Paper Machine Troubleshooting: Causes & Fixes

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Problems on this page:

Sheet breaks Basis weight varying Moisture too high at the reel Felt or wire wearing early Deposits and holes in the paper Vacuum system faults Reel and winder problems Dryer cylinder or bearing problems

Sheet breaks

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: The sheet breaks in the press, dryer or reel section, and production stops until it is threaded again.

Holes, slime or deposits from the wet end

Check the wet end chemistry and the cleanliness of the headbox and wire section.

Draw between sections set wrong

Check the speed differences between sections against the settings for the grade.

Felt or wire worn or filled

Check the condition of felts and wires and their conditioning.

Moisture profile uneven

Check the moisture profile across the sheet and the steam and press settings.

Prevention: Breaks recorded by position and cause on every shift.

Basis weight varying

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Basis weight varies along or across the reel.

Stock consistency to the headbox unstable

Check the consistency control and the thick stock flow.

Headbox slice profile wrong

Check the slice opening and the cross-direction control.

Scanner out of calibration

Check the scanner against lab results.

Stock flow pulsations

Check the fan pump and pressure screens for pulsation.

Prevention: Basis weight checked against lab tests each reel.

Moisture too high at the reel

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Paper leaves the dryer section wetter than the specification.

Steam pressure in the dryers too low

Check the steam supply and the dryer group pressures.

Condensate not removed from the cylinders

Check the siphons, steam traps and condensate system.

Press section not removing enough water

Check the press loads and felt condition.

Hood ventilation poor

Check the dryer hood supply and exhaust air.

Prevention: Moisture checked against lab results each reel.

Felt or wire wearing early

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: Felts and wires need replacing sooner than planned.

Conditioning showers blocked or set wrong

Check the shower nozzles and their pressure.

Suction box covers worn or misaligned

Check the covers and their alignment.

Guide or tension faults

Check the guiding and tensioning systems.

Abrasive fillers in the stock

Check the stock for abrasive material.

Prevention: Felt and wire life recorded per position.

Deposits and holes in the paper

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Spots, holes or slime deposits appear in the paper.

Slime growth in the short circulation

Check the biocide programme and the cleanliness of tanks and chests.

Stickies from recycled fibre

Check the screening and cleaning in the stock preparation.

Deposits falling from the framework

Clean the framework and hoods on the set interval.

Showers not keeping surfaces clean

Check the shower nozzles.

Prevention: Defects recorded by the web inspection system and reviewed per reel.

Vacuum system faults

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: Vacuum levels drop in the wire or press section, and dewatering suffers.

Vacuum pump worn or seal water low

Check the vacuum pumps and their seal water supply.

Leaks in vacuum lines

Find and repair leaks in the lines and separators.

Separator not draining

Check the separators and their drain legs.

Suction roll seals worn

Check the suction roll seal strips.

Prevention: Vacuum levels trended per position.

Reel and winder problems

Hits OEE: Quality

Symptoms: Reels have wrinkles, soft spots or bad edges after winding.

Winding tension and nip settings wrong

Compare the winder tension and nip settings with the recipe for the grade.

Cross-direction profile faults from the machine

Check the caliper and moisture profiles across the sheet, since a hard or soft band shows up as a ridge on the reel.

Slitter knives worn

Replace worn slitter knives and check the knife overlap and side load.

Spool or core problems

Check the spools and cores for damage and out-of-round.

Prevention: Reel quality checked on every reel.

Dryer cylinder or bearing problems

Hits OEE: Availability

Symptoms: Dryer cylinders run noisy, hot or out of balance, or bearings fail.

Lubrication oil flow low

Check the circulating oil flow to each bearing.

Bearing wear

Check vibration and temperature on a route.

Doctor blades worn or set wrong

Check the doctor blades and their loading.

Thermal expansion problems

Check the bearing housings allow expansion as designed.

Prevention: Bearing vibration and oil flow checked on a route; work on dryer cylinders is done only with steam isolated and the section locked off.

Guidance only. Always follow lockout/tagout and your site's safe-work procedures, and verify against OEM manuals before acting.

Related equipment guides: pulper · tissue converting line · vacuum pump · steam boiler · centrifugal pump

Stop the same fault coming back

Recurring paper machine stops usually trace to a cause you cannot see by hand. The partner we recommend is Fabrico: it tracks OEE and downtime live from PLCs, IoT sensors or AI cameras; where cameras are fitted, the video of a stop sits next to its machine data so the cause can be reviewed; and a technician opens the work order from the stop in the same system. Data is hosted in the AWS EU region, and Fabrico and the company behind it hold ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 20000-1 and ISO 9001.

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Methods that cut recurring stops: the six big losses · root cause analysis · preventive vs predictive maintenance · TPM · SMED & changeover