Specialty Rolls

Specialty rolls are precision web-handling and process rolls designed to solve specific production problems—like temperature management, tension control, and surface finishing—so you can run more consistently and hit tighter specs. PRS specialty roll solutions include heat transfer & chill rolls, vacuum tension rolls, calendering rolls, and custom rolls engineered to your application.

Use the roll type that matches the production outcome you need:

• Heat transfer & chill rolls: stabilize or change web temperature (cooling, heating, or thermal conditioning).
• Vacuum tension rolls: precisely hold back or pull the web for stable tension and improved web control—especially on delicate or hard-to-control materials.
• Calendering rolls: apply uniform pressure to compress, smooth, or finish the substrate.
• Custom rolls: application-specific idlers, anvils, feed rolls, or other process rolls designed to your line requirements.

Heat transfer rolls are temperature-control rollers used for chilling, heating, or thermal conditioning to keep the web stable at speed. PRS offers multiple internal flow/configuration options (single-wall, double-wall, mono-flow, duo-flow, spiral non-contact, and full-contact fit) and can hold temperature control tolerance across the roll face to +/-1°F (application-dependent). Chill rolls are used when the job specifically requires a temporarily cooled web or removal of heat generated by friction or other processes.

A vacuum tension roll (also called a vacuum pull roll) is a hollow roller with a perforated outer shell where a vacuum is drawn. A sealed center tube creates a confined vacuum zone; the pressure differential and surface friction let you precisely hold back or pull the web to control tension, and pulleys/journals on the outer shell can adjust or isolate tension as needed.

Vacuum tension rolls can be configured to protect sensitive materials and reduce marking risk. Options include fine-mesh screens (to minimize marking), seamless screens (to eliminate seam-induced defects), adjustable vacuum width (mechanical or pneumatic), and surface treatments such as electroless nickel plating, rubber covering, plasma coating, and mechanical micro-groove engraving for traction and exhaust efficiency.

Calendering rolls apply uniform pressure to compress, smooth, or finish a web. Key design variables include runout/concentricity targets, surface finish (mirror-polished, matte, textured, or specialty coatings), roll construction (single-shell, double-shell, or heated designs with controlled deflection), and thermal control (heated calendering or cooling for dimensional stability), along with material selection based on mechanical and thermal demands.

Yes. PRS can manufacture to your drawings or design to your specifications for custom process rolls such as idlers, feed rollers, and anvil rolls, using constructions like solid steel, tubular rolls, rubber roll cores, or fiber-filled rolls depending on the application. Surface treatment options include plasma spray coatings such as nickel, stainless steel, copper, tungsten carbide/cobalt, aluminum oxide, chrome oxide, complex oxide, and titanium oxide.

For the fastest, most accurate quote, share: your goal (temperature control, tension isolation, surface finishing, etc.), substrate type, web width and line speed, roll dimensions (OD, face length, overall length, journals), operating temperature and heating/cooling media connections (for heat transfer/chill), vacuum supply/zone requirements (for vacuum tension rolls), and target surface finish/coating plus runout/concentricity expectations. If you don’t have documentation or markings, PRS offers Roll Identification—upload a photo and share what you know so engineers can identify the roll type and recommend repair or replacement options.