A major producer of pressure-sensitive materials has recently benefited from using the CR3 Core Saver from Goldenrod Corporation, maker of web handling components for film and sheet plastic converting. The CR3 Core Saver makes fast work of repairing crushed cardboard cores for large converting operations, getting the job done quickly and economically. One person can fix a roll in 15 to 25 minutes with no loss of production. 
 
This innovative tool fixes shipping damage, storage damage and damage caused to stock by inexperienced material handlers. It has proven invaluable to this materials-producing customer in the process of converting large rolls of pressure sensitive materials and distributing them to label houses along the West Coast.

The unit earns its purchase price after saving just one roll from being scrapped. With users having to deal with as many as 15 damaged rolls a day, the time and cost savings add up fast.

“The customer told us the CR3 paid for itself several times over within hours of delivery,” said David Sullivan, vice president of sales for Goldenrod. “The day it arrived they repaired numerous rolls in less than three hours.”

In addition to being easy to use, the CR3 is safer to operate than heavy, traditional hydraulic core-saver devices that require two people to safely carry them and hold them in place. Weighing less than 30 pounds, the pneumatically operated CR3 Core Saver is easily handled by one person; for added safety, the unit has a handguard to eliminate pinch points for the operator.

The operator begins the pneumatic repair process by attaching the unit to shop air using the CR3’s quarter-inch quick-connect fitting. The unit produces up to 16,000 lbs (7272 kg) of thrust from an 86 psi/9 bar air supply. Tapered pneumatic jaws are then easily slipped into the damaged core. When the operator turns on the flow of air, a small tire on the unit inflates, expanding the jaws and restoring the core to its original shape. A shaft or pair of chucks can then be easily inserted. 
 
Goldenrod designed the CR3 to repair 3” ID cores straight out of the box. Available bolt-on adapters allow the CR3 to restore 4″, 5″, 6″, 6.75″, 8″ and 10″ cores as well, providing a round, firm result for a core that can go immediately back into service.
 
“Our customer no longer had to run badly damaged rolls on tapered cones, causing tension issues across the whole web,” said Steven Pretto, owner of Goldenrod. “With the CR3 on hand, our customer is putting rolls back into action with standard expanding unwind chucks.” There are still times where other types of roll damage mandates running at slower speeds, but with the CR3, companies can run a majority of their products at full speed.
 
Goldenrod Corporation has decades of experience in designing and manufacturing top-quality core shafts and core chucks worldwide. That expertise has now been applied to creating a simple, strong, easy-to-use solution for restoring the cardboard cores to which those shafts and chucks are applied. And like all Goldenrod products, the CR3 is designed to stay in service for the long term with minimal maintenance.