Aluminium Air Shaft
Lightweight air shaft with an extruded, anodised aluminium body; journals are CNC-machined to the customer's drawing.
Air Shafts
Air shafts for strong gripping, balanced centring and stable running in winding and unwinding, with aluminium and steel bodies and custom-built options.
Product images
Steel Air Shaft
Balanced steel air shaft made from cold-drawn tube with a hard chrome finish, for heavy rolls and demanding lines.
Image pending
Carbon Fibre Air Shaft
Light, stiff air shaft with a carbon fibre body, for lines that need to cut both weight and deflection over long lengths.
Friction Shaft
Friction shaft that balances tension differences between rolls in slitting and winding applications.
Knife Shaft
Awaiting customer approval
Knife shaft for clean, precise cuts on slitting lines, in mechanical and pneumatic versions.
Leaf-Type Air Shaft
Awaiting customer approval
Leaf-type shaft with a wide gripping surface for a secure hold and balanced centring, suited to thin-walled cores.
Self-Centring Air Shaft
Awaiting customer approval
Self-centring air shaft that aligns the core with the shaft axis for a secure grip and balanced running.
Air shafts provide strong gripping, balanced centring and stable running in winding and unwinding. They are available with aluminium and steel bodies to suit different applications, as well as in custom-built versions.
An air shaft, also called an expanding shaft, is a machine element that grips the core of a roll from the inside and expands with compressed air. When the shaft is inflated, the lugs on its body move outwards, centre the core and hold it firmly; when the air is released, the core is free again. Roll changes become quicker, and the core is less likely to slip.
Where are they used?
Air shafts are used on lines that process web materials such as packaging films, printing substrates, paper, plastics and textiles. They are the basic link between the roll and the machine on winders and unwinders, slitter rewinders, laminators and coating machines. See our winding lines page for typical applications.
Our approach
AYS Makina was founded in 2009 in İzmir’s 2nd Industrial Estate to manufacture air shafts, safety chucks and pneumatic brakes for the packaging and automation sector. We build air shafts with the journals and dimensions our customers ask for, to suit their machines. Shaft journals are CNC-machined to the customer’s technical drawing, and shafts are tested before shipment. Depending on body material and purpose, we offer aluminium, steel and carbon fibre air shafts, as well as leaf-type and self-centring air shafts, knife shafts and friction shafts.
What to consider when choosing
- Core inner diameter: the shaft is selected to match the inner diameter of the core.
- Roll weight and shaft length: with heavy, long rolls, body stiffness and deflection become decisive.
- Ergonomics: where shafts are carried by hand, a lighter body makes the operator’s job easier.
- Machine interface: the shaft ends must suit the machine’s bearings or safety chucks.
- Operating conditions: line speed, torque and the working environment all influence the choice of body and surface finish.
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