Master/Slave

Roll-2-Roll Technologies electronic Master/Slave guiding eliminates the mechanical components that require constant maintenance in legacy systems:

Eliminated maintenance items:

• Motorized sensor positioner motors and drives
• Lead screws and anti-backlash nuts
• Sliding brackets and linear bearings
• Mechanical linkages between Master and Slave positions

What remains: Standard periodic inspection of sensors and guides—the same maintenance as any web guiding system, without the additional burden of sensor positioning hardware.

Typical customers report saving 10-20 hours annually in maintenance time previously spent on mechanical positioner systems.

Yes. Roll-2-Roll Technologies systems support multi-lane cascading alignment where each lane's edge position automatically sets the guide point for the next lane.

Example configuration (14 lanes):

• Each lane has two sensors: one monitors the "master" edge, one guides the web via a slave guide
• Lane 1's right edge position sets the guide point for Lane 2's slave guide
• Lane 2's right edge sets Lane 3's guide point, and so on
• Result: All lanes maintain edge-to-edge alignment automatically

For faster response: The SCU6x controller's industrial Ethernet connectivity enables a central PLC architecture where any lane change can instantly adjust guide points for all subsequent lanes simultaneously, rather than propagating lane-by-lane.

In Master/Slave guiding, timing is critical. The Slave guide must correct for a Master web movement at the exact moment that movement reaches the lamination nip.

The rule: Web path distance from Master Sensor → Lamination Nip should equal the distance from Slave Sensor → Lamination Nip.

Why it matters: If paths are unequal, the Slave might correct too early or too late (phase mismatch), causing misalignment at the actual lamination point.

The fix: If physical constraints prevent matching path lengths, Roll-2-Roll® Controllers can apply dynamic compensation—electronically delaying the feed-forward signal to match the transport time difference.

Both SCU5 and SCU6x controllers support two independent sensor channels, enabling single-controller Master/Slave configurations:

• Channel 1: Master sensor (monitors reference web position)
• Channel 2: Slave sensor (provides feedback for the guided web)

For multi-slave applications (3+ webs), the Master signal can be broadcast to multiple Slave controllers via industrial Ethernet (EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT, or Modbus/TCP). This enables scalable synchronization—one Master can drive any number of Slaves without mechanical complexity.

Yes. This is a unique capability of Roll-2-Roll Technologies Master/Slave guiding that legacy systems cannot match.

By using wide field-of-view sensors (ODC 480, ODC 768, or ODC 960) that see both edges of each web simultaneously, the controller can calculate the centerline of both the Master and Slave webs. It then guides the Slave web so its center aligns with the Master's center.

Key benefit: When web widths change, the centerline matching adjusts automatically. Operators no longer need to recalculate and enter new offset values—a tremendous time saver that eliminates a major source of alignment errors.

Example: A 400mm Master web and 350mm Slave web will automatically center-align without any manual intervention.

Mechanical Master/Slave (legacy): The Master sensor is mounted on a motorized slide that physically chases the web position. The Slave sensor is mechanically linked to move the same distance. This creates wear parts, lag, and "loop within a loop" tuning problems.

Electronic Master/Slave (Roll-2-Roll Technologies): Both sensors connect to a single controller. The controller reads the Master position and electronically adjusts the Slave guide point in real-time—no physical sensor movement. This eliminates mechanical lag, wear parts, and tuning instability.

The electronic approach also enables capabilities impossible with mechanical systems, such as centerline matching between webs of different widths.