calenders and textile padders and since then the celebrate 150 YEARS OF HISTORY based on updating the adopted technologies and Company has come a long way. two pillars that distinguish the company: strengthening their leadership in these fields. In the early 1900s Rodolfo’s son, Enrico, CONTINUOUS TECHNOLOGICAL In 1981 the company moved to a new modern expanded the business by designing and IMPROVEMENT factory of more than 35,000 sq.m in Solbiate manufacturing tooling machines demanded by MAXIMUM QUALITY of the offered product. Olona, not far from its origins. the military industry grown in Italy in those years. For the plastics field Rodolfo Comerio proposes In the following years their innovation has given His successor, Rodolfo, had the bright idea extremely sturdy calenders to guarantee the rise to a very wide range of products more and to orient the Company towards the current highest productivity, provided with 2, 3, 4 and 5 more worldwide exported, which nowadays production of machineries, while manufacturing 1878 rolls, in “I”, “F” or “L” configuration, suitable for represents the 90% of the company turnover. the first calenders installed in Italy for rubber the production of: processing, supplied to Pirelli Industries in 1925, Clear soft films and for thermoplastic resins (PVC) processing, TODAY Laminated coloured soft and semirigid films supplied to Montencatini Group in 1942. Polished lacquered soft films Since 1960 Rodolfo’s sons Enrico and Carlo, Filled films for flooring the current owners and the Company’s fourth Semirigid and rigid films for printing generation, have definitely worked towards Rigid films for thermoforming Leaderincreasing theplants productivity for plastics levels, steadily Rigid films for pharma updating the adopted technologies and Bi-oriented rigid films for tapes strengtheningand rubber their leadershipindustries in these fields. Mono-oriented rigid films In 19812008, the when company the worldwide moved to aeconomy new modern was Highly clear rigid films affectedfactory of by more a global than 35,000crisis, Rodolfosq.m in ComerioSolbiate succeededOlona, not far infrom overcoming its origins. the difficulties thanksIn the following to its ability years to their renew, innovation to the hasstudy given of newrise totechnologies a very wide rangeand toof productsthe registration more and of verymore importantworldwide patents exported, for thewhich production nowadays of plasticrepresents materials the 90% embossed of the company in register turnover. with the underlying printed pattern In 2012 the Company started dealing with rubber applications other than the ones for tire industry, thus immediately achieving another series of great successes in the field of rubberized fabrics for conveyor belts. Since 2008 the Company has increased by three timesLeader its annual plants turnover for and plastics has consistently andincreased rubber its own industries percentage of calenders Technical information installed all around the World. In 2008, when the worldwide economy was Rodolfo Comerio has been always designing, All the achieved results seem to be affected by a global crisis, Rodolfo Comerio developing and manufacturing its own overshadowed by the latest great success of succeeded in overcoming the difficulties LINES CALENDERING PRODUCED BY calendering lines entirely in Italy by engaging the company, consisting in the manufacture of thanks to its ability to renew, to the study of RODOLFO COMERIO IN THE LAST 10 YEARS more than 1,000 technicians and craftsmen, two huge calenders, the biggest ever realized in new technologies and to the registration of with internal and external staff extremely loyal to the World: a 4-roll calender and a 5-roll calender, very important patents for the production of the Company. having gigantic dimensions, 5,000 mm roll plastic materials embossed in register with the working width, 870 mm roll diameter, 30-ton The most important parts to be machined, underlying printed pattern weight for each roll and more than 60 containers finished and certified by Rodolfo Comerio are In 2012 the Company started dealing with rubber used for the shipment. the calender rolls, the heart of the plant, and applications other than the ones for tire industry, The future, with this huge project combined to them the greatest attention is devoted: they thus immediately achieving another series of with the other already acquired orders covering are made of the most resistant forged steel to great successes in the field of rubberized fabrics almost all the 2017, has driven the company obtain the best transversal sheet profile and the for conveyor belts. to hire many additional resources and to build selected bearings are the ones realized with the Since 2008 the Company has increased by three a new 10,000 sq.m production plant that will highest precision, with inner ring hot ground with times its annual turnover and has consistently enlarge the existing factory. the roll surface, at working temperature, to reach increased its own percentage of calenders a perfect longitudinal profile. installed all around the World. The strength of our calenders are the frames All the achieved results seem to be made of one piece of high thick steel sheet to overshadowed by the latest great success of LINES CALENDERING PRODUCED BY bear, without deforming, the lamination forces the company, consisting in the manufacture of RODOLFO COMERIO IN THE LAST 10 YEARS produced in the roll nip by the calendered two huge calenders, the biggest ever realized in material, as distinct from other manufacturers the World: a 4-roll calender and a 5-roll calender, making use of light composite frames, more having gigantic dimensions, 5,000 mm roll suitable for structures exposed to great working width, 870 mm roll diameter, 30-ton accelerations as on tooling machines. weight for each roll and more than 60 containers used for the shipment. The future, withhas driventhis huge the projectcompany combined to hire withmany the additional other already resources acquired and orders to build covering a new almost10,000 allsq.m the production 2017, has plant driven that the will company enlarge tothe hire existing many factory. additional resources and to build a new 10,000 sq.m production plant that will enlarge the existing factory. 2-Roll, I-shaped calenders 4-Roll, F- or L-shaped These 2-roll calenders are mainly used for the calenders manufacture of products intended to compose substrate layers for flooring and of laminated and The queen of the Rodolfo Comerio calenders reinforced films for insulation. has been built few hundreds of times in 70 years, The technology applied to these calenders each one including small or great innovation allows to reach very high quality also during respect to the previous one and all still perfectly production of very thick materials, up to 3 mm. operating in every part of the world. The features distinguishing these Rodolfo In 2016, as crowning achievement of this Comerio’s lines are the utmost ease of operation, success, the biggest 4-roll, F-shaped the perfect control of settings, the precision calender of the world was delivered with of the finished product obtained through a rolls having astonishing dimensions: roll thickness gauge directly installed on the calender diameter of 870 mm and width of 5,000 mm. roll and the use of also two calenders placed in Application of these calenders is mainly for all sequence to reach the maximum thickness and calenderable products, soft or rigid (the latter to laminate a fabric reinforcement between the especially for the L-shaped calenders), thin and two sheets. thick, for single sheet or laminated films. The technology applied to these calenders allows to obtain sheets of very good quality with thickness that can go below 0.1 mm. Rodolfo Comerio designed and realized, especially for these calenders, several solutions to quickly change calender rolls 3 and 4 in the exceptional time of only 4 hours, besides the needed time to cool and heat the rolls, that allow to remove them laterally for their substitution, or to leave them on the side of the line after being rotated, or finally by replacing them with another couple of rolls, which is ready on the same carriage receiving the extracted ones.

3-Roll, I- or F-shaped 5-Roll, F- or L-shaped calenders calenders Application of these 5-roll calenders is mainly These 3-roll calenders are mainly used for the for the manufacturing of top-quality products manufacture of products intended to compose that cannot accept compromises, such as substrate layers for flooring, as well as of rigid those intended for the rigid film industry, for PVC sheets for packaging. the production of credit cards, for which it is The technology applied to these calenders essential that the two faces of the sheet have the allows to produce materials of high quality down same roughness values to guarantee an identical to a minimum thickness up to 0.2 mm. printability on both sides; those of the packaging The inclined “I” shape is the most suitable for industry, for which quality requires the perfect rigid and thin films, whereas the “F” shape, a transparency of the product and those for the novelty of Rodolfo Comerio recently designed adhesive tapes industry, for which the specific and realized for an American customer to treatment of PVC-E with “Luvitherm” process - facilitate the formation of the bank between rolls is required a greater number of laminations. 2 and 3, is the most suitable for soft, thick and The material thickness can range without filled materials. any problem between the minimum and the Rodolfo Comerio proposes these state-of-the- maximum. art calendering lines that allow to save one roll for “F” configuration is the most suitable for rigid all the plants, which do not require the production films for credit cards having medium thicknesses, of extremely thin films or that are intended to while the “L” shape is more appropriate for thick produce reinforced films, since a very accurate clear sheets and thin materials used for adhesive device for material feeding between rolls 1 and 2 tapes. has been studied and developed to guarantee a In 2016, Rodolfo Comerio, proving once again small and homogeneous feeding bank. its inventiveness, manufactured the biggest 5-roll, F-shaped calender of the world with rolls having astonishing dimensions: roll diameter of 870 mm and width of 5,000 mm, provided with take-off and stretching unit that can be quickly positioned after the 4th or 5th roll allowing a double use of the calender thus giving wider production possibilities. Post-Calenders for smooth Unwinders and Winders and embossed films Rodolfo Comerio has optimized and adopted, for its own calendering lines, unwinders Rodolfo Comerio is universally known for the and winders, modern techniques of design, excellence of its devices placed after the last innovative manufacturing and assembly calender roll for the detachment of the sheet and systems, rigorous search of raw materials and its gradual cooling. components, special attention to the details and Take-off and stretching unit: it is not cutting-edge technology. easy to develop and improve a unit, created Automatic unwinders, for reel change without immediately effective since the beginning, but the intervention of the operator, provided with each new project is a continuous step forward automatic reel loading into the unwinder, towards perfection. The last great novelty of expanding shaft introduction systems and its constant improvement is the independent execution of the splice “on-the-fly” at line speed. drive of each take-off roll allowing the operator Automatic winders, having the possibility to choose the best way to detach the sheet to wind one or more reels on the same shaft from the calender roll. and materials with very low or high tensions, Embosser: equipped with all the features to provided with automatic cutting and threading- obtain the best product, such as the inner up device for very thin or thick materials, reel construction of embossing and rubber rolls, unloading from the winder and expanding the rubber type of the rubber roll, its cooling shaft extraction. through immersion into a thermoregulated water tray, and finally the fast roll change, Line attachments available in various executions to reduce the For maintenance purpose each calender required time up to 1 minute, without stopping can be provided with devices able to speed it up the production. For cleaning and treatment of the roll Take-off from embosser: characterized by surface polishing and sand-blasting devices the same features of the take-off and stretching are installed on the calender, whereas rollers unit with the addition of a customized design, covered with special fabric lean against the for each customer, of the best position of the take-off rolls to remove condensate deposit. first take-off roll as to the engraved roll of the For roll change the calender, take-off embosser. unit and embossing unit can be provided Cooling unit: in execution of driven and with different devices for roll change having thermoregulated standard units of 4 rolls that different degrees of rapidity. can be combined together according to the customer’s needs.

Pre-Calender for laminated Electrical equipment films Rodolfo Comerio gives value to the electrical Rodolfo Comerio has developed, in collaboration equipment through its systems aimed to automatically with its clients many devices, which complete adjust the feeding, the positioning, the the calender, custom-designed based on control and the safety of the rolls. specific requirements of customization. • RC BANK CONTROLSystem The uncountable realizations made to supply This system keeps constant and uniform the best solution to every necessity are the the material bank quantity between the confirmation of this versatility. calender rolls, by adjusting the quantity Joining systems, manual or automatic, to and the homogeneous distribution join the tail of a reel coming to its end with the between stock-guides, by means of thermoCCD head of the new reel, are numerous depending cameras with feedback to extruder, speed and on the type of material to be laminated: PVC oscillation movement of fixed and swiveling belt. sheets, open or closed fabrics, non-woven • Material thickness measuring devices or glass fibre materials, nets or meshes of all This system measures and keeps accurate the kinds. thickness, by means of scanning heads for the Accumulators, necessary in case of manual measurement of the sheets produced between joining, are also manufactured according to the the calender rolls and for the downstream type and the weight of material to be laminated total thickness measuring. Measuring source consisting in dancer rolls, roller accumulators, of this system can be laser, compressed air, J-Box. ultrasonic or radioactive source. Preheaters are studied based on the fabric to • RC RUN SAFE PACK - GAP control system be dehumidified or the film to be preheated, and Rolls anti-collision system by using the suitable number and size of IR- This pack guarantees an accurate and constant heater units and rolls. thickness of the sheet (RC GAPSystem) and Laminating units, which are also positioned avoids unforeseen contact between the calender and realized with the most suitable features rolls (RC ROLLS SAFESystem), by performing its depending on the final product, can be fast opening, through an electronic control of the installed in contact with the last calender roll rolls position carried out by hydraulic cylinders or at the outlet of the take-off rolls depending through proportional control valves adjusting the if the lamination is to be performed on the position twice every 0.01 sec. and high precision bottom or on top of the calendered film. electronic position transducers. Leader since 1878 Rodolfo Comerio S.r.l. Via 4 Novembre, 165 - 21058 Solbiate Olona (VA) ITALY Tel. +39 0331 641680 - Fax +39 0331 641666 [email protected] www.comerio.it

COMPANY WITH QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFIED BY IIP :

Associated: Version: 9/10/2019 Version: