Edge Detection

The cost of continuing with legacy edge sensors includes:

Hidden Costs (Uncounted but Real)

• Calibration Labor: 2 hours monthly at $60/hour = $1,440/year per line
• Extended Changeovers: 2 extra minutes × 5 changes/day × 250 days at $1,000/hour = $41,700/year
• Troubleshooting Time: 4 hours/month diagnosing drift-related issues = $2,880/year

Risk Costs

• Quality Escapes: Undetected edge drift causing coating misregistration
• Equipment Damage: Missed edges leading to web wraps and bearing damage

Opportunity Costs

• Material Limitations: Cannot run clear films, mesh, or specialty materials
• Speed Constraints: Slow sensor response forces reduced line speeds

Typical Annual Cost of Inaction: $25,000 - $75,000 per line

Both product lines provide the same edge detection accuracy and material versatility. The difference is in how they integrate:

ODC 96 Family

• Best for: End users who want easy setup with touchscreen interface
• Requires SCU5 or SCU6x controller
• Intuitive touchscreen operation
• No coding required
• Sensing ranges: 48-960mm

1DC 960 Series

• Best for: OEMs and technical users who prefer Ethernet/PLC interfaces
• All-in-one sensor (no external controller needed)
• Direct Ethernet connectivity
• EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, EtherCAT, Modbus/TCP
• Sensing ranges: 96-960mm

Both are priced similarly—choose based on your integration preference, not cost.

Roll-2-Roll® Sensors are essentially one-dimensional line scan cameras—but without the complexity of traditional machine vision systems:

This is a major unlock: sophisticated 1D imaging capability that production staff can set up and maintain without specialized training or ongoing support costs.

Roll-2-Roll® Sensors provide true spatial awareness—not just binary on/off detection:

This accuracy is maintained across all material types without recalibration—critical for precision applications like battery electrode coating, optical film production, and high-speed converting.

Roll-2-Roll® Sensors are vacuum compatible and can detect clear films in vacuum environments. This is a unique capability that no other edge detection technology can match:

• Ultrasonic sensors cannot function in vacuum—no air means no sound waves for detection
• Many optical sensors struggle with clear films even in normal atmosphere

Roll-2-Roll Technologies fiber-optic technology solves both problems, making it the only solution for applications like:

• Glass manufacturing processes
• Vacuum coating operations
• Semiconductor manufacturing
• Specialty film production

Unlike traditional sensors that require recalibration for each material type, Roll-2-Roll® Sensors use adaptive edge detection algorithms that automatically adjust to different material characteristics.

This eliminates:

• Manual gain adjustments
• Teach mode procedures
• Operator-dependent settings
• Extended changeover times

The impact: Plants using legacy sensors typically lose 2 hours monthly to recalibration—time that Roll-2-Roll Technologies technology completely eliminates.

Roll-2-Roll® Sensors use patented fiber-optic technology based on light scattering rather than light blocking. This means they detect the physical presence of the web edge regardless of optical properties.

Materials that work:

• Clear and transparent films
• Porous nonwovens
• Metallic foils
• Glass
• Mesh and perforated materials
• Rubber and textiles
• Carbon fiber
• Abrasive materials

The only challenging material is matte carbon black that absorbs infrared light without reflection—and even this can be addressed by angling the light source.

WPS (Web Position Sensor) series sensors have a resolution of 0.0635mm with ±0.25mm linearity across the full sensing range. The update rate is 500 Hz, providing fast response for high-speed applications.