Engineered for Excellence: One of a Kind

How do you wind adhesive tape without touching it? That's a challenge for the specialists. Together with our partners, we have a long tradition of developing highly customized special-purpose machinery.

Nicolai Rudlaff stands beside the new jumbo roll slitting machine, six meters wide and twenty meters long. It is currently unwinding double-sided adhesive tape from a jumbo roll. A conveyor belt guides the tape in a smooth arc towards the next station – quickly and quietly. Rudlaff watches the seamless process with satisfaction. Behind it lie two years of complex engineering challenges that the Senior Process Engineer has tackled together with Jens Steinhauer and the team at Müller Machines.

Nicolai Rudlaff's job is to optimize the machinery used in Converting and procure new equipment when needed. "Converting is the final step before our products are packed for shipping," he explains. "We convert the jumbo rolls from production into finished products tailored to a wide range of customer requirements."

"Working with specialists like Müller Machines is simply enjoyable – and it results in technically outstanding machines."

Everything Works in Perfect Harmony

This calls for machines capable of performing several consecutive processes. First, the material is unwound from large rolls and fed into the machine under precisely controlled tension. Sharp cutting tools then slit the material into narrower strips, which are subsequently rewound onto smaller rolls in the quantities ordered by customers. "Some customers also order adhesive tape with their own customized liner – the paper backing that carries their logo," Rudlaff adds. "In those cases, we remove the original ORAFOL liner, laminate the customized one onto the tape and rewind the finished product."

To handle these complex operations, converting machines are equipped with winders, cutting tools and countless rollers – all working together with exceptional precision.

Converting: Key Process Steps at a Glance

Slitting

Slitting refers to cutting wide jumbo or parent rolls into several narrower strips. Precise, clean-cut edges are essential.

Winding

After slitting, the material is wound neatly and precisely onto smaller rolls.

Laminating

ORAFOL adhesive tapes feature a paper backing, known as a liner, which serves as a protective layer or carrier material. Some customers order products with their own customized liners, which ORAFOL applies during the converting process.

Rewinding

When a liner needs to be replaced, for example, the adhesive tape must first be unwound again. This process is known as rewinding.

Spooling

Long or narrow tapes sometimes need to be wound onto a spool in a traversing pattern, with the material moving back and forth across the spool. This specialized winding technique is called spooling.

Making the Extraordinary Routine

In 2023, ORAFOL introduces a new product: double-sided fabric adhesive tape, particularly suited to trade and industrial applications. For Nicolai Rudlaff and his machinery, however, this presents an entirely new challenge: suddenly, they need to convert products that are sticky on both sides. "That changes everything. We could no longer keep the adhesive largely away from the rollers and cutting tools. Instead, the tape came into direct contact with them, meaning we had to clean the machinery much more frequently. And every time you stop a machine for cleaning, productivity suffers," Rudlaff explains. So the phone rings at Müller Machines in Scheeßel, Lower Saxony. Could Jens Steinhauer and his team develop a machine capable of slitting and winding double-sided adhesive tape without the adhesive contaminating its components? Ideally, the sticky material would barely touch anything at all. But how could that work?

Engineering & Technology at ORAFOL

At ORAFOL’s headquarters in Oranienburg, approximately XX engineers work on advancing our production processes and manufacturing technologies. A key focus is combining technological expertise with extensive manufacturing experience, continuously developing specialist skills, and rapidly translating innovative technologies for new products into industrial applications.

This approach enables tailored solutions – from optimizing existing machinery to developing new manufacturing technologies in close collaboration with internal departments and external partners.

A Tailor-Made Solution

It is a tricky challenge – and exactly the kind that Jens Steinhauer, Head of Sales Converting at Müller Machines, thrives on. He has been advising ORAFOL on customized machinery solutions for twelve years. "And in all that time, we haven't built two identical machines," he says.
Once again, he draws on the specialist engineering expertise of Müller Machines. A specially designed vacuum conveyor system could hold the answer. A constant vacuum is generated beneath the belt of the conveyor system. This holds the material securely against the belt surface without scratching, damaging or allowing it to stick to machine components – even when the material itself is adhesive. The engineering teams at Müller Machines and ORAFOL refine the conveyor process until the adhesive tape comes into contact with just one roller inside the machine. This roller features a special non-stick coating. The result: minimal cleaning requirements and significantly reduced machine downtime.
For liner lamination, the new machine is also equipped with additional winding units. These allow the original ORAFOL liner to be removed while the customer-specific liner is applied in the same process – making production considerably faster.

“At our headquarters in Oranienburg, we use around 200 different technologies. This diversity places high demands on our production processes and their continuous development. That makes it all the more important to work with partners whose technical expertise, quality and reliability we can depend on completely.”

Decisions Made Together

Throughout the project, Steinhauer and Rudlaff are in contact several times a week. "Because we don't build off-the-shelf machines, close communication is essential. We have a direct line to ORAFOL, which allows us to make decisions quickly and together," Jens Steinhauer explains.
For Nicolai Rudlaff, the longstanding partnership is equally rewarding on a personal level. "We really see eye to eye. Working together is simply enjoyable – and it results in technically outstanding machines." In 2025, the time finally comes: the new jumbo roll slitting machine is delivered to the ORAFOL plant, assembled and commissioned. Rudlaff and Steinhauer are joined on site by Katharina Kampf, Managing Director of Müller Machines. "I always welcome the opportunity to visit the ORAFOL plant," Kampf says. "ORAFOL is a family-owned business, and as the fourth generation to lead one myself, I value our partnership all the more. Based on our track record, ORAFOL places a great deal of trust in our capabilities – and that means a lot to us as a custom machinery manufacturer." Nicolai Rudlaff sums it up: "Standard solutions aren't what we do – and neither does Müller Machines."