E&R specifies Vetaphone for Innovation and Application Centre

E&R, formerly known as Emerson & Renwick, and one of the UK’s leading engineering companies in printing and coating, has installed Vetaphone corona treatment technology at its Innovation and Application Centre in Burnley, Lancashire.

Founded in 1918, E&R has a proven track record for developing new equipment for emerging technologies and refinements to existing processes across a variety of market sectors. 

‘We moved into the automotive market in 1991 with our heat exchanger technology, which coincided with our first ISO accreditation,’ said E&R’s sales director Andrew Jack. ‘Ten years later, following an acquisition, we took on the design and manufacture of specialized coating and lamination equipment, and most recently, we further diversified into vacuum coating technology and created our highly specialized Genesis line of coaters.’

Now much diversified and with a reputation for innovation and engineering excellence, E&R sought to add ancillary equipment manufacturers to its list of accredited suppliers.  As a pioneer of engineering technology, the company looked to find kindred spirits among other companies and a longstanding friendship between Andrew Jack and Kevin McKell, chief sales officer at Vetaphone, encouraged E&R to investigate what the Danish manufacturer of surface treatment had to offer.

‘I was aware of its long history in surface treatment but didn’t know it invented the corona process. Vetaphone’s knowledge and expertise is second to none in this sector so the decision to form a cooperative partnership with them was straightforward,’ said Jack. ‘We both understand the importance of investment in product development, from a reliability point of view and also the facility to react quickly to changes in market demand.’

Beginning in 2019 with the installation of a Vetaphone ‘A’ station Corona treater on its Pilot Coating Line, E&R subsequently added one of the more recently developed Vetaphone Web Cleaners to its in-house facility. 

McKell said: ‘We developed the Web Cleaner in response to demand from the narrow web sector where our corona treaters have the market share majority.  The design ensures that any dry unattached particle, as small as one micron, is efficiently removed from the web, and provides a clean substrate surface for corona treating and further processes.’

Available for single- or double-sided operation in web widths from 350 – 570mm with operational speeds of up to 250m/min, the Vetaphone Web Cleaner is simple to service and maintain with the added advantage that its control can be integrated with of the Vetaphone Corona treater for improved ergonomics. 

 ‘It seemed sensible to test the Web Cleaner initially on our Pilot Coater so we could monitor its reliability and performance,’ said Jack. ‘It quickly proved to be successful, so we decided to use it on a production Coater that is producing touch panel displays, where it is running in combination with a Vetaphone Corona treater.  Both systems are working very well, and we are delighted with them.

‘We believe that versatility, reliability, and repeatability have helped us become very competitive in diverse market sectors. Looking ahead, we need to maintain attention to detail in all we do, and that includes working closely with ancillary suppliers like Vetaphone to integrate technology and maximize efficiency.’