KTI and Maxcess demo integrated finishing at Loupe

KTI and Maxcess have announced a technology partnership to demonstrate an integrated automated finishing line at Loupe Americas 2026 in Rosemont, Illinois, running live at KTI booth 840 across all three show days.

The demonstration combines three systems in a complete unwind-to-slit-to-rewind workflow. The KTI ZC Series Cantilever Butt Splicer feeds the line, handling rolls up to 60 inches in diameter and 1,000 pounds at speeds up to 1,000 fpm, with an integrated festoon enabling zero-speed butt splicing at process line speed with no overlap. The Maxcess Tidland SmartSlit automated slitting system sits between the splicer and rewinder, automating knife positioning for shear, crush and razor slitting applications, with stored job patterns and grouped knife adjustment to reduce manual changeover time. The KTI MTR Series Turret Rewinder closes the line, handling web widths up to 22 inches and roll diameters up to 16 inches at transfer speeds up to 750 fpm, with optional automated core loading and a tension-control dancer for precise roll structure during transfer.

The SmartSlit system also integrates a Fife web guide for automatic web positioning, controlled directly from the SmartSlit HMI, removing a further manual adjustment step from the changeover process.

'Our goal with this system is to show converters what becomes possible when we look at the entire finishing process rather than one machine at a time,' said Angie Oster, president of KTI. 'By combining KTI's unwind and automated turret-rewinding technology with Maxcess' SmartSlit system, we can demonstrate a solution designed to reduce manual intervention, shorten setup and changeover times, and keep material moving through the converting process more efficiently.'