Project: S.M.R.E. has seen a trend in end customers requiring an integrated multiple roll fabric bonding and cutting solution in a continuous flow. S.M.R.E. has extensive knowledge of bonding and of cutting technologies. With the SM-450-SA system the challenge was to integrate both technologies in a high speed, continuous production process.

The first machine was developed for a European company, renowned manufacturer of quality pool covers in various plastics and non-woven fabrics. In little over 4 months S.M.R.E. designed, built and installed a high speed, continuous welding and cutting machine with an extremely high output of pool covers in various, symmetrical shapes, ranging from very large ellipses, to circles, squares and rectangles, even "peanut" shapes.

The machine integrates three powerful motorized unwinding systems that continuously check that the fabric is being fed correctly into the machine and, if necessary, automatically correct the position of the roll. A conveyor cutting machine with a twin conveyor belt pulls the fabric off of the rolls. Two hot air welding heads transform up to three separate rolls into one single sheet. Twin CO² lasers cut the newly formed sheets of fabric as it passes through the cutting frame. The last part of the machine is a motorized rewinding station. With a total width of almost 8 meters, this station is able to rewind the newly formed extra large sheets of bubble wrap and non-woven fabric created by the hot air joining of the individual rolls at the head of the machine.

SM-450-SA is available in two versions. SM-450-SA-STATIC has a static surface and a travelling grip-and-pull system for fabric transport. This machine is used when the end products are of limited length. The conveyor belt version SM-450-SA-CONV is the solution for end products of unlimited dimensions.

Since installing the first machine S.M.R.E. has developed the integration of multiple bonding and cutting technologies to perfection and is now able to offer custom made solutions to bond and/or cut multiple rolls of technical and industrial fabrics with hot air technology and a wide range of cutting solutions, ranging from cold blades to laser.

SM-450-SA can be used for any application in which multiple rolls are to be bonded, then cut.