RK GM Gumming Machine – Sticker Paper Gum Coating Machine

A gumming machine is a coating and laminating line for producing self-adhesive paper. The word "gumming" is the trade term for applying the pressure-sensitive adhesive that gives a sticker its tack. The RK GM does the full sequence in one pass: unwind, coat, dry, paste and rewind.

The machine is 32 feet long, 7 feet wide and 9 feet high, and runs on a 30 HP three phase supply. It is a factory line rather than a desk-side unit, and it is built for converters who need a steady supply of gummed roll stock in-house instead of buying it from a paper mill. Because the output is a roll of sticker paper, the same stock can go on to any RK label printing, die cutting or slitting machine, or be sheeted for a gumming sheet printer to work with.

Two Unwinding Stations for Chromo and Release Paper

The chromo (face) paper and the release paper each have their own unwinding unit, both taking reels up to Ø 600 mm. The release paper unwind carries a web guide unit so the coated web stays square as it meets the face paper.

Master Roll Type Coating Unit With 20 Inch Coating Area

Gum is applied by a master roll coating unit across a 20 inch coating width on a 24 inch machine. The roll type coater lays a consistent film of adhesive, which is what decides whether the finished sticker peels cleanly and sticks evenly.

Hot Air Drying With 18 Heaters

Eighteen 1000 watt heaters and a circulating hot air blower system dry the gum before the two webs are pasted. Drying temperature is set and held by a digital temperature controller, so the operator can match the heat to the gum and the paper weight.

Paste Side Web Guide Unit

A web guide on the paste side keeps the coated release paper aligned with the chromo web during lamination. Edge-to-edge alignment is what stops the finished roll from telescoping and what keeps the stock usable on a die cutting machine later.

Digital Meter Control and Both-Side Operation

An electrical and electronic control system with digital temperature control and a digital meter counter runs the line. The machine can be switched on and off from either side, which matters on a 32 foot line where the operator may be at the unwind end or the rewind end.

Three Motor AC Drive

A 5 HP, 3 HP and 1 HP AC motor drive set share the load between the coating, drying and winding sections. The main power required is 30 HP, 440 V AC three phase with neutral and earthing.

Rewind Up to Ø 600 mm

The finished self-adhesive roll rewinds up to Ø 600 mm, ready to be slit, sheeted or loaded straight onto a label printing press.

The operator loads a reel of chromo paper on the first unwinding unit and a reel of release paper on the second. The release paper is fed through the web guide and into the master roll coating unit, where gum is picked up on the roll and transferred evenly onto the paper across the 20 inch coating area. From there the coated web travels through the hot air drying chamber. The eighteen heaters and the circulating blower drive off the moisture or solvent in the gum so it reaches the right tack before lamination.

At the paste station the dried, gummed release paper meets the chromo web. The paste side web guide keeps both edges in line, and the two are pressed together into a single self-adhesive sheet. The finished stock winds onto the rewinding unit, up to Ø 600 mm, while the digital meter records the length. Because the on/off control is available at both ends of the line, one operator can manage loading and unloading without walking the full 32 feet to a single panel.

• Self-adhesive label stock – producing gummed chromo rolls for label printing presses.
• Sticker paper for sheet printers – gummed rolls that are later sheeted for offset and gumming sheet printer work.
• In-house stock for label converters – printers who want to control the adhesive quality and cost of their own sticker paper.
• Paper converters and traders – suppliers who sell gummed roll or sheet stock to small printers.
• Special adhesive grades – running a gum grade chosen for the customer's application rather than a mill's standard.

The RK GM is specified for chromo paper as the face material and a release paper as the liner, both loaded on reels up to Ø 600 mm and coated across 20 inches. Gum type, coating weight and drying temperature are set by the operator using the digital temperature controller. Share your face paper, release paper and adhesive with RK before ordering so the coating and drying settings can be checked against your actual stock.

• Auto Rewinderrewinds printed label rolls neatly after the press.
• Foil Cuttingslits stamping foil rolls to the width your stamping machine needs.
• Half Cuttingmanual half cutting, perforating and creasing for sticker sheets.
• Label Dispenserpeels labels from the liner for hand application.
• Printer Rewinderauto rewinder for barcode printers.
• Manual Roll Lifterlifts paper rolls up to 150 kg onto the machine.

RK Label Printing Machinery Pvt. Ltd. has manufactured label printing and converting machinery in Ahmedabad, Gujarat since 1995, runs three manufacturing units and supplies customers in 23+ countries. The gumming machine sits at the very start of the label chain, and RK also builds the presses, die cutters, slitters and inspection machines that use the stock it produces, so the whole line can be matched by one supplier. Each machine is configured to the customer's paper widths, reel sizes and adhesive rather than sold as a fixed box.

• Coating width: the RK GM coats 20 inches on a 24 inch machine. Check the width of the chromo and release paper reels you buy.
• Reel diameter: unwind and rewind are Ø 600 mm maximum. Larger mill reels would need to be slit or rewound first.
• Output needed: at 20 to 25 m/min, work out how many metres of stock you consume per shift.
• Adhesive: decide which gum grade you will run, since drying temperature is set to suit it.
• Floor space and power: allow 32 ft x 7 ft x 9 ft and a 30 HP, 440 V three phase supply with neutral and earthing.
• Downstream machines: if the stock will run on your own presses and die cutters, match the finished roll width to them.

The price of the RK GM gumming machine depends on the coating and drying configuration, unwind and rewind sizes, the control system and any options you require. Prices are quoted ex-works Ahmedabad with GST at 18% applicable. Transport and stay for the RK engineer who installs the machine and trains your operators at your site are borne by the customer. Send RK your paper widths, reel sizes, adhesive type and monthly output, and the team will recommend a configuration and quote against it.