Tapio Analysis service · technical instructions

Sample preparation instructions

How to prepare, mark and ship the samples for a Tapio Analysis project. There are two types of samples, an MD sample roll and a set of CD strips; your case decides which one you send, or both. We confirm the sample plan with your scope before you ship anything.

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Which sample type

Diagram of an MD sample roll and a set of CD strips cut from a parent reel.
MD sample roll CD strips
What it is A narrow roll cut at the winder or rewinder, holding several kilometers of paper A set of full-width strips cut across the same parent reel
What it is measured for Variation along the machine direction: periodic marks, drift, the level over the reel, formation and fine structure The CD profile straight across the web, edges included, and its stability from strip to strip
Send it for Barring and other periodic marks, winder vibration, machine element matching, comparisons of machines, grades and trials CD profile problems, streaks, soft or hard edges, actuator-scale variation, checking the online scanner's profile, variance component analysis
Size Diameter up to 75 cm, width 15 to 25 cm, on a 3″ or 6″ core At least 20 strips, full reel width, about 40 cm in the machine direction
Packing On a pallet Rolled in a tube, or flat in a cardboard box

If the question covers both directions, for example uneven reels across a winder set or a machine comparison, send both. Describe your case and we confirm which samples you need.

MD sample roll: how to prepare it

Illustration of an MD sample roll: width 15 to 25 cm, diameter up to 75 cm, standard 3″ core; larger rolls accepted; the roll shipped on a pallet.

Size and core

  • Diameter up to 75 cm; width 15 to 25 cm. A roll this size holds several kilometers of paper, which is what the analysis needs.
  • On a standard 3″ (76 mm) or 6″ (152 mm) core.
  • If you cannot cut a roll this small, send what you have. We accept rolls of any size and have partners for winding and cutting. Sample preparation is a normal part of the service; tell us the roll size when you request the analysis.

Where and when to cut it

  • At the winder or rewinder, from steady-state production. Avoid the transitional tail and start of a reel unless that is the question.
  • From a CD position known to carry the problem, or from close to the reel ends if the problem sits at the edges. Note the CD position on the label.
  • For a before-and-after comparison, one roll from a period with the problem and one without, cut from the same CD position.

Marking

  • Label the roll with the mill and machine, grade and nominal basis weight, date and time of production, reel number, and the CD position the roll was cut from.
  • Mark the winding direction and the top side of the sheet on the core or the label.

Packing and shipping

  • Wrap the roll against moisture and edge damage and ship it on a pallet, roll axis horizontal, strapped so it cannot roll.
  • Up to three rolls fit on one pallet.
Large white MD sample roll mounted on a Tapio Analyzer, prepared for machine direction measurement.

CD strips: how to prepare them

Diagram showing how to cut and label CD strips from a parent reel: full width, about 40 cm in the machine direction, drive side, tending side, top and bottom marked, shipped in a cardboard box, no creases.

How many and how big

  • At least 20 full-width strips from the same parent reel. The set is needed for a stable mean CD profile; fewer strips give a noisier profile and a wider confidence band.
  • Each strip is the full reel width, and about 40 cm in the machine direction. Strips of 20 cm from a sample cutter can be used as they are; hand-cut strips of about 40 cm are trimmed to size in our laboratory.
  • Take the strips from steady-state production, consecutively or spread over the reel as your question requires, and say which on the label.

Marking, on every strip

  • DS (drive side) and TS (tending side).
  • Top side and bottom (wire) side.
  • Strip number in the order they were cut, and the reel or set they came from.

Handling and packing

  • No folds or creases. A crease reads as a caliper defect in the measurement.
  • Roll the set loosely and ship it in a tube, or ship it flat in a cardboard box, protected from moisture.

In our laboratory the strips are trimmed and taped end to end into a small roll on a standard core, using a sample cutter built for the purpose, and measured across the whole width in one run.

Production line data

Diagram of a paper machine with a form for providing process data such as grade, basis weight, speed, and actuator spacing.

The Tapio software has tools that connect the frequencies of the production line, from rotating speeds, diameters and lengths of the rolls, felts, wires and pumps, to the wavelengths observed in the measurement data. Please also tell us the grade and the nominal basis weight, describe what you have seen on the machine, and say which part of the analysis matters most to you. If you can:

  • For MD analysis: the machine speed, and the diameters or rotating frequencies of the rolls, felts, wires and pumps in the machine. With these, the software draws every element's wavelength over the spectrum.
  • For CD analysis: the CD actuator spacings, and your scanner's CD profiles if you want them compared with ours.
  • For an accurate absolute ash level: the nominal ash content, or the fillers and the coating recipe.

Ordering and shipping

Diagram showing how to order analysis and ship samples with customs declaration and delivery address.

  1. Request the analysis first. Describe the problem and the samples you can get in the request form. We confirm the scope, the price, the sample plan and the shipping, normally within one working day.

  2. Ship by courier to:
    Tapio Measurement Technologies Oy
    Attn: Mr. Tuomas Tiainen
    Kalkkipellontie 6
    FI-02650 Espoo
    FINLAND
    Phone: +358 40 500 2279

  3. Customs. For shipments from outside the EU, state on the shipment and the invoice that the contents are paper samples for laboratory testing, have no commercial value and may be destroyed after the analysis.

  4. Send us the tracking number. We measure the samples within two working days of their arrival, and we provide a report and our observations according to the agreed scope.

Checklist before you ship

  • The scope, price and sample plan are confirmed with Tapio.
  • MD roll: up to 75 cm in diameter, 15 to 25 cm wide, on a 3″ or 6″ core, on a pallet. Or a larger roll, agreed with us.
  • CD strips: at least 20 full-width strips from one reel, about 40 cm in the machine direction, no creases, in a tube or a flat box.
  • Every roll and strip labelled: grade, basis weight, machine, date, reel, CD position or strip number, DS/TS and top/bottom.
  • Machine data and your description of the problem sent by e-mail or in the request form.
  • Customs note on the shipment, and the courier's tracking number sent to us.

Confirm the sample plan before you ship

Describe the problem and the samples you can get. We confirm the scope, the price and the sample plan, normally within one working day. You can also email info@tapiotechnologies.com.

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