# Decentralized Control of Print Registration in Roll-to-Roll Printing Presses > Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing is a type of continuous manufacturing process extensively used to produce a wide variety of consumer products, such as plastics, paper, films, non-wovens, textile, etc. Recent advances in nanotechnology and material science have enabled the possibility of manufacturing electronics on a flexible substrate using R2R printing techniques. Even though the feasibility of printing electronics on flexible substrates has been extensively studied, continuous printing on a moving substrate using R2R techniques has not been adequately investigated. To facilitate progress towards high precision R2R printing, a systematic investigation of the various aspects that affect print quality and ways in which those can be influenced by different control configurations facilitated by choice and location of various components of the print section is necessary. **Last updated:** 2017-08-30 **Source:** https://live-roll2roll.pantheonsite.io/articles/decentralized-control-print-registration-roll-roll-printing-presses --- ### Authors Aravind Seshadri ; Prabhakar R. Pagilla ### Publication Information Conference: ASME 2013 Dynamic Systems and Control Conference Volume: 1, October 21, 2013 ### Abstract Roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing is a type of continuous manufacturing process extensively used to produce a wide variety of consumer products, such as plastics, paper, films, non-wovens, textile, etc. Recent advances in nanotechnology and material science have enabled the possibility of manufacturing electronics on a flexible substrate using R2R printing techniques. Even though the feasibility of printing electronics on flexible substrates has been extensively studied, continuous printing on a moving substrate using R2R techniques has not been adequately investigated. To facilitate progress towards high precision R2R printing, a systematic investigation of the various aspects that affect print quality and ways in which those can be influenced by different control configurations facilitated by choice and location of various components of the print section is necessary. In this paper we investigate two common control configurations for R2R printing based on the structure of the R2R print section and various components available for control. For these two configurations we develop a state-space model that contains both state and input delays. We propose a decentralized, memoryless, state feedback control law for both control configurations and show the stability of the closed loop systems using frequency domain delay-dependent stability conditions. These control configurations are evaluated and compared using model simulations and discussions on the effectiveness of each strategy are provided. [Link to the Article](http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/proceeding.aspx?articleid=1841164) **Tags:** decentralized control, flexible printed electronics, roll-to-roll, memoryless control, delay independent control, delay-dependent stability --- ## About Roll-2-Roll Technologies Roll-2-Roll Technologies designs and manufactures patented fiber-optic web position sensors and advanced web guiding controllers — the precision measurement and control core of modern roll-to-roll manufacturing. Spun out of Oklahoma State University's Web Handling Research Center and trusted by Fortune 500 medical, battery, and nonwovens manufacturers, our patented sensors work without recalibration at ±0.1mm accuracy up to 760 mpm — typical customer outcomes are 50%+ less downtime and payback under six months. Headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma, our team of PhDs, controls engineers, and industry veterans extends the sensor + controller core into complete web guide systems including stepper-motor-based linear actuators (RLA, BLA, LHS). - Website: https://r2r.tech - Phone: +1 (888) 290-3215 - Email: sales@r2r.tech