On a roll

The Leighton Buzzard subcontract manufacturing specialists recently acquired two divisions of A.T Roberts, a company that has been producing rollers, cylinders, shafts and precision roller tubes for the print, packaging and converting sectors for decades.

Hone-All has been supplying A.T Roberts for over 20 years with bespoke steel and aluminium rollers manufactured to the exact demands of the end user. As part of the acquisition, Hone-All has taken ownership of A.T Roberts’ plant and staff expertise to underpin the subcontractor’s growth ambitions.

Hone-All is a specialist provider of deep hole boring, deep hole drilling, gundrilling, CNC turning and CNC honing services up to a maximum of 4m in length. The company also specialises in precision and thin wall tube manufacture, which is a key area for the print sector. This expertise ensures that existing A.T Roberts customers will benefit from the enhanced customer service levels and manufacturing expertise that Hone-All can provide.

For tier one and two companies and the subcontract print, packaging and converting markets, Hone-All has set up a subcontract service for balancing and straightening existing rollers that may be worn or out of balance.

By taking delivery of two specialised machines – a dynamic balancing machine and a straightening press from A.T Roberts – Hone-All has positioned itself as a leading subcontract supplier of shaft straightening and balancing for the print and packaging industry. So, for print, packaging and converting companies looking for a high quality service that will get machines back to efficient production with minimal downtime, Hone-All offers a fast turnaround roller servicing package that will precisely straighten, balance and even coat rollers to an as-new condition.

“By diversifying into the provision of a subcontract dynamic balancing and straightening service, we have already noted a significant uptake for the service from sectors such as the automotive and rotor industries,” observes Hone-All director, Andrea Rodney. “This is because Hone-All is renowned for its quality, service and customer support and this reputation has immediately resulted in the company winning business from a range of industries.

“However, the key focus for Hone-All with these machines is the print and packaging sectors and we would be delighted to demonstrate our services to interested companies.

Historically, A.T Roberts has been a benchmark in the roller, cylinder and tube market with product lines including bespoke steel and aluminium rollers manufactured to the exact demands of the end user. For specific applications these products can be coated with hard chrome plating, PTFE, rubber and even hard anodised to suit the application.

With the rapid evolution of material technology, Hone-All will be producing carbon fibre rollers to deliver high strength in load bearing applications where the print/packaging machine demands lightweight and efficient rollers. Since taking the reins of the business, Hone-All has developed this area of the business and it is already generating significant growth with more of industry becoming aware of its specialisation.

The material technology involved in roller production is a key element for print and packaging OEMs. With different rollers serving multiple purposes and rotating at speeds up to 1,000m/minute, material selection and surface finish is a key consideration. To efficiently run at such high speeds, the Hone-All Dynamic balancing machine and straightening press can guarantee the runout and precision of rollers is maintained.

From a capacity perspective, Hone-All has the capability to produce rollers, cylinders and tube products up to 300mm diameter with lengths from 50mm to over 4m. This is available in quantities from one-offs to specified production batches.
"Each roller is either deep hole bored, honed and turned or in the case of tubing it is precision machined and despatched,” Mrs Rodney adds.

“Hone-All has spent the last 20 years producing the highest quality tubular type components for all industries in all materials, working to tenths of microns on challenging parts that often include thin walled parts, so customers can come to us in complete confidence."

Hone-All Precision www.hone-all.co.uk