Controller provides stable web tension at low cost

Wichita Clutch has two new additions to its MCS2000 range of tension controllers.

Wichita Clutch has two new additions to its MCS2000 range of tension controllers.

MCS2000-POT is a potentiometer-regulated tension controller designed for low-cost entry to the market.

An analogue device for maintaining stable web tension during a converting operation, it enables a first-time tension control user to save over fifty percent of the cost of buying and commissioning one of the more complex digital controllers from the MCS2000 range.

Working in open-loop configuration, MCS2000-POT receives input from a scalable ultrasonic sensor monitoring the change in diameter of the unwind or rewind reel on the converting machinery.

Setting up the controller is straightforward, requiring only a few button presses, and displays are also kept to a minimum - a moving bar array to show the output signal voltage to the brake driver, and LEDs to indicate the status of the 'fast stop', 'hold' and 'brake off' functions.

A switch on the MCS2000-POT allows the brake on the machine to be operated remotely during loading and unloading of reels, and another switch serving the same purpose is situated adjacent to the brake.

The second newcomer to the MCS2000 line-up is the MCS2000-22, an upgrade to the MCS2000-11 version.

Like its predecessor, the MCS2000-22 is a digital tension controller that can be used with load-cell, dancer arm and ultrasonic sensor inputs.

Enhancements include increased adjustment rate of the set-points to enable faster set-up, a display that shows average rather than constantly-fluctuating values to make assimilating data at a glance easier, and a manual operating mode.

Back to top