THE ART OF WINDING GOOD ROLLS

By R. Duane Smith
Product Manager Specialty Winding DAVIS STANDARD CONVERTING SYSTEMS Fulton, New York 13069

THE ART OF WINDING GOOD ROLLS

By R. Duane Smith Product Manager - Specialty Winding Davis Standard Converting Systems Fulton, New York

ABSTRACT
Every web manufacturer and converter is faced with the challenge of winding quality rolls of their high quality products. This paper provides definition of a quality roll of paper, film or nonwoven material. The reader is made aware of the importance of the control of in-wound tension to consistently produce good quality rolls. It discusses the winding principles used on all winders to control in-wound tension or roll hardness. Then the basic types of center, surface and combination center/surface winders will be compared with the advantages and disadvantages of each. After the discussion of how roll hardness is achieved, methods of measuring roll hardness are presented. Finally, roll defects to avoid in producing quality rolls of web materials will be listed and the book "Roll and Web Defect Terminology" will be brought to the audience's attention for them to learn more about the causes and cures of common roll and web defects. NOTE- This paper deals primarily with the winding of paper and nonwoven web materials. Please refer to the article The Challenges of Winding Flexible Packing Films which can be found at www.bc-egan.com under Converting Systems/Company Information/Publications and Tech Documents or www.bc-egan.com/public_html/Company/publications.html.

INTRODUCTION
If all web materials were perfect, then the ability to produce perfect rolls of these products wouldnt be much of a challenge. Unfortunately due to the natural variation in resins and additives and non-uniformities of the film formation processes, there is no such animal as a perfect web. The winding operations challenge is to wind webs with slight imperfections being sure that these slight imperfections do not stand out in appearance and are not amplified during the winding process. Then it is the responsibility of the winder operator to make sure that the winding process does not produce additional variations in the product quality. The ultimate challenge is to wind a web product with slight imperfections and produce quality rolls that will run on your customers process without problems and produce high quality products for their customers.

DEFINITION OF A QUALITY ROLL

If the challenge is to wind quality rolls, then the first task is to define our customers definitions of good quality. A baker will tell you that in order to please their customers, they must produce rolls that are of the right shape, the right size, the right consistency not too hard and not too soft, they must look good no blemishes or visual defects, and they must have a good aroma. A film product customer wants rolls of film that are: The right shape The right size The right consistency Must look good Aroma? - Round and proper width - Right diameter or length - Proper roll density not too hard or soft - No blemished or visual defects - Well, start shipping your customers bad rolls of film and they are going to raise a stink!!!

Your customers demand a roll that will run without problems. Most will tell you that, if a roll of material looks and feels good, then it will run without problems. It is a well known fact that you cant improve the quality of paper or other products on the slitter winder. Still, it is every winder operators job to insure that the web defects are not amplified or made worse during the slitting and rewinding operation. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss the factors that go into the consistent production of top quality rolls off a slitting and rewinding operation. This article will be centered on roll hardness and visual defects and how they can be controlled for consistently rewinding good rolls. (Smith, 2001)

ROLL HARDNESS
Roll density or hardness is probably the most important factor in determining the difference between a good and bad roll. Rolls that are wound too soft will have slippage of the layers when they are unwound at higher tensions, commonly know as cinching. This layer slippage will cause roll defects such as starring and/or telescoping unless they are unwound at very light tensions. Rolls that are wound too soft can also go out of round while winding or will go out of round when they are handled or stored. The roundness of rolls is very important in your customers operation. When unwinding out of round rolls, each revolution will produce a tight and slack tension wave. These tension variations can distort the web and cause register variations in the process. The only way to minimize the affect of these tension variations is to run the operation at a much lower speed, which greatly affects the production rates. Rolls that are wound too tight will also cause problems. Tightly wound rolls contain high inwound tension. These rolls can split open like a watermelon when dropped or squeezed by a roll handling truck. The web will stretch and deform as these stresses are relieved as the roll cures during storage. If this inwound tension becomes too high, bursts can occur inside the wound roll. (See Photo #1) These cross machine tension bursts are normally well hidden 3

and can not be detected until the roll is unwound. These bursts cause web breaks which cause major production losses on your customers production lines.

Photo #1: Cross Machine Tension Burst Since there is no such thing as a perfect web, it is the responsibility of the winder operator to make sure that these slight imperfections do not stand out in appearance and do not cause their customers process problems. Rolls that are wound too tightly will exaggerate web defects. No web is perfectly flat or the same thickness from one side to the other. Typically webs will have slight high and low areas in the cross machine profile where the web is thicker or thinner. If the rolls are wound too hard then the web will stretch over these thicker areas causing bumps or ridges. (See Photo #2A) As the web is stretched over these ridges, it deforms in these areas. This causes untensioned areas in the web, known as baggy areas, when the roll is unwound. (See Photo #2B) There may also be moisture streaks where the web is higher in moisture in localized areas across the web. These moisture bands will cause web defects know as corrugations, or rope marks, in rolls which are wound too tight. (See Photo #2C) Ridges and corrugations cause the customer process problems such as poor registration on a printing line. These slight defects will not be noticeable in a wound roll if sufficient air is wound into the roll in the low or wet areas and the web is not stretched over the high areas. Still, the rolls must be wound hard enough that they will be round and will stay that way during handling and storage. Some webs, either by their formation process or by their coating or web conditioning process, have cross machine variations of thickness or moisture too severe to be wound without exaggerating these defects. To overcome this, these webs are moved back and forth

before they are slit. This process, called oscillation, which randomizes these localized defects across the wound rolls. On a slitter winder, the unwind is normally oscillated. Oscillation may be either a constant speed, stop and constant speed back or a sine-type wave speed curve. What is important is that the oscillation speed is fast enough to randomize defects and slow enough that it does not strain or wrinkle the web and that the rolls after they have been slit are wound with straight edges. The rule of thumb for the maximum oscillation speed is 1 per minute per 500 feet per minute winding speed. For best results, the oscillation speed should vary proportional to the winding speed.

Photo #2A: Ridges in a Roll

Photo #2B: Baggy Web

Photo #2 C: Corrugations or Rope Marks

How to Achieve and Measure Roll Hardness

Now we know why roll hardness is important. Next lets discuss how to achieve and measure roll hardness. As a roll of web material winds, tension builds inside the roll which is known as inwound tension or residual stress. If these stresses become greater as the roll is wound, then the inner wraps towards the core will loosen. This is what causes the rolls to dish while winding or telescope when they are handled or when they are being unwound in your customers production operation. To prevent this, the rolls want to be wound tight at the core and then wound with less tightness as the roll builds in diameter as shown in Chart #1. The larger the finished rewind diameters, the more critical the roll hardness profile is.

Roll Hardness vs. Diameter

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Hardness Taper

100 80 60 40 20 0 Core Full Roll Ideal Hardness Taper Maximum Hardness Taper Minimum Hardness Taper

Diameter

Note- Hardness Number is a relative number and will depend on device used to measure the hardness.

Chart #1: Roll Hardness versus Diameter Roll hardness is developed in different ways on different types of winders but the basic principles of how to build roll hardness are always the same. To remember these principles, just remember that to consistently wind Dynamite Rolls you need T.N.T. (Seidel, 1987) T ension N ip T orque - The Winding Web Tension - The Nip of the Pressure Roll or Drum - From the Center Drive or Torque Drum

The three basic types of winders are: 1. Surface Winders 2. Center Winders 3. Center/Surface Winders Each type of winder uses one of more of these T.N.T. winding principles to build wound roll hardness. We will now describe each of these winder types and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each.

SINGLE DRUM SURFACE WINDERS

The Single Drum Surface Winders are the simplest and least expensive type of winders. As shown in Figure #1, these will use Web Tension and Nip. Because of the amount of wrap that is normally around the driven winder drum, web tension is isolated from the winding roll. On non-extensible products such as heavy board, web tension has little effect on roll hardness. Basically, roll hardness is affected only by the control of the nip pressure. On extensible products such as extensible films and nonwovens, roll hardness is controlled through both web tension and nip.

Figure #1: Surface Type Winder The advantage of this type of surface winder is that the rolls weight does not affect the amount of nip load. The disadvantage is that the Single Drum Surface Winder has limited control of roll density and must be a shafted operation. A single drum winder requires much less horsepower than a center winder and is normally used on as a continuous type winder for heavier grade products and extensible nonwovens.

Two Drum Surface Winders

Two Drum Surface Winders are normally used for stop/start slitting and rewinding operations and use all three principles for maximum control of roll hardness. See Figure #2.

Figure #2: Two Drum Surface Winders This type of winder normally has sufficient wrap on the drum so the web tension has little effect on the roll hardness when winding non-extensible grades. Roll hardness and profile are achieved by programmed nip control of the rider roll pressure and programmed torque control from the torque drum. Today, these winders are normally shaftless operations and are high speed and very productive. The disadvantage is that this type of winder typically builds hard rolls as the winding rolls weight produces the winding nip. This requires high rider roll pressure at the start which is relieved proportional to the winding rolls weight as it winds. Programmed torque control is the most effective tool in controlling roll hardness which also requires a hard nip to transmit the torque into the roll without slippage. Two Drum Surface Winders are used as high speed slitter rewinders for light density grades such as nonwovens or heavier paper, board or laminate grades that can tolerate being wound hard. Single and Dual Drum surface winders are: Best for winding hard rolls (i.e. protective films) Best utilization of space and horsepower Best for winding very large diameter rolls Best for minimizing waste during transfers Less expensive Less equipment Single & smaller winding drive

Pure Center Winders

Pure Center Winders use web tension or, when combined with a pressure roll, can use nip and web tension to control roll hardness as shown below. Please note that on this type of winder, torque produces web tension. See Figure #3.

Figure #3: Single Position Pure Center Type Winder A Pure Center Winder may be single position or continuous operation turret winder and may be a shafted or shaftless operation. (See Figure #4) Often this type of winder provides flexibility of gap or contact winding to control amount of air being wound into roll and roll hardness.

Figure #4: Continuous Pure Center Type Winder with Nip Roll

Pure Center Winders have the ability to wind softer rolls than a Single Drum Winder and have better in-wound tension control. Still they only use one or two of the principles to control roll hardness. Pure Center Winders are normally used on lighter grades which are wound at lighter tensions and to smaller roll diameters. They require much higher horsepower than Surface Winders as the tension horsepower needs to be multiplied by the ratio of the maximum speed at core to the maximum speed at full roll to obtain the horsepower required at the full roll. An advantage of center winding is that this process can wind softer rolls. This type of winder on a continuous process line can provide quick indexing and fast cycle times. The disadvantage of center winding of film is the limitation of maximum roll diameter due to the torque applied through the layers of web material. Also, center winders have a higher probability of generating scrap during roll changes. Pure center winders are: Best for winding soft rolls (i.e. web materials with gauge bands) Best for winding web materials with high tack Best for winding small diameter rolls Easily designed for dual direction winding Able to provide adhesiveless transfers

Center/Surface Winders
The Center/Surface type winders uses all three principles in controlling roll hardness and may either be configured in a continuous turret type winder or a center/surface single shaft simplex or dual shaft duplex type slitter winder. The surface drive produces the web tension while the nip pressure of the pressure roll and the torque from the spindle drive produces the roll hardness. See Figure #5.

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Figure #5: Continuous Center/Surface Turret Winder

By programming these nips and torques, the desired roll hardness and profile can be achieved. The nip can be controlled independent of the rolls weight. The disadvantage of winders of this type is the cost, complexity, & lower production due to the shafts required when slitting and rewinding. See Figures #6A and 6B.

Figure #6A:Simplex Center/ Surface Rewinder

Figure #6B:Duplex Center/Surface Rewinder

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Measuring Roll Hardness

The setting and programming of the tension, nip and torque to produce the desired roll hardness will vary depending on: a) The type and design of the winder b) The type of web material being wound c) Width of the rolls being wound d) The speed of the winding operation Different web products and different applications for these products will dictate the roll hardness desired. Once the desired roll hardness profile is determined, it needs to be measured and then reproduced on a consistent basis. The measurement tools need to be hand held and available on the winder so an operator can check roll hardness being obtained and make adjustments accordingly to insure that the roll hardness is within the acceptable range for that product. To measure the roll hardness across the outer surface of the roll, it is suggested that either a Rhometer or a PAROtester be used. Both of these are impact based devices for measuring relative roll hardness on a relative scale. The Rhometer is an instrument that measures the peak deceleration of a small hammer as it strikes the outer surface of the roll. (See Photo #3) The PAROtester is similar to the Schmidt hammer. The Schmidt Hammer was developed for concrete hardness testing and has been borrowed for use of roll hardness testing. The PAROtester has been developed specifically for evaluation of hardness of rolled-up paper, foils and films. The PAROtester is considerably more sensitive, has less impact energy and is less operator dependant due to its more defined direction of impact then the Schmidt hammer. (See Photo #4) Hardness Devices for Measuring Roll Hardness across a Roll (Roisum, 1988)

Photo #3: Rhometer 12

Photo #4: PAROtester

A Smith meter is an instrument that can be used to measure the hardness profile from the core to the outer wraps of the roll. The Smith meter measures the penetration of a small needle as it is inserted in the wraps of the web along the rolls sides. (See Photo #5) With the computerized data acquisition systems now available such as the Black Clawson AccuWind systems, it is now possible to calculate the Roll Density Factor (RDF) and plot the relative roll density from core to full roll as the roll winds. These systems compare the actual winding rolls diameter with the theoretical diameter and plot the ratio as a function of the winding rolls diameter. The RDF is displayed to the operator on the Operator Interface Terminal (OIT) at the winder as shown in Photo #6. The operator needs to have a means to measure the roll hardness from both core to full roll and across the roll available on the winder.

Hardness Devices for Measuring Roll Hardness from Core to Full Roll (Roisum, 1988)

Photo #5: Smith Needle

Photo #6: AccuWind Roll Density Curve

ROLL DEFECTS
So far, we have concentrated on the importance of roll hardness and how it is produced and measured. We have discussed roll defects that are caused by roll hardness which are: Out of Round Rolls Internal Web Bursts Ridges Baggy Paper Corrugations or Rope Marks Now lets turn to other visual defects that need to be avoided in order to consistently wind good rolls. These defects include:

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Poor Starts Core Offsets Splices Offsets and Interweaving Dished and Telescoped Rolls Starred Rolls Trim Wound In Rolls

Slitter Rings Other Slitter Defects such as: Excessive Slitter Dust Nicked Blades Scalloped Edges High Edges

Poor Starts
Poor starts are defined when there are obvious differences in appearance between the paper near the core and the remainder of the roll. See Photo #7. Causes of Poor Starts: a) Starting to wind with slack in the web b) Web wrinkling at the start of the wind c) Poor quality cores d) Loose winding near the core Poor Start Remedies: a) Tighten web before fastening to core b) Start with web straight on cores c) Use good quality, properly stored cores d) Start with proper tension, nip and/or torque

Photo #7: Poor Start

Core Offsets
Core offsets is defined when the cores extend inside or out of the sides of the rolls. See Photo #8. Causes of Core Defects: a) Cores not aligned with slit webs b) Web not securely fastened to the core Core Slips Remedies: a) Be sure cores are aligned with slitters b) Securely retain cores and fasten webs securely to the cores

Photo #8: Core Offset

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Splices
Splices in a roll are necessary evils. Splices are normally due to web breaks or cutting out defective material in a parent roll. Most customers will allow up to 3 splices in a roll of wound material but will not allow rolls with splices near the core or near the full roll. They also insist that splices be properly made and properly marked. Bad rolls contain numerous splices or poorly made splices or contain unmarked splices. See Photo #9. Causes of Splices: a) Poor product in parent roll b) Web breaks

Photo #9: Poor Splice

Splice Remedies: a) Reduce bad material in parent roll to a minimum b) Determine if web breaks are due to defects in material or winder and correct problem

Offsets and Interweaving

Offsets are defined as an abrupt change in the position of the edge of the web. Causes of offsets: a) Shifts in the core shaft or cores b) Oscillation speed too fast c) Quick change in web tension d) Quick change in nip load e) Web slippage inside of the roll Offset Remedies: a) Be sure that core shaft and cores are securely retained b) Check oscillation speed relative to web speed or binding in oscillation mechanism Photo #10: Web Offsets c) Correct abrupt changes in speed or tension d) Check for binding or other reasons for abrupt changes in nip load e) Do not increase Tension, Nip or Torque during the winding operation 15

Interweaving is often caused by severe offsets in the rolls that are wound side by side on a winder. In addition to the above causes, interweaving may also be caused by improper spreader device adjustment, too low of winding tension, or uneven cross machine web tension.

Dished and Telescoped Rolls

Dished rolls are defined as rolls which are wound with progressive edge misalignment that may be convex or concave. Dished rolls are ones that this curvature occurs while the rolls are winding. Telescoped rolls are rolls that this curvature occurs while handling or unwinding the rolls of web material. See Photo #11. Causes of Roll Dishing: a) Cores that are not held stationary during winding b) Winding soft and then winding tighter at the outer wraps c) Misalignment causing the web to enter the winding roll non-parallel to the core axis

Photo #11: Dished Roll

Remedies of Winding Dished Rolls: a) Make sure cores are firmly retained during winding b) Achieve a good, hard start at the core c) Insure the roll hardness does not increase during winding d) Check for machine misalignment Causes of Roll Telescoping: a) Soft start of winding b) Winding a soft roll c) Unwinding at higher tension than the roll was wound Remedies of Roll Telescoping: a) Wind tighter rolls with a good, hard start and decreasing roll hardness b) Unwind with less tension

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Starred Rolls
Starred rolls are defined as rolls in which the ends have a star pattern due to the shifting of the layers of web in localized bands starting at or near the core and continuing out towards the outer wraps. These localized shifts cause a star pattern which is symmetrical but frequently one or more rays of the star are missing. See Photo #12. Causes of Starred Rolls: a) Winding Tight wraps after a roll has been loosely wound b) Thin web thickness on the end of a roll causing a soft edge c) Severe impact of a wound roll

Photo #12: Starred Roll

Remedies of Starred Rolls: a) Wind tight at the start and then gradually soften roll hardness as diameter increases b) Keep cross caliper variation to a minimum c) Oscillate before slitting d) Provide for proper handling and transporting of rolls

Trim Wound in Rolls

Trim wound in rolls is caused when the winder trim is not collected into the trim removal system and follows the web into the winding roll. See Photo #13. Causes of Trim Wound In Rolls: a) Insufficient air velocity at trim nozzle b) Turbulent air flow in the trim removal system c) Web offsets in parent roll greater than trim width Photo #13: Trim Wound in Roll Remedies of Trim Wound In Rolls: a) Check to insure the air velocity at intake of trim removal system is greater than winding speed 17

b) Check to insure laminator air flow at trim nozzles c) Edge guide unwinding roll or be sure that offsets are not greater than trim width

Slitter Rings
Slitter rings are defined as concentric ring patterns on the edges of the roll that give the roll edge the appearance of a target. This defect is very common on winders with mandrel mounted bottom knives after the mandrel has been reground on or more times. See Photo #14. Causes of Slitter Rings: a) Excessive slitter run out b) Wobble of bottom knife rings c) Poor fit of bottom knives on mandrel Remedies of Slitter Rings: a) Insure that run out of bottom knives after grinding does not exceed the thickness of the webs Photo #14: Slitter Rings b) Check to be sure that bottom knives have a close sliding fit with mandrel c) On individually driven bottom knives, check run out of drive shafts

Other Slitter Defects

Listed below are our common roll defects caused by slitters: a) Slitter Dust - Excessive slitter dust is caused by dull slitter blades, excessive overspeed of bottom knifes and/or worn slitter bearings. b) Nicked Blades - Nicked blades cause roll edges to have small and very short pieces of web protruding from the smooth roll edge. Nicked blades are commonly caused by engaging top blades on top of bottom knives or improper storing or handling of the slitter knives. c) Scalloped Edges - Scalloped edges are defined as rolls in which the slit web width increases and decreases during the winding process. This is normally caused by excessive slitter run out, insufficient side pressure on shear slitters or slitters that are not securely retained during the slitting process.

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d) High Edges - High edges are defined as a slitting defect which results in the edges of the slit rolls flared up. This defect is common when razor type slitting is used and is caused by dull razor slitters. It is corrected by replacing the razor knives or by moving the razor to obtain a new cutting point on the blade. This defect can be minimized by oscillating the razor blade to vary the cutting point on the blade during winding. Properly defining all of the roll and web defects and addressing the possible causes and remedies is far beyond the allowable pages of this article. The new book Roll and Web Defect Terminology (2nd edition) by TAPPI PRESS describes defects commonly found in paper, film and non-woven webs and wound rolls. (Smith, 2007)

This new and greatly improved 2nd edition contains: Illustrations, Causes and Remedies for 224 Defects with common Synonyms for each, which are cross referenced in the Index. The new edition as been expanded to 10 Chapters including chapters on: Roll Defects General Roll Defects Web Profile Roll Defects Edge Roll and Web Defects -Wrinkling Web Defects Papermaking Web Defects Calendering Web Defects Aqueous Coating Film Extrusion and Lamination Defects Web Handling Defects Slitting Defects

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Roll and Web Defect Terminology (2nd edition) was written and edited by 22 Industry Experts with over 500 years of combined experience in web handling and winding plus 16 additional Contributing Editors. The new edition has been expanded to provide an Introduction written by each Chapter Champion. These introductions include troubleshooting, problem solving information, and flow charts. The cause and effect logic given in each chapter can be used to look for similar happenings in your own process, and uncover the real reasons behind a troubling production problem. Each chapter lists the common defects associated with the chapters topic. The information regarding each defect includes: A description of the defect Provides an Illustration for each defect Lists the synonyms or Also Known As terms commonly used Cross references these synonyms in the Index Lists common causes of the defect Lists the common remedies of the defect Lists other sources of information published on the defect TAPPI newest publication, Roll and Web Defect Terminology (2nd Edition) has already been recognized by the web producing and converting industry experts as the most comprehensive Reference Guide available for addressing roll and web defects. This new book is a Must Have communication tool for Suppliers and their Customers to assist in the identification and elimination of Roll and Web Defects. Roll and Web Defect Terminology-2nd edition is now available through TAPPI Press at www.TAPPI.org/bookstore or by calling 1.800.446.9431 (US) 1.800.446.9431 (Canada) or +1.770.446.1400 (Worldwide)

In Conclusion
Winding good rolls is the challenge that every slitter winder operator faces. Consistently winding good rolls depends on the consistency of bringing good material to the slitting and rewinding operation. A winder operators job is not to camouflage poor quality web products into shippable rolls. His or her responsibility is to handle webs with slight imperfections and to produce quality rolls that will run without problems on your customers process and produce high quality products for their customers. I hope that the information presented will help in meeting this challenge.

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References
1. Roisum, D.R., How to Measure Roll Quality, TAPPI Journal, October 1988. 2. Seidel, K.L. Practical Approach to Winding Principles, TAPPI Winding Short Course, 1987. 3. Smith, R. Duane (Editor), Roll and Web Defect Terminology- 2nd edition, TAPPI PRESS, Atlanta, 2007. 4. Smith, R. Duane. The Art of Winding Quality Rolls. Paper Film & Foil Converter, pp 4653, August 2001

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