Can This Lamination Be Saved?
Delaminating undesired separation within a multilayer product is a major problem for many converters. Laminate products are a marriage of two or more...
The Signs of Shear Wrinkle
Your web is talking to you. Not out loud but in a form of sign language. It's saying, Oh, I'm shifting to the right (or left) in this span, or Ouch, I'm...
Tracking Wrinkles: Part II
The easiest way to explain roller diameter variation tracking is to walk you through the chain of events. Diameter variations create web strain variations....
Tracking Wrinkles: Part I
When traffic is heavy on a multi-lane freeway, staying in your lane is critical. We trust the other drivers in the cars next to us will stay in their...
Fun with Force Gauges
In today's world of high-tech electronic gadgets, a force gauge may seem unglamorous, but I hope to convince you a force gauge is something you should have and use....
Reduce Web Nip Problems
Web handling is about transport and delivery, getting from point A to point B, without damaging the product. It is relatively easy to move a web across a free span or over an unnipped roller, but getting into and through a nip can be a show stopper for many processes or products. As a web handler, you should consider nips your tough customers....
Friction Circles on a Winter's Day
Doing doughnuts — this was the term my high school friends called the art of driving around in snow-covered parking lots, spinning your back tires during a hard turn to get your car to fishtail in a circle....
Linebackers, Leashes, & Superman: A Look at Stress
Do you work well under pressure? How you react is dependent on the level of pressure or stress exerted on you. How your product reacts to pressures or stresses also will depend on the stress level it feels....
Small Flexing, Big Benefits
All spiral rollers, whether rigid or flexible, are con artists. Their turning roller's barber pole optical illusion tricks your eye. The rotating spirals, starting at the roller center, create a sense of outward motion....
Where Does a Spreader Spread?
Spreader rollers are important tools for web handlers with two main applications. First, they can spread a web after slitting, creating a gap between...
Going with the Parallel Flow
Parallel flow usually is a good thing. In driving your car down the road, if you and the other drivers agree to keep parallel to the lines in the road,...
A Slippery Answer to Web Scratching
What percent slippage in idler roller speed relative to web speed is required to create scratches? Answer #1: Zero percent slip. Scratches are a form...
Can't Touch This (Web): Part 3
Over the last two months, I have reviewed why some webs demand U Can't Touch This and web line options for true touch-free web handling. This month, let's...
Can't Touch This (Web): Part 2
Last month we covered the web and process motives for touch-free web handling. This month we ll begin to review web line options for Can t Touch This...
Can't Touch This (Web): Part 1
More than a decade ago, rapper MC Hammer made famous forever the line U Can't Touch This. I've worked with converters who use this phrase to describe...
Cinching Belt Tightening Gone Bad: Part Two
The expression it's a cinch usually means something is easy, as easy as tightening a belt. However, as we learned last month, cinching is not something...
Cinching Belt Tightening Gone Bad: Part One
In today's economic climate, belt tightening sounds like a fiscally wise move. Belt tightening, also known as cinching, is good for budgets, trash bags,...
Differential Rewinding: Part Three
This month we continue our diagnosis of differential rewinding. The last two columns reviewed the whys and hows of differential rewinding, but before filling your prescription for two new differential shafts, let's review potential detrimental side effects....
Differential Rewinding: Part Two
Last month we made the case for using differential rewinding shafts. This month, let's talk about what differentiates one differential shaft from another....
Differential Rewinding: Part One
Don't try to do ten things at once. While this is good advice, sometimes ten things come flying at you at once. If you focus on one item, you risk dropping the other nine....
Five Questions and Answers on Lubrication
Lubrication occurs when a gas or liquid separates or reduces the contact between two surfaces. Lubrication is used intentionally to reduce wear and increase...
Well Done Tension
I'm in love with a new gadget that makes cooking easier. It's the electronic temperature probe. These have been available for manufacturing applications...
Goldilocks and the Three Bears Deal with Traction Problems
Rollers are the hands of web handling the hands we use to grip the web to meet our goals for web speed, position, and flatness. To be able to position...
Outsourcing Is Trendy, But Is It Right for Process Expertise?
Outsourcing and supplier management have been hot topics over the last decade. Using external resources can provide budget flexibility for economic ups...
Stripe Slitting: The Challenge of Staying within the Lines
Lines make life more difficult. Remember coloring as a child. At first it was just you, your crayons, white paper, and free expression. Life was easy....
