AUGUST 2011

Make glue line analysis part of your quality control routine

This quick and easy test procedure can help you What the medium can tell you
keep tabs on adhesive application and common In the corrugating process we apply adhesive to the
machine issues medium and then transfer it to the liner when the two
are joined. So it is valuable to look at the medium side
By Ronnie Littleton and Rex Woodville-Price of the soak samples, as well, since that is where the

S oaking board apart and then staining it with iodine

remains one of the most useful diagnostic tools at the
disposal of the corrugator crew. It is easy to do, doesn’t
adhesive was applied (the liner shows only the adhesive
that was transferred). Sometimes the glue lines will appear
acceptable on the liner but the medium will reveal issues
require a lot of training to interpret the results and can not apparent by analyzing only the liner.
help pinpoint many common machine or operational
problems quickly. The test results can even be recorded Troubleshooting the double face glue lines
photographically for later interpretation or comparison. The double face bond is formed under low-pressure
This test works because iodine turns starch purple. Since conditions (unlike the single face side which was formed
corrugating adhesive is starch under much higher pressure) and is
based, the purple stains therefore more affected by process
reveal where adhesive has variables. As speeds are increased,
been applied. these variables can affect the transfer
of adhesive to the flute tips and/
Be aware that paper
or transfer from flute tip to liner.
with a lot of sizing will also
Application of the glue to the flute
turn purple and will make
tip can be affected by the gap setting
reading the glue lines more
of the rider roll or contact bar, by the
challenging. However, at least
speed ratio of the glue roll to web,
this is valuable information
and by malformed or low flutes. If the
also, as highly sized paper
applicator or metering rolls are worn or
may have penetration or
dirty, the application will not be even
bonding issues and this
across the web. Flute tips should have
will give you a clue to take
a consistent film of starch covering the
corrective actions at the
This image shows the liner (left) and the medium (right) from the radius of the flute tip. (Starch on the
machine.
same board. The glue roll speed issue can be seen on the liner while flanks of the flutes often indicates a
The quality of the glue line the medium shows how high viscosity is making it worse glue roll speed issue.)
reflects the quality of bond. by causing dribbling down the flanks.
Glue lines are influenced by several process variables, from Here are some issues that can be diagnosed
the application of the adhesive to the tips of the flutes at with this method
both glue mechanisms, to the final bonding in the double
backer itself. The conditions under which this occurs are 1. Application rate: Glue lines should be measured with
altered by changing machine speeds. a gauge to determine their width, which will indicate
whether the application rate is adequate. This is a
Examining the liner valuable tool for determining the correct glue roll-to-
metering roll gap settings. Determining the correct
Glue lines on the liner are examined for acceptable application rate is important not only to control
quality; they should be solid and have consistent width all adhesive consumption, it also affects run speeds,
the way across the web. It is useful to mark the direction bond strength, and board quality. Proper adhesive
the board ran on the machine. application will help avoid problems such as warp
and washboarding.
(Glue line analysis, continued)

2. Glue roll speed: Looking at where the adhesive was

deposited on the flute tips will help determine the
correct glue roll-to-paper speed ratio. Adhesive on the
trailing flanks of the flute indicates a glue roll that is
turning too fast in relation to the paper. Conversely,
adhesive on the leading edges of the flute tip point to a
glue roll with too much lag.
3. Glue rolls out of parallel: One of the most useful tests
for determining uneven application is to compare
the glue lines from the drive side with those on the
operator’s side. A difference in the width of the
glue lines almost always indicates an out-of-parallel
condition.
Glue line gages and pictures are available from your Harper/Love
4. Worn or dirty glue rolls: This test is similar to the above representative; these are great troubleshooting aids
test, except here we know the rolls are in parallel. and valuable training tools.
Again, we compare the widths of the glue lines across
the entire web. Since a worn or dirty area of the glue 6. Slinging or dribbling: This problem usually can be
roll will transfer less adhesive, glue lines that are revealed only by examining the medium. Adhesive can
consistently narrower in any region of the board will sometimes sling or dribble and end up in the valleys of
point to the problem area of the glue roll. the flute (typically, it is not visible on the liner). Slinging
or dribbling can be caused by improper viscosity,
5. Hold-down pressure: Assuming adequate flute tip inadequate formulation (too much borax) or some
coverage, poor adhesive transfer to the double face mechanical issue. Whatever the cause, it puts adhesive
liner will usually indicate inadequate pressure in the where it does not belong, and contributes nothing to
hot plate section. Flute tips must keep contact with the the bond. Adhesive is wasted.
liner. If the gelatinization process of the starch starts
before good liner contact is established, the transfer Studying glue lines reveals a great deal of useful
will be reduced. Comparing the flute tip application to information, particularly about how the adhesive was
the liner application will help identify the true cause. applied to the medium and then transferred to the liner.
Double face liner glue lines that are varying in width or A soak tank and a spray bottle of iodine should be part of
broken (often called Morse Code) across the web can every corrugator’s arsenal.
point to this, as well.

Snyder to receive TAPPI award

In September, Harper/Love National
Sales Representative Pete Snyder will
receive TAPPI’s Corrugated Division
Leadership and Service Award. In
2004, Pete received the division’s
Bettendorf Technical Award. This
makes Pete one of only three TAPPI
members in the organization’s
history to receive the Corrugated
Division’s top two awards. Pete has
been with Harper/Love since 1987.

Twenty-year service awards

Five Harper/Love associates were recognized recently for
twenty years of service. Left to right: Jim Carbone, Pam
Flynn, Bill Loppnow, Phil Smith, and Barry Mitchell.
 Tape-tear test reveals directional fiber orientation

There’s not much you can do about the fiber orientation of your paper stock, but knowing
it is there can keep you from fixing something that’s not broken

By Bill Nikkel and Rex Woodville-Price

W e often encounter board that exhibits directional fiber

tear—board that pulls more paper fibers when pulled
apart in one direction than in the other.
The usual culprit for this phenomenon is adhesive that
is not centered on the tips of the flutes. This can easily be
verified using the iodine soak test to examine the placement
of the adhesive. One trick to use with the iodine-stained
samples is to hold the sample at eye level and sight over the
tops of the flute in one direction, then turn the sample 180
degrees and sight over the tops in the opposite direction.
If there is any adhesive on the flanks of the flutes, one side
Rub down the tape,
will appear darker than the other.
If the glue appears to be centered on the flute tips using
the above method, then a different factor may be the cause:
the predominant orientation of the fibers in the paper.

Here is a simple test for fiber orientation

You’ll need a piece of tape. Any tape with sufficiently
strong adhesive will work. Clear office tape or packing tape
are best; masking tape is not tacky enough. Place the piece
of tape on the liner, in the machine direction. Rub it down
for a good bond. Then peel the tape back in both directions.
If more fiber tears in one direction than the other, this is the
cause of the directional fiber tear in the finished board. (It’s peel back one end,
useful to fold the very edges of the tape on each end before
applying it so it is easier to peel.)
Note: This test should not be confused with the Scott
ply bond test; the main similarity is that both methods use
tape. The Scott bond test determines the internal strength
of the bond between the fibers themselves and uses a test
apparatus that has a swinging pendulum to knock the
sample apart.
Since liners used in the corrugating process are relatively
thin (even heavyweight 69-pound liner has a caliper of only
0.019 inches) we tend to think of paper fiber lying in a two-
dimensional world (polar angle), but in reality, paper has
a third dimension, a Z direction, however thin. But paper then the other,
fibers don’t always lie completely horizontally, they can have
some relative angle up or down. When this happens to a
significant portion of the fiber we can have paper that will
tear directionally. One way to visualize this is if you were to
grip the fibers by the very tip and pull them opposite the
direction they lie, they would tear the paper and bring more
fibers with then. If however we were to pull them in the
opposite direction, the paper would resist tearing and the
tips of the fiber would break, thus having much less fiber
tear.
Again, there’s not much to be done about paper with
a directional fiber orientation, but knowing the real
cause of directional fiber tear is invaluable in taking steps and compare.
to correct it or minimize its impact.
 • Testing for fiber orientation
• Glue line analysis
In this issue:
e-mail: salestech@harperlove.com
800-438-3066 • www.harperlove.com

Charlotte, NC 28241-0408
P.O. Box 410408
11101 Westlake Drive
Harper/Love Adhesives Corporation
good adhesives better™
of making
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