Air Turning Bar Solutions for Non-Contact Web Handling
Air turning bars allow a moving web to change direction while floating on a thin cushion of air. This non-contact support prevents scratching, contamination, and distortion, making them essential for sensitive films, coated substrates, and high-speed converting lines.
What Are Air Turning Bars & How Do They Work?
Air turning bars are non-contact web handling devices that redirect a moving web while supporting it on a thin cushion of air. Instead of sliding across a solid roller surface, the web floats over precision-drilled air holes that create a controlled air film between the material and the bar. Compressed air is evenly distributed across the surface, allowing the web to change direction and be redirected at angles from 30° to 180° without mechanical contact. This reduces friction, prevents surface scratching, minimizes contamination, and helps maintain web tension and dimensional stability. Air turning bars are especially valuable for sensitive films, coated substrates, and high-speed converting applications where surface integrity is critical. We use a perforated surface to create a controlled air layer between the bar and the web.
Benefits of Modular Air Turning Bars
By floating the web on a controlled cushion of air, they help maintain tension stability and dimensional integrity through directional changes. Their modular design allows flexible integration into a wide range of machine layouts and web widths. With no rotating contact components at the turning point, they also reduce mechanical wear and ongoing maintenance requirements.
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No Tension Limitations
Standard roll construction allows for use in mid-to high-tension applications. A special design is also available for low-tension applications.
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No Speed Limitations
Our air turn bars can be engineered to operate within any speed range.
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Easy Installation
Many units can be assembled and aligned before shipping, minimizing equipment downtime. Simply bolt them down and you’re ready to operate.
Web Orientation Options with Air Turn Bars
Air turning bars allow a moving web to change direction while floating on a thin cushion of air. This non-contact support prevents scratching, contamination, and distortion, making them essential for sensitive films, coated substrates, and high-speed converting lines.
Modular Web Solutions offers low drag Air Turn Bars to turn the web 90° opposite side up, 90° same side up, reverse direction-same side up, same direction-opposite side up, vertical or horizontal arrangement and offset web. Our air turn bars fit above or below other machinery, minimizing any need for additional machine length.
Our designs are ideal for:
- Protecting delicate coatings
- Preventing scratches on optical or decorative films
- Managing web paths in tight machine layouts
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