TIP 0304-31

ISSUED – 1990
REAFFIRMED – 1995
REVISED – 2000
REVISED – 2004
2004 TAPPI

The information and data contained in this document were prepared

by a technical committee of the association. The committee and the
Association assume no liability or responsibility in connection with
the use of such information or data, including but not limited to any
liability or responsibility under patent, copyright, or trade secret laws.
The user is responsible for determining that this document is the
most recent edition published.

Splicer defects and cures

Scope

Ever-increasing productivity and waste reduction demands on the corrugator are prompting converters to place more
requirements on their equipment. Also, their crews are increasingly required to not only operate equipment, but to
trouble-shoot as well.
The splicer has been designed to permit a change in roll stock width or grade without having to slow down to idle
running speeds. During normal operation of the splicer, the paper unwinding from a roll stand passes up and through the
splicer and into the single facer or glue machine. The paper passes through a splicer head and idler rolls, and around
either a set of dancer rolls or through a driven carriage assembly. The dancer rolls (stationary type splicer) and the driven
carriage assembly (driven type splicer) provide the method by which the paper from the newly spliced-in roll is permitted
to run and accelerate up to the corrugator's running speed without having to stop or slow down the corrugator.

Safety precautions

Insure power and air is off when working on the splicer. Use knife with caution when preparing liner/medium for
splicing.

Purpose

This Technical Information Paper provides a simplified, easy-to-use trouble-shooting chart. The most important step
is the initial identification of the problem. Through the process of elimination, the problem can be properly identified
and then corrected.
Every minute of down time saved increases productivity and helps to maintain unit costs.

TIP Category: Automatically Periodically Reviewed (Ten-year review)

TAPPI
TIP 0304-31 Splicer defects and cures / 2

Content

Observation Cause Corrective Action

Paper wrinkles/tension Worn brake shoes Make necessary brake adjustment or repair.
warp Slipping brakes
Web tension

Elephant-skin paper Web tension is too high. Trim off the outer layers
with significant caliper to eliminate bad paper.
variations

Festoon roll misalignment Align all festoon rolls and the carriage assembly.

Carriage misalignment Parallel the roll stand chuck arms.

Roll stand Align preheater and preheater's wrap/fixed idler rolls.

Preheater/preheater idler rolls Level and align if necessary.

Web slack on Roll stand Check the roll stand arms for proper level and
one side Paper roll alignment to the splicer.

Paper preparation
Check that the roll of paper is wound evenly and not
telescoped. Check for correct paper preparation. Adjust for
uneven tension across prepared web. When preparing and
out-of-round roll, a tight edge may be seen even though the
splice preparation has been done correctly. Pull up the loose
edge by approximately 1/8 in. (6 mm) and hold in place.
Prepare paper for splicing.

Missed splices Failure to remove da- Trim off any damaged outer roll layers. Trim out all edge
maged outer layers on tears, nicks using moon-shaped cuts as trained.
edge tears

Failure to remove a tight See above procedure for slack web removal. Shift the paper
edge in the head to align the web to the paper roll. Pull the web
tight and press the clamp button to activate the paper stop
bar. The web is now securely anchored and properly
aligned to the preparation bar.

Improper paper slack on Each manufacturer will recommend how much slack (if
the new roll any) can be left in the new roll before the splicer is actuated.
Either too little or too much slack will reduce the chances of
a successful splice.

Brake not set properly during paper preparation - set as

directed in splice preparation procedure.
3 / Splicer defects and cures
Observation Cause
Out of parallel nip roll
not sealing the tape all the
way across the web
Cut-off knife failing to
cut all the way across
the web
Sluggish dancer roll or
carriage movement
Splicing at too high of a
run speed
New roll not lifted off of
floor
Machine operating out of
sequence
Roll of paper damaged
in the center or edge;
causes the damaged flap
of paper to catch on parts
of the splicer mechanism
(more of a problem on
medium due to its brittle
nature)
TIP 0304-31
Corrective Action
Parallel both nip rolls.
Position the knife and anvil clearance as specified by
by manufacturer.
Check the condition of the knife blade, anvil pad, and a
mechanical bind-up.
Ensure sufficient air pressure on the clamp bar and knife.
Check for a bind-up caused by paper dust build-up on the
dancer roll or the carriage gear/rack assembly.
Check for excessive tooth wear on the tips of the gear itself.
Each type of splicer will have an optimum splicing range
depending on its design, type and condition of the material
being spliced, condition of the roll stand, and the care taken
in splice preparation.
Recommend that the single-facers and the double-backers be
equipped with easily seen speed indicators so that the
operators will be able to make all splices at the correct
speeds.
Raise roll off the floor prior to splice.
Reinitiate manufacturer's recommended splice preparation
set-up sequence.
Open leading edge roll damage should be stripped;
management should find and correct the cause of the
damage.
Trailing edge roll damage should not be stripped because
strip waste is extremely expensive.
TIP 0304-31
Observation Cause
Missed tail-grabbing at The tape securing the
the roll core paper to the core can
be stronger than the
shear strength of the web;
the splicer does not actuate
before the web reaches the
taped tail, causing the
paper to tear out.
No brake Control power off
Brake release light on
Brakes disconnected
Chucks slipping
Brakes on manual control
Worn brakes
Slick Liner. Highly sized
and calendered heavy
weight liners (slick
surface prevents the
splicing tape from
achieving a good
enough bond)
Below-standard batch of
splicing tape
Splice failure Low splicing-tape shear
strength caused by stress
during the splicing seq-
uence or heat-related
failure from the preheater
or preconditioner; pre-
conditioner not driven
Splicer defects and cures / 4
Corrective Action
Recommend off-the-core splicing be done with linerboard
when the paper has good quality right down to the end of
the roll; it is a risky practice on medium - and low-grade
papers.
Turn on roll stand power.
Reset brake actuation system.
Check brake system for integrity.
Check chucks for proper position and clogged adjustable
chucks.
Check brake selector position.
Check the condition of the brake pads.
Take the leading edge of the new roll liner and “crinkle”
it by repeated folding and rubbing the fibers to break up the
slickness and soften the surface of the web. The raised
fibers will cling to the splicing tape, thus improving splice
reliability. If you believe the tape used is not aggressive
enough, use a double width of 2 in. wide splicing tape
to make a 4 in. wide splicing joint, thus increasing the strength
of the bond between the two liners.
Check the aggressiveness/quality of the tape by placing
some of the tape on the liner, iron it down by hand, and then
pull it off the liner. If a substantial amount of fibers fail to
stick to the tape, then a new batch of tape should be tried.
Remove the wrap arms on preheaters just before splice
actuation. Do not slow down the corrugator excessively
as the splice passes over these heated vessels. Do not apply
excessive brake on the new web before the spliced joint
passes over these units.
5 / Splicer defects and cures
Observation Cause
Tear outs Improper paper line up
causing tear outs
Applying tape too high or
unevenly across the web
Splicing from a narrow
web to a wide web with-
out proper trimming
Improper utilization of
the splicer index system
or failure to index web
will result in an incorrect
placement of the pre-
pared web
Failure to remove tape
backing
Allowing dust to accum-
ulate on the tape
Slack in web while Paper roll over traveling
running or immedi-
ately; after splicing
TIP 0304-31
Corrective Action
Care must be taken to line up the new roll with the running
web before the splice preparation is completed. Once the
leading edge of the new web is inserted in the splicer, any
side-wise movement of the roll stand can induce a diagonal
stress in the new web and cause a tear out when the splice is
actuated. This factor is especially critical on medium
splices. Preconditioner must be run at an overspeed to help
prefeed the medium and thus reduce tension.
Apply adhesive transfer tape to the bottom edge of the
preparation bar. Cut the paper flush across bottom edge of
the paper bar and trim the corners back at a 45-degree angle.
Apply the tape flush across the bottom edge of the
preparation bar or as directed by equipment manufacturer.
Placement is sometimes critical to the splice reliability as
the positioning of the tape interfaces with the splice head
mechanism.
The splicing tape can only be as wide as the narrowest web
of paper being run. The tape must be centered on the new
web and trimmed to the width of the smaller roll.
Recommend that the edges of the wider web be trimmed
back to facilitate moving the web through the splicer as well
as through other parts of the corrugator.
Index the web as required by the manufacturer.
Remove tape backing just prior to splice actuation.
The best practice is not to remove the tape backing cover
film until the splice is almost ready to occur. Not more than
10 min. prior recommended.
Check for insufficient braking force due to 1) low air
pressure; 2) worn chucks; 3) worn brakes; 4) bad roll core;
or 5) automatic tension control not functioning as designed.
TIP 0304-31 Splicer defects and cures / 6

Final notes

1. Unless the splicer, roll stand and control mechanism are given adequate preventative maintenance, the splice
reliability percentage will suffer. The machinery should be kept clean, be well lubricated according to the
manufacturer's recommendations, and be inspected periodically for obvious signs of wear, damage, or potential
problems.
2. Be certain operators are properly trained. Make sure they understand how the machines function and how all the
controls work. Be certain they are fully aware of safety!
3. Most importantly, remember safety! Do not let anyone work on the equipment when air or electrical power is on.

Keywords

Roll stands, Splicers, Singlefacers, Doublefacers, Liners, Corrugating medium

Additional information

Effective date of issue: July 20, 2004.

Working Group Members:

Richard J. Croker, Chairman - Georgia Pacific Corp.

John Troyke, Georgia Pacific Corp.
Ray Zindrick, DT Services
Robb Trippsmith, Consultant
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