Founded in 1947, Metlon Corp. (Cranston, RI) provides high-precision slitting capabilities for a wide range of materials including plastic films, papers, metal foils, impregnated fabrics, and laminations of these and other flexible materials. The company serves industries ranging from aeronautics and automotive to wild game control and wire. Its custom-built machines can hold tolerances below ± .001 in.
Metlon's pneumatic edge guides use air from the plant's main compressed air system to execute extremely accurate registration in very narrow width slitting. In the past, moisture built up in the air lines, causing valves and solenoids in the edge guides to rust. "It was a constant problem," recalled Wayne Etchells, Metlon vice president. "At least every other day, one of the machines was down while we took apart and lubricated the valves. And in some cases, we had to replace the valves." The maintenance took about one hour, at an estimated cost of $75/hr in lost productivity.