Control of the web lateral position and slope by employing spatially dependent transfer functions

Abstract

In this work, we employ a non-dimensional state space representation of the spatially dependent lateral transfer functions to study web lateral position behavior in response to lateral displacement and rotation of the guide roller as inputs. In particular, we will show that controlling the web lateral position and slope requires independently controlling the rotation and translation of the guide roller. We will discuss how the spatially dependent lateral transfer functions and measurements from several edge sensors may be utilized to obtain an estimate of the web slope. We will also discuss control strategies for controlling both web lateral position and slope and attenuation of lateral disturbances. We will provide results from numerical simulations of representative guiding situations to support the developments and discussions. This study is particularly relevant for high-precision lateral regulation within the span that may be required for emerging R2R applications in flexible and hybrid electronics such as nanoimprinting, printing, and deposition processes.