The CTPS takes into account the inertia of the spool when ramping up or down in speed. It is of particular importance when applying tension to very heavy spools where inertial tension (the tension required to ramp the spool up in speed) can add substantial tension (when accelerating) or reduce significant tension (when decelerating) on the media.
The spools may vary in size and weight. To compensate for changes in the spools inertia, some basic dimensions, such as core diameter, max media diameter, traverse width, and empty spool weight may be programmed into the controller. Currently the data may be only entered from the control panel; however, development is underway for data entry and operations through the use of a PC, making the system even easier to use.