AccuChange™ Blade Holder: Designed to Slash Maintenance Time
Jake RiflemanWhen it comes to roll cleaning applications, especially those involving sticky adhesives, maintenance challenges can quickly turn into production bottlenecks. To learn how Kadant is addressing this issue head‑on, I spoke with Jake Rifleman, business development manager, and DJ Willard, R&D product development engineer, about the newly released and the real‑world challenges that inspired its design.
JW: What makes the AccuChange blade holder unique compared to traditional blade holders?
DW: The AccuChange blade holder was designed with a specific goal in mind: easy disassembly and cleaning in sticky adhesive environments. In these types of applications, maintenance can be especially difficult. The AccuChange blade holder simplifies that process by allowing operators to quickly disassemble the holder, thoroughly clean it, and get it back into service with minimal effort. It’s ideal for any environment where buildup is a constant challenge.
JW: What customer feedback or field challenges led to the development of this design?
DJ WillardJR: We kept hearing the same concern from customers: blade changes took too long, so long that maintenance teams were reluctant to do them as frequently as they should. In some cases, changing a blade on the existing holder could take up to eight hours due to hardware becoming stuck from adhesive residue transferring from the roll. With the AccuChange blade holder, we’ve reduced that time to under one hour. That kind of improvement completely changes how customers approach maintenance.
JW: What limitations did you see in traditional holder designs that made innovation necessary?
DW: In many conventional holders, the edge fingers are attached using separate hardware from the mounting components. That setup makes disassembly difficult, especially when adhesive buildup is involved.
JW: What benefits should customers expect after installing the AccuChange blade holder?
DW: The most immediate benefits are significantly reduced blade change times and much easier cleaning. In adhesive-heavy applications, effective cleaning is just as important as quicker blade changes. From a maintenance standpoint, it’s a huge advantage. Ultimately, it comes down to saving time: less time spent on maintenance and more time spent running the machine.
JW: If you had to summarize the value of the AccuChange blade holder in one sentence, what would it be?
JR: The AccuChange blade holder is an efficient maintenance solution which dramatically reduces downtime.
