Gleicher offers slit rolls with precise widths and tight tolerances across a range of materials. This includes adhesive tapes, films, foams, and specialty materials, as well as reclosable fastening systems such as VELCRO® Brand products. As a 3M Preferred Converter with over 75 years of converting experience, we also work extensively with VELCRO® Brand Fasteners. This allows us to deliver consistent, production-ready results across both adhesive and reclosable fastening applications.
What is slitting and rewinding?
Slitting and rewinding refers to a converting service that takes large rolls and cuts them into narrower widths. Once this is done, the material is rewound onto cores and supplied as individual finished rolls that meet your requirements.
The process involves unwinding a roll of material that is supplied by the raw material manufacturer at a given width. Slitting machinery has a bank of precision cutting blades which use a process of related cutting and winding. This means narrow webs, sometimes manyat a time, are created from the original roll or width of material. These narrower sub-webs are then rewound onto smaller cores to produce manageable distribution rolls or spools for production use.
Our slitting and rewinding facilities:
We work with a range of flexible converting materials which are supported by the same materials library that is used across our die cutting and slitting operations.
The materials we slit and rewind include:
- Self-adhesive tapes including single-coated and double coated
- Foam tapes and gasket goods such as PORON, and BISCO foams.
- Hook and loop fasteners including VELCRO Brand Fasteners and related products
- Polyester, polyimide, and other specialty films Paper and film based release liners
- Multi-layer laminates that are produced in-house
If you have a material that has not been slit before, or you expect it may present challenges, you can send us a sample for review. We will assess it and discuss suggested solutions based on your application and processing requirements.
Industries served with our slitting and rewinding services
Many production processes rely on slit materials that are supplied in narrow pancake rolls. Applications cover a range of industries and these include:
- Electronics: Narrow-width tapes support display bonding, EMI shielding, component attachment in electronics manufacturing, where precision is vital for small parts.
- Medical: Slit materials are used in the production of diagnostic equipment and wearable health devices.
- Aerospace, marine and defence: Slit tapes and films are used for composite layup and surface protection, with strict requirements regarding traceability in material sources.
- Construction and Industrial: Slit materials are mostly used for sealing, bonding, joining, gasketing and assembly applications across a range of products.
- Transportation: Use of slit adhesive tapes and foams for automobile interior trim attachment, wire harness wrapping and NVH damping by auto manufacturers and tier suppliers.
Why are we better than other slit and rewind providers?
When it comes to slitting and rewinding, precision, consistency, and material knowledge are what matter.
- Experience and material expertise: With over 75years of converting experience, we understand how different materials behave during the slitting process. This allows us to maintain tight tolerances and consistent roll quality across production runs.
- Precision and consistency: We deliver slit rolls with accurate widths and repeatable results, whether you are working with adhesives, films, foams, or reclosable fastening systems such as VELCRO® Brand Fasteners.
- Integrated capabilities: Our in-house capabilities, including die cutting, laser cutting, and lamination, allow us to support projects beyond slitting when required, reducing the need to manage multiple suppliers.
As a 3M Preferred Converter, and Platinum VELCRO® Distributor and Converter, we bring a strong understanding of both adhesive and fastening systems into the slitting process.
Frequently asked questions about slitting and rewinding services
What is slitting and rewinding?
Slitting and rewinding is a converting process that cuts wide master rolls of material into narrower widths and winds them onto individual cores or spools. The result is finished rolls at the exact width and diameter your production process requires.
What is a slitting service?
A slitting service converts bulk rolls of flexible materials, including tapes, films, foams, and laminates, into custom widths. Service providers like Gleicher maintain multiple slitting methods and equipment configurations to handle different materials and tolerance requirements.
What is slitting used for?
Slitting converts standard-width rolls into the custom widths that manufacturers need for their specific applications. Common uses include producing narrow tape rolls for automated dispensing, cutting film to width for packaging operations, and preparing materials for further converting steps like die cutting or laminating.
What materials can be slit and rewound?
Most flexible materials can be slit and rewound, including adhesive tapes, films, foams, hook and loop fasteners, release liners, transfer adhesives, and multi-layer laminates. The slitting method used depends on the material's thickness, construction, and edge-quality requirements.
Start your slitting and rewinding project
Contact us to discuss your slitting and rewinding requirements. Whether you need a single prototype roll or ongoing production quantities, we'll work with you to determine the right slitting method, tolerances, and specifications for your application.
