This section provides an overview for air shafts as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 32 air shaft manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked air shaft companies as of November, 2024: 1.Dienes Corporation, 2.ATEM sas, 3.Goldenrod Corporation.
Table of Contents
An air shaft, also known as an inflation shaft or expansion shaft, is a winding shaft designed for winding paper, cloth, or other materials. It plays a crucial role in maintaining the correct tension during the winding or feeding process, thanks to an internal air fill or drain valve. This valve enables the shaft to expand and exert a force that securely holds the material, facilitating uniform tension throughout the operation.
Air shafts are indispensable in various printing applications, offering several benefits:
They ensure that paper, film, or other substrates are firmly held in place during printing, contributing to the accuracy and quality of the final product.
The generated expansion force keeps the material tension consistent, allowing for precise handling without distortion in the printing press.
Quick expansion and contraction enabled by air pressure improve operational efficiency and allow tension adjustments to match printing speeds.
Designed to accommodate various printing materials, air shafts enhance the versatility of printing operations.
Such characteristics make air shafts valuable for winding, feeding, positioning, laminating, and etching in printing processes.
Air shafts rely on air pressure to expand and grip the material, facilitating precise tension regulation. They contain valves for air intake or release, enabling them to adjust their diameter for material engagement. The controlled expansion exerts an outward pressure, securing the material in place, while air release allows the shaft to contract for material release. This mechanism ensures uniform tension and accurate material positioning, essential for quality printing outcomes.
Diverse air shaft designs cater to specific operational needs:
Featuring a single pneumatic valve for expansion and contraction, this shaft type is suited for winders and feeders, providing precise tension control.
With pneumatic valves on both ends, it offers balanced tension control, reducing material distortion during winding and feeding.
Its expandable segments can be individually controlled, allowing for flexible tension adjustments based on material size and width.
Enables the application of varying tensions to different material sides, balancing tension differentials for uniform print quality.
Utilizes a ratchet mechanism for gradual contraction, ensuring stable material retention and pull during take-up.
The shaft's outer layer is coated with a slippery material, promoting smooth material movement and minimizing wear during winding and feeding.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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American Roller Company, LLC, established in 1938, is an American manufacturer based in Union Grove, Wisconsin, specializing in industrial rollers and plasma coatings. The company's product offerings include heat transfer and chill rollers, idler rollers, roller coverings, as well as specialty rollers. The company also provides services including roller repair and testing, cladding and welding, design and core fabrication, as well as industrial coatings. The company serves various industries, including battery and power storage, food and beverages, packaging, and transport rolls. Other industries served include glass, medical products, plastic films and sheets, printing, pulp and paper, as well as steel and aluminum.
Goldenrod Corporation, founded in 1986, is a manufacturer of winding tools, shaft and roll handling equipment, and safety chucks headquartered in Connecticut, USA. The company offers a range of products, including differential shafts, lightweight and ultra-lightweight winding and slitting shafts, and shaft handling equipment. It also provides shaft and roll handling equipment like shaft extractors, trolleys, and lifting platforms, along with specialized solutions for tissue and mill duty applications and advanced safety chucks. The company operates a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Beacon Falls, CT, equipped with state-of-the-art machinery. It serves the paper, film, and non-woven converting industries.
Dienes Corporation, a Spencer, US-based company established in 1913, is a manufacturer of precision cutting tools like knife holders and circular knives and a supplier of related services. The company manufactures shear-cut knife holders, razor-cut knife holders, score-cut slitting machines, edge-trim machines, and custom-slitting tools. It also provides knife holder repair and knife-sharpening services. The products are utilized by factories and manufacturers for engineering applications. It serves the United States, Belgium, China, France, and Germany markets.
Convertech, established in 1978 and headquartered in Wharton, New Jersey, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in the design and production of air shafts and chucks. The company's product portfolio includes shafts, chucks, portable pneumatic winders, adapters, and accessories. These products find applications in various industries, including printing, packaging, manufacturing, textiles, and coating and laminating industries. The company provides services including technical support, product customization, quote requests, warranty, and returns while also having representatives in Canada.
Issuu is a supplier and service provider of digital publishing solutions established in 2006 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The company offers basic and premium publishing plans, partnerships, and developer tools to enable users to create and integrate Issuu features with other applications. It also serves various industries, including internal communications, marketing and PR, publishing, real estate, and sports. Over one million users worldwide utilize Issuu to publish, convert, host, monetize, and share various digital content across multiple channels. Additionally, more than 300,000 pages of content are uploaded daily to this digital platform.
K M Trivedi Engineering Pvt. Ltd., established in 1985 and based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, is a manufacturer, supplier, and distributor of slitting and roller machines. Its product comprises of several machines, including drum sitting, stretch wrapping, and HDPE woven sack rewinder folding machines, serving various industrial applications such as manufacturing, packaging, and material processing. The company's products are generally used for positioning and handling industrial drums, securing pallet loads for transportation, and also for inspecting and rewinding materials.
Newlong Machine Works, Ltd. established in Tokyo, Japan, in 1955, is a manufacturer of packaging machinery, bag-making machinery, industrial sewing machines, printing equipment, and paper processing equipment. The company's product line includes Line printing machine for bag making, Stack type flexor printing press, Flexor printing plate pasting proofing machine, Flexographic proofing machine and Waste liquid treatment equipment. In 1966 the company started its overseas operations and 1976 established a local subsidiary in Singapore as a base in Southeast Asia.
Resource Engimech (India) Private Limited, founded in 1973, is a global manufacturer and exporter of expanding shafts, chuck, and reel handling equipment headquartered in Gujarat, India. The company’s product line consists of lug air shafts, self-centering multi-bladder shafts, axial shifting safety chucks, reel shaft lifters, and hydraulic reel lifters. It also offers poly expander rollers, ball and quick locks, electromagnetic disc brakes, and spare parts. The company’s manufacturing site is equipped with the latest CNC turning centers, VMCs, rubber plant, and induction hardening facility. It serves diverse sectors, including packaging, converting, paper mills, printing, and more.
ATEM, founded in 1987, is a designer and manufacturer of air shafts and safety chucks located in Galgagnano, Italy. The company offers expanding air shafts, leaf-type air shafts, bottom knife-holding air shafts, expanding adapters, and core chucks. These products are up to 50% less weight than other industrial air shafts and can be customized to fit multiple applications, from small flexographic printers to large laminating machines. The company operates a production site powered by solar energy. It has a global network that supplies air shafts and chucks to over 23 countries, serving the packaging, printing, and converting industries.
Krishna Engineering Works is a manufacturer, supplier, and exporter of air shafts established in 1985 and based in Gujarat, India. The company specializes in producing various types of air shafts, including mechanical shafts, quick lock shafts, multi-tube shafts, air expandable shafts, and ball shafts. It also offers air chucks, safety chucks, and spare parts, as well as repair and servicing services for rubber rollers, web guiding systems, and web aligners. The company’s air shafts comply with the ISO 9001:2018 international quality standards. It serves various industries, including plastic packaging and converting, paper, as well as tire-cord and technical textiles.
ASTON TECH LTD is a supplier and manufacturer of machinery parts for the printing, packaging, rubber, and paper industries, established in 2010 and located in Taipei, Taiwan. The company specializes in pneumatic component and motion control products, including customized air shafts, chucks, pneumatic brakes, and clutches. Additionally, it offers edge position control systems, winding or unwinding systems, tension control systems, and web inspection systems. It has obtained the Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S certificate and continues to expand its business opportunities globally.
Suzhou Magni Machinery Co. Ltd., founded in 2016, is a manufacturer and exporter of specialized spare parts for printing and packaging machines located in Jiangsu, China. The company mainly offers air shafts, safety chucks, magnetic powder brakes, clutch, and tension control systems. These products are designed to increase the efficiency and safety of printing and packaging equipment by controlling machine speed and torque. The company exports its products to Russia, the United States, Thailand, Singapore, UAE, and other countries.
Jinan Jinchangtai Industry And Trade Co. Ltd is a manufacturer and exporter of printing rollers and shafts established in 2008 and headquartered in Shandong, China. The company specializes in various kinds of rollers for the printing and packaging industries. Its main products include rubber rollers, ceramic anilox rollers, flexo printing cylinders, air shafts, and label die-cutting machines. The company has six production subsidiaries as well as designer and developer teams to customize products. It also exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
Converter Accessory Corporation, headquartered in Pennsylvania, USA, is a designer and manufacturer of web-handling equipment founded in 1974. The company specializes in designing and producing accessories and systems for converters of paper, film, foil, nonwovens, and textiles. Its product lines include air shafts and chucks, unwinders and rewinders, spreader rollers, pneumatic trim covering, and shaft holders. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified. It caters to the converting, printing, laminating, coating, pharmaceutical, and other industries.
Mitsuhashi Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of packaging devices and converting equipment established in 1944 in Kyoto, Japan. The company specializes in producing industrial machinery and equipment for paper and film packaging and conversion. These include pouch loaders, film meandering control devices, and card dispensers. The company also offers product customization as well as technical support and repair services for its clients with unique projects. It mainly serves customers in the paper, packaging, and pharmaceutical sectors.
Innovus Rollers Private Limited, founded in 2020 and headquartered in Ahmedabad, India, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in rubber rollers. The company's product portfolio includes air shafts, square bar holders, cantilever air shafts, bow banana rollers, and Teflon-coated rubber expanders. These products find applications in various industries, including the leather, tire, plywood, steel, and packaging industries. The company provides services, including fast delivery and after-sales support, with a global reach in Europe, the USA, the UAE, Africa, and Asia.
RT Air Shaft Group, established in 2005 and based in Bacau, Romania, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in machine spare parts for rotogravure machines and flexographic printing machinery. The company’s product portfolio includes adopters, pneumatic shafts, safety chucks, special rollers, and spare parts. These products are utilized in various industries, including the plastic packaging industry, textiles, and the newspaper industry. The company provides services including free consulting, technical assistance, fast delivery, a warranty, and spare parts stock supplies.
Zhejiang Zhuxin Machinery Co.,ltd, established in 1989 and located in Zhejiang, China, is a manufacturer and supplier of film blowing machines and bag making machines. The company's product portfolio includes plastic bag making machines, slitting machines, overwrapping machines, raw material cutting machines, and pelletizer recycling machines. These products find applications in various industries, including the packaging, printing, and recycling sectors. The company offers services that encompass product catalogs, delivery, and customer service support. The company exports its products to more than 30 countries and regions, including Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
Anar Rub Tech Private Limited, established in 1978 and based in Gujarat, India, is a manufacturer and supplier of rubber rollers and rubber sleeves. The company's product portfolio includes bow banana rollers, industrial rollers, hard chrome plated rollers, differential shafts, and ink circulating systems. These products are used in various industries, including textile, plastic packaging, polyester film plants, steel, and the converting industry. The company exports globally to various countries, including Argentina, the USA, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.
SUNRISE GROUP INDUSTRIAL CO., LTD., established in 2003 and based in Dongguan City, China, is a manufacturer and supplier of magnetic powder clutches and electromagnetic clutches. The company's product portfolio includes air clutches, web guide control systems, air shafts, position indicators, and aluminum guide rollers. These products find applications in various industries, including printing, industrial automation, textiles, manufacturing, and paper and film production. The company exports its products to over 30 countries and regions, including the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, and Eastern European countries.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Dienes Corporation |
7.6%
|
2 | ATEM sas |
7.2%
|
3 | Goldenrod Corporation |
6.0%
|
4 | American Roller Company |
6.0%
|
5 | Issuu |
5.6%
|
6 | Hawk Performance |
5.2%
|
7 | RT Air Shaft Group |
4.8%
|
8 | AND Industries |
4.4%
|
9 | Satguru Engineering |
4.0%
|
10 | Newlong Machine Works, Ltd. |
4.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the air shaft page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
India | 10 | 35.7% |
United States of America | 7 | 25.0% |
China | 5 | 17.9% |
Japan | 2 | 7.1% |
Italy | 1 | 3.6% |
Taiwan | 1 | 3.6% |
Romania | 1 | 3.6% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 3.6% |