Hybrid modeling and compensation register control for the speed-up phase of roll-to-roll (R2R) gravure printing presses.

This study presents a hybrid dynamic model for roll-to-roll manufacturing during the acceleration phase, integrating a first-order inertia framework to quantify unknown tension fluctuations caused by acceleration transients. Based on this model, we introduce a novel hybrid compensation-based adaptive control (HCBAC) strategy. The strategy incorporates a hybrid compensation mechanism to offset registration errors arising from tension fluctuations and the registration control terms of other units. An adaptive sliding mode control algorithm is also developed to enhance the registration control performance of the compensation mechanism. Experiments demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the HCBAC method. The HCBAC approach effectively reduces registration errors during the acceleration phase, achieving a precision of ±8×10^-5 m. It shows reductions in registration errors of 39 %, 55 %, and 47 % when compared to model-based feed-forward proportional-derivative control, dynamic matrix control, and decoupling matrix-based learning control, respectively. Additionally, the acceleration-tension inertia framework in the HCBAC strategy employs a first-order formula that requires identifying only two parameters, facilitating its industrial implementation compared to existing control methods.