Valiant Training Services

Corrugator

Trouble Shooting

Guide

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Index
Description Page Number

Introduction Page 3

Warp Identification Page 5

The Cause of Cross Warp Page 6

The Cause of Long Warp Page 7

Cross Warp Up (Moisture) Page 8

Cross Warp Down (Moisture) Page 9

Long Warp Up (Tension) Page 10

Long Warp Down (Tension) Page 11

S Warp Page 12

Twist Warp Page 13

Washboarding Description Page 14

Washboarding Page 15

Singleface Liner Damaged by Excessive Pressure Page 16

Facing and Medium Edges not Properly aligned Page 17

High or Low Flutes (Cockling) Page 18

Corrugations – Cut or Fractured Page 19

Orange Peel Effect Page 20

Delamination Page 21

Fluff Out Page 22

Single Face Liner Edge Delamination Page 23

Double Face Liner Edge Delamination – Glue Application Page 25

Double Face Liner Edge Delamination – Glue Drying Page 27

Double Face Liner Edge Delamination – Belt Speeds Page 29

Blistering Page 30

Double Face Liner Blisters Paper movements Page 33

Double Face Liner Blisters Top Belt Condition Page 34

Post Corrugator Liner Delamination Page 35

Caliper Importance Page 36

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Introduction

Board Checks – visible faults and causes

1. The corrugator operating team are responsible for ensuring that the quality of their
product meets the expected standard
2. In most plants, at the beginning of each order and during the order run, an
operator extracts and visually examines a board from each stream exiting the cut
off
3. Checks for basic visible faults are essential for continuous quality assessment and
are additional to the regular inspections of quality control systems

Warpage
Preheater wraps set incorrectly?
Excess glue applied?

Hi’s and Low’s

Single facer fault causing varying flute
heights

Low Flutes

Blisters / Edge Delamination

Heat incorrect?
Low Bonding Pressure?
Double backer belt edge blind?
Glue Problem?

Liners Pull away from Flutes

Glue quality or quantity incorrect?
Paper Temperatures incorrect?
Paper absorbency/level incorrect?
Note: Allow heavy weight kraft and
speciality liners time to bond

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Flutes Brittle – Easily Cracked

Papers too hot?
Single facer speed too low?

Board Soft and Compressible

Flutes Deformed?
Excess Glue?
Low Heat?
Blind double facer belt?

Misaligned Edges
Tensions uneven across the width?
Liner Shrinkage?

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Warp Identification – the basic warp shapes

Cross Warp – (moisture)

All moisture related warps are referred to as cross warps as the paper shrinkage which
produces the warp takes place across the width of the corrugator

Long Warp – (tension Warp)

Tension related warps are referred to as long warps because the dimensional change in
the liners occurs along the length of the corrugator

Twist and ‘S’ Warp

Twist warp is a combination of long and cross warp mixed together
‘S’ warp is a combination of a cross warp up and a cross warp down mixed together

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The Cause of Cross Warp

The cause of cross warp can be summed up quite simply as an imbalance between the
top and bottom liners
All warp is caused by a dimensional change between the top and bottom liners. If after
bonding in the hot plate section one liner changes shape more than the other, then warp
will result
If the rate of change was always the same, then the solution would always be the same,
but because different papers react differently then the solutions are different
The imbalance between the top and bottom liners comes in two forms moisture and
tension

Moisture
During the corrugator process moisture is added to the papers in the form of starch and
steam
Starch
Starch (80% water) is used to glue the flute tips to the liners
Steam
Steam is added to make the paper supple and to open the fibres, this allows the starch to
penetrate the paper easier and forms a better bond
Every time the paper is moistened and dried it becomes smaller than its previous size
Paper expands and shrinks 7 to 10 times more across its width, than along its length

Original Length of Paper

Paper is longer when moistened

Paper is shorter when moistened and dried to its original moisture content

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The Cause of Long Warp

Tension
When paper is moist and warm it becomes supple and can be stretched rather like elastic,
as papers cool and dry out they try to return to their original size and shape
If during the corrugation process both liners are stretched equally then we have no
problem with warp, the problem of warp arises when more tension is applied to one liner
than the other.

Tension warps are easier to overcome than moisture warps simply by applying more or
less tension (brake) to the web or bottom liner

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Cross Warp Up (Moisture)

Cause:
This warp is caused due to the top liner being relatively wetter than the bottom liner

Remedy:
1. Decrease double backer liner wrap
2. Reduce starch at single facer (if possible)
3. Increase wrap on single face web
4. Increase wrap on single face liner
5. Reduce flute steam shower (where possible)
6. Adjust Hot Bed pressure setting (reduce heat on double backer liner)
7. Increase speed (if possible)
8. Check moisture in single face liner – if excessive reject reel

Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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Cross Warp Down (Moisture)

Cause:
This warp is caused due to the bottom liner being relatively wetter than the top liner

Remedy:
1. Increase wrap on double backer liner
2. Decrease wrap on single face web
3. Reduce wrap on single face liner
4. Increase starch at single facer (if possible)
5. Adjust hot bed pressure setting (increase heat on double backer side)
6. Increase steam shower on flute
7. Reduce starch at double backer (if possible)
8. Slow down
9. Check moisture in double backer liner – if excessive reject reel

Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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Long Warp Up (Tension)

Cause:
This warp is caused by more tension being applied to the single face web/liner than the
double backer liner

Remedy:
1. Increase tension on the double backer liner
2. Reduce tension on the single face web brake
3. Increase wrap on double backer liner (to increase paper tension)
4. Reduce amount of web on the bridge
5. Reduce tension on the single facer liner

Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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Long Warp Down (Tension)

Cause:
This warp is caused by more tension being applied to the double backer liner, than the
single face web
White and coated papers are worse for this due to the static they create in the hot bed
section

Remedy:
1. Reduce tension on the double backer liner
2. Increase tension on the single face web
3. Reduce wrap on the double backer liner (to reduce paper tension)
4. Increase tension on the single facer liner
5. Clean / lubricate hotplates (using oil, but only if this problem is consistent
throughout all production)

Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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‘S’ Warp
Cause: 'S' warp is a combination of both a cross warp up and cross warp down, across
the full width of the corrugator. It is due to uneven moisture across one or both liners
and/or a non uniform starch application at either the double backer or single facer

Remedy:
1. Check for wet streaks in both liners and fluting
2. Check defects in starch application. Check that the wiper blades and the metering
rolls are clean and free from debris.
3. Use procedure for correcting cross warp 'up' to make all sheets flat, or with a cross
warp 'down'.
Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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Twist Warp

Cause:
Twist warp is in fact a mixture of both long warp and cross warp and due to the inbalance
in moisture and tension
1. High moisture and tension in the liners at the double backer or single facer or
both
2. Mis-alignment of part of the corrugator, i.e. reel stand, wrap arms, splicer heads
etc., in fact anything which could apply uneven tension to the paper
3. Reel stand brake problems applying uneven tension to the paper

Remedy:
1. Try to establish which warp is the more prolific in the twist and then try to remove
that particular warp, always starting with the long warp
2. If you think part of the machine is misaligned or you suspect the braking system
to be causing the fault, seek advice from the maintenance department

Remember there is no such thing as acceptable warp

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Washboarding Description
Washboarding occurs because a liner expands as it absorbs glue, then contracts to a
smaller size as it dries out. The liner paper is pulled down between the fixed glue lines as
it shrinks
Excessive glue absorption, or excessive moisture in the liners, increases the amount of
washboarding

Washboarding occurs mainly in

liners of light to medium weights

Small blisters appear between the

glue lines on some recycled light
weight liners

Washboarding of good quality liners

can occur when glue lines are not
precisely central on the flute tips

Boards with washboarded double face liners have to be crushed in the converting
machines to achieve an acceptably flat surface for printing
Finished boards have lower caliper and are weaker than standard boards

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Washboarding
Instead of the liner forming a taught, flat surface across the flutes, it tends to try to
follow the contours of the flutes

How Excess adhesive causes washboarding

Cause:
The main cause of washboarding is excessive starch application
Remedy:
1. Reduce starch application on the effected side
2. Check paper moisture of light weight liners

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Singleface Liner Damaged by excessive Pressure

Description:
Bruised and cut single-facer liner along the line of contact with corrugations

Cause:
1. Pressure roller – pressure to high
2. Wet liner
3. Pressure roller out of parallel
4. Dense streak in liner

Remedy:
1. Release pressure on pressure roll to a point where proper adhesion is still obtained
with minimum damage to the liner
2. Check paper moisture
3. Check pressure roll alignment and make parallel
4. Reject reel and contact mill

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Facing and Medium Edges not Properly Aligned

Cause:
1. Liner and medium not properly aligned on roll stands
2. Paper shrinkage when running light weight medium or liner

Remedy:
1. Reposition liner or medium on roll stands
2. Check paper shrinkage when running low weight medium or liner

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High or Low Flutes

High-low corrugations shown by irregular glue patterns on the double backer liner occur
when corrugations are not formed uniformly in height
Causing small blisters on double backer liner side of finished board

Cause:
1. Vibration of corrugating rolls at high speed
2. Dirty corrugating rolls
3. Medium too dry or too wet
4. Tension on corrugating medium too loose or too tight
5. Incorrect pressure on corrugating rolls
6. Improper heat on single facer
Remedy:
1. Adjust machine speed – check corrugator roll adjustment
2. Clean corrugator rolls
3. Adjust shower on single facer. Change medium if necessary
4. Adjust brake accordingly
5. Adjust pressure evenly on corrugating rolls, both sides
6. Check steam pressure and temperatures (steam traps and siphons where
necessary)

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Corrugations – cut or fractured

Corrugating medium which has been cut or fractured along sides or tips of flutes

Cause:
1. Tension on medium too great – especially with low gram paper
2. Medium too wet or too dry
3. High corrugating roll pressure
4. Dirty or worn corrugating rolls
5. Corrugating rolls not parallel
Remedy:
1. Adjust brake
2. Adjust steam shower if medium too dry
3. Reduce pressure on corrugating rolls
4. Clean and check corrugating rolls
5. Adjust alignment of corrugating rolls

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Orange Peel Effect

Appears as puckers in the liner between the flute tips (on either side of the board)

Cause:
1. Adhesive application too heavy
2. Too much heat
Remedy:
1. Lighten application
2. To minimise puckers run as fast as possible (bypassing pre-heaters) with the
lightest practical gluelines

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Delamination
Corrugated medium is unbonded on liner after running through the pressure roll
Delamination can occur at both sides, centre, or entire width
Note: if glue lines on single facer liner are even and parallel problem is caused by pressure
roll issue

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Fluff Out
Corrugated medium comes off from lower corrugating roll between upper and lower nip
points
Corrugated medium is crushed after running through pressure roll nip
Note: if glue lines on single face liner are random and follow the profile, of the crushed
flute, this is caused before the pressure roll

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Single Face Liner Edge Delamination

Not enough glue at edge

Not enough glue was left on the surfaces to form a bond after the glue entered the fibres
of both papers

Cause:
1. Gelled starch lump in the glue tray wiped glue off the glue roll surface
2. Paper was too absorbent at the edge
Remedy:
1. Check single facer glue roll for even application
2. Check back of tray for gelled starch
3. Check paper absorbency with moisture drop test

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Single Face Liner Edge Delamination

Not enough pressure roll pressure at edge

Glue was applied correctly but the pressure roll nip pressure at the edge was not enough
to bond the flute tips to the liner

Cause:
1. Low pressure roll setting
2. Faulty gauge on panel
3. Faulty pressure roll ram system
Remedy:
1. Adjust pressure roll setting
2. Check out gauges – if faulty have recalibrated by engineering
3. Check out rams for sticking or leaks

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Double Face Liner Edge Delamination – Glue Application

Too much glue at edge
Excessive glue applied to the flute tips at web edge was absorbed into the paper fibres
and gelled but the papers delaminated in the slitters because the glue was still moist
Note: Trim knives on slitter will disturb bond on some kraft liners and heavy grades

Cause:
1. Doctor roll scraper damaged or incorrectly set
2. Single face web tensions unequal, excess glue on slack side
3. Down warp of single face web edges caused flute tips to droop on the glue roll and
pick up excessive glue
Remedy:
1. Ensure the doctor roll is clean across the width
2. Check single facer web entry and exit of double backer glue unit at edges

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Double Face Liner Edge Delamination – Glue Application

Not enough glue at edge
Not enough glue was left on the surfaces to form a bond after the glue entered the fibres
of both papers

Cause:
1. Excessive up-warp at web edge caused flute tips to lift away from glue roll
2. Edge flutes were crushed before the glue roll
3. Glue wiped off glue roll surface by gelled starch lump in the glue tray
4. Sufficient glue applied but flute tips moved on the liner and spread the glue too
thinly before it gelled
Remedy:
1. Check single facer web entry and exit of double backer glue unit at edges
2. Check effected edge for flute damage before glue roll
3. Check glue roll for even starch application
4. Increase pressure on hot bed system if possible
5. Adjust liner and web brake tensions if possible

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Double Face Liner Edge Delamination Glue Drying

Glue correctly applied and gelled – not dried
The glue was absorbed into the fibres of both papers in lines 1mm wide on flute tips and
liner, but papers delaminated in the edge slitters because the glue was still moist
Note: Trim knives on slitter will disturb bond on some kraft liners and heavy grades

Cause:
1. Not enough hot bed pressure
2. Wet Edged Paper Reel
3. Overheated liner produced steam which moved along the flutes, condensed and
caused a damp edge
4. Top belt did not allow moisture to exhaust from the board edge (belt blind)
Remedy:
1. Increase hot bed pressure if possible
2. Check reel for wet edge
3. Ensure top belt not blind (clean belt)

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Double Face Liner Edge Delamination Glue Drying

Glue correctly applied - dried or gelled early
Correct width glue lines on flute tips and liner appeared as white brown crystals because
the glue was dried or gelled on the paper surfaces before being absorbed into the fibres
Edge delamination when caused by overheating the liner, may disappear when running
faster because paper temperature reduces as speed increases

Cause:
1. Bottom liner too hot
2. Double facer first hotplate section too hot
3. Glue gel temperature too low
Remedy:
1. Reduce Liner temperature, either by wrap/hot bed pressure or reduce 1st hot plate
section temperature
2. Check gel temperature adjust if required
3. Increase machine speed if possible

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Double Face Liner Delamination Belt Speeds

At the double facer the top belt governs the speeds of the single face webs, the bottom
belt governs the speed of the bottom liner and when the glue has fixed the flute tips to
the liner, it governs the speed of the board. Belt speeds must be identical for good
bonding.
When the top belt moves faster than the bottom belt, the single face web is longer than
the liner, glue is spread thinly and delaminated rippling appears

Cause:
1. Differing double facer belt surface speeds
Remedy:
1. Regular checking of top/bottom belt speeds will prevent this issue

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Blistering

Various shaped loose, unbonded areas in either liner. Liner appears to bulge irregularly
away from flutes

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Blistering
Not enough glue on the roll at blister

Cause:
1. Gelled starch lumps in the glue tray wiped glue off the glue roll surface
2. Low starch viscosity
3. Single facer glue unit gap adjusted incorrectly
4. Worn corrugating rolls produced low flutes which picked up insufficient glue
Remedy:
1. Check single facer glue roll for even starch application across roll width
2. Check starch viscosity
3. Adjust single facing glue unit gap
4. Regular checking of the corrugator roll wear will prevent this issue

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Blistering

Not enough pressure roll nip pressure at blister

Cause:
1. Worn corrolls produced low nip pressure in the centre and excessive nip pressure
at the edges when running full width papers
2. Thin streak in paper
3. Wet streak in paper
4. Cooler corri roll
Remedy:
1. Regular checking of roll wear will prevent this issue
2. Check liner for thin / wet streak
3. Check roll condensate system (engineering)
4. p.s. this issue will be worse when the single facer has been stopped or has been
running at speed for a period of time

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Double Face Liner Blisters Paper Movements

Glue on the single face web flute tips must not touch the liner beneath until the papers
are brought together under the first weight roll pressure point

Cause:
1. Bouncing (fluttering) of the flute tips or liner against each other, or rubbing
together at unequal speeds, prevent efficient glue bonding and causes blisters or
edge delamination
Remedy:
1. Glue on the flute tips must not touch the liner before combining at the first
pressure point
2. All webs must be tensioned equally across the machine to prevent fluttering of
flute tips and liner against each other

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Double Face Liner Blisters Top Belt Condition

Cause:
1. Double facer moisture movement – heat from the hot plates travels upwards
through the bottom liner, gels the glue and moves the moisture out of the glue
through the single face web into the top belt. The moisture travels along the
threads of the belt and is exhausted into the atmosphere around the corrugator
during the return run of the belt
2. Belt cleanliness - paper dust mixed with dried starch in the belt fibres, or scraps of
paper on the belt surface, prevent moisture entering the belt. Moisture overheats
in the board, generates steam and causes blisters
Remedy:
1. Top and bottom belts should be cleaned every 6 months either by scrubbing with a
mild detergent solution or by vacuum cleaning with a commercial carpet
shampooing machine
Note: Ensure adequate time for the belts to dry before starting production

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Post Corrugator Liner Delamination

Cause:
1. Post corrugator delamination occurs when the glue does not form a solid mass to
bond each flute to the liner, either because of insufficient nip pressure or because
of flute liner movements while the glue is moist, but enough glue sits on each
mating surface to hold the papers together lightly in the corrugator
2. As boards in the stacks become cooler and moisture moves out, the papers
continue shrinking, glue joints become stressed/weaker and boards delaminate
when handled
Remedy:
1. Ensure enough heat/starch are applied to achieve a strong bond
2. Run machine at correct speed for grade
Note: problems usually occur on either heavy weight krafts or coated special grades
During run keep sample and check once totally dried to ensure good bond before sending
board to customer

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Caliper Importance
The strength of a board of any specific flute type is basically determined by the height of
the vees and the angle at which they are glued to the liners
Vee heights lower than standard reduce the board caliper, cause angle changes and
weaken the board

Cause:
1. Excess glue weakens the board by flattening the flute tips, reducing the board
caliper and changing the vee angles, it also creates warp
Note: Routine checks of board calipers during production runs are essential
indicators of board quality
Remedy:
1. Check starch application
2. Ensure flute has not been flattened along machine path
Note: fault can occur when running light weight fluting

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