Industrial tooling · Product development
A workshop requirement led to a splicing table built and used since 2021, followed by two variants designed for different ways of working.
From the brief to the range ↓
In a printing and converting line, the web passes over numerous rollers. Splicing the end of one roll to the start of the next makes use of the material already threaded through the machine and simplifies the changeover.
I was asked for a simple, precise way to prepare splices. I designed and built a table that aligns and clamps both ends of the web, allows them to be cut in a single pass and helps join them with splicing tape on both sides.
The side stop squares the web. The clamping bars hold the overlapping ends in place, and the blade cuts through both at once: both edges are produced in the same pass.
In all three versions — M, S and L — the clamping bars have rubber on their underside to press and hold the material without damaging it.
Place the material against the stop and close the clamping bars.
Guide the utility knife along the insert and remove the offcuts.
Keep the material clamped, lift the edges, apply the lower splicing tape and complete the upper side.
The guide uses a removable insert made from hardened material. A groove on each face allows the insert to be turned over when the first cutting surface wears, before it needs replacing.
A decision for daily use
The guide performs its function separately from the main structure. Its narrow groove guides a standard utility knife during the manual operation.
From commissioning in 2021 through October 2026, the cutting guide has not needed to be turned over.
The M version was designed and built for webs less than 300 mm wide. Its 6061 aluminium structure, side references and clamping bars form an assembly intended for use on a workbench.
I carried out the design, drawings, manufacture and assembly. Only the hardening treatment of the cutting guide was outsourced.
From answering a request to developing a product
After building the M, I continued development on my own initiative with two variants: a compact narrow-web tool and another that attaches directly to the parent roll.
The S and L variants remained at the design stage and were not built.
The S version applies the M table principle to a narrow web. It was intended for a 54 mm format, within the design range of less than 60 mm.
The material aligns against a side stop. Closing the pivoting pieces presses the web against the base and holds it in place for cutting. Rubber on their underside protects the material during clamping. The interchangeable insert provides two cutting paths: straight at 90° and oblique at 60°.
Open the pivoting pieces, overlap the web ends and align them against the side reference.
Close the pivoting pieces to press and hold the material against the base. Run the utility knife along the straight or oblique insert path to cut both ends in the same pass.
Remove the offcuts, bring the cut edges together and join them with splicing tape on both sides.
On a narrow web, an oblique cut produces a longer joint line than a perpendicular cut. This geometry was intended to improve splice strength when the equipment pulls the material.
The interchangeable cutting insert retains the maintenance approach shared by the family.
The L version was designed to prepare the splice directly on the parent roll: a large roll containing a considerable length of wound material. The aim was to provide a stable work surface beside the material, without the operator having to hold the table while cutting or applying splicing tape.
A vice adjusts to the roll width and secures the assembly. On this base, the side stop aligns both sections and the clamping bars hold them during preparation. Rubber on their underside applies pressure without damaging the web. The interchangeable cutting guide retains the maintenance approach shared by the family.
Once both sections have been cut and the offcuts removed, their edges are temporarily held in V-shaped recesses. The material forms an arch on each side of the joint while the clamping bars maintain the outer hold.
This leaves the tape application area clear. The recesses hold the ends up so the operator does not have to lift them with one hand while pulling splicing tape with the other.
The splicing-tape roll stays mounted on the tool. Its guides direct the tape underneath the ends with the adhesive facing upwards. The edges are then released from the recesses and placed onto the tape to secure the first side. Next, the tape is brought back over the material towards the roll to complete the joint on both sides. Finally, the surplus tape ends are trimmed and the pivoting clamps are opened to release the web.
Adjust the vice to the parent roll, overlap the web ends and square them against the side stop.
Close the clamping bars and cut both sections in one pass along the guide. Remove the offcuts.
Place the edges in the V-shaped recesses to form an arch. The central area stays clear for the splicing tape.
Pull tape from the roll mounted on the tool and extend it along the guides. Release the edges from the recesses and place them onto the adhesive.
Bring the splicing tape back over the material towards the roll to close the joint on both sides. Trim the surplus tape ends and open the pivoting clamps to release the web.
The L brings the support surface, clamping and splicing-tape supply together in one portable assembly. Each element addresses part of the handling operation: the vice supports the table, the clamping bars hold the web, and the recesses retain its ends while the adhesive is prepared.
This is a manual operation assisted by tooling.
In October 2026, the M remains in daily use, shared between two machines across three shifts. Operators appreciate the simplicity of the operation. The cutting guide has not needed to be turned over since commissioning in 2021.
The built unit demonstrates the implemented solution. The S and L variants show how a specific requirement can become the starting point for a product family.
Articles
A closer look at the decisions behind this solution.
When I solve a brief, I do not stop at that brief. I ask where else the same problem occurs and what the solution would look like in each case. That is how a range of splicing tools grew out of a single table.
Read the articleWhen a roll runs out, splicing on the next avoids rethreading the entire web through the machine. But a splice only works if both edges match perfectly. The trick is not to cut well twice, but to cut just once.
Read the articleAlmost every tool has an area that works harder than the rest. If that area is part of the main component, when it wears out, the whole tool is worn out. Designing it separately, and making it reversible, extends its life by years.
Read the articleYour next step
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