Technical FAQ

Complete the pre-start checks — machine condition, film path, product area and safety conditions — apply utilities in the order given in your machine manual, load the recipe that matches the product and film on the machine, wait for start conditions to be met, then start at reduced speed and inspect the first packages before releasing the line to production speed.

What to check

• Guards closed and latched; area around infeed and discharge clear
• Air and power supplies available and within the documented ranges
• Correct recipe loaded for the current production order

Related: Machine Startup · Machine Shutdown

Center the reel against the machine's reference position, lock the core clamp, thread the web per the film path diagram, restore tension, and verify tracking at low speed before production speed.

What to check

• Film matches the loaded recipe — structure, width, core
• Reel seated square and the core clamp tight
• Web centered on every roller and guide in contact

Related: Film Loading procedure · Why Is the Film Tracking Incorrect?

Load the target product's verified recipe, set the mechanical format elements to the recorded positions, re-check film and sealing if the film changes, and run a test package before releasing the line.

What to check

• Changeover record for the target product is at hand
• Cutting and sealing re-phased after any mechanical change
• Sample packages inspected before production speed

Related: Format Changeover

Keep one stored, verified recipe per product and film combination. Load — do not rebuild — the recipe before every run, and re-qualify with sample packages after any change to the recipe, product or film.

What to check

• Loaded values match the production order: format, film, lengths, speeds
• Changes stored under a named recipe, not left as ad-hoc edits

Related: Recipe Management

Film drift is usually a centering, tension or film-path alignment issue. The web moves gradually to one side until seals lose their centered position or the film tears.

Possible causes

• Film reel is not correctly centered
• Film tension is inconsistent
• Rollers or guides misaligned or carrying residue
• Tracking sensor is dirty

Full procedure: Why Is the Film Tracking Incorrect?

Wrinkles come from uneven tension at speed, a disturbed film path, or a forming setup that forces the film off its natural path. Most high-speed wrinkle cases start as contamination on the film path.

What to check

• Where wrinkles first appear — watch the web from reel to forming area
• Film path rollers and guides cleaned and free of deposits
• Forming setup matches the changeover record
• The speed at which wrinkles begin

Full procedure: Why Does the Film Wrinkle? · Film Loading

Usually sensor condition, mark contrast, or detection that was taught at the wrong speed. Detection tuned at standstill may not be valid at production speed.

What to check

• Photocell lens clean and bracket secure
• Mark contrast and print quality adequate
• Detection re-taught at production speed per the machine manual

Full procedure: Registration Mark Detection Problems · Why Is the Cutting Position Incorrect?

Film breaks follow tracking drift, tension spikes, damaged rollers or guides, or a changed film condition. Note where the web breaks — it usually identifies the responsible element.

What to check

• Tracking drift developing before the break
• Tension behavior during acceleration and deceleration
• Film path for nicks, deposits or wound-on scraps
• Film batch and storage condition

Full procedure: Why Does the Film Break? · Film tracking article

A weak seal can result from incorrect temperature, pressure, timing, contamination or unsuitable film conditions. Check the sealing area and operating conditions before adjusting machine parameters.

Possible causes

• Sealing temperature outside the film's sealing range
• Uneven or worn jaw pressure
• Sealing surfaces contaminated with product residue
• Dwell time too short at current speed
• Film batch or supplier changed without re-qualification

Full procedure: Why Is the Seal Weak?

Uneven seals point to jaw pressure, jaw condition or film condition varying across the seal width.

What to check

• Jaw faces: clean, without scoring, making even contact
• Film entering the seal area flat — wrinkles lock into the seal
• Temperature stabilized before evaluating seal quality

Full procedure: Why Are Seals Uneven Across the Width? · Why Is the Seal Weak?

Product timing or position lets product reach the sealing area at the wrong moment — usually a pitch mismatch, guide setting or feeding speed ratio issue.

What to check

• Product spacing matches the recipe for the format
• Guides set per the changeover record
• Transfer into the wrapping area observed at reduced speed

Full procedure: Product Caught in the Seal · Product Spacing Problems

The cut position moves when phasing, recipe values or knife drive condition are off — most often after a format changeover that was not fully re-phased.

What to check

• Active recipe matches the product and film on the machine
• Cut phasing re-verified at low speed after any change
• Registration input stable through consecutive cycles

Full procedure: Why Is the Cutting Position Incorrect?

Cleaning, the film path, sensors, the sealing area, air pressure and abnormal noise — the checks that protect every shift.

What to check

• Film path clean; no wound-on scraps or residue
• Sensor windows wiped per the machine manual
• Air preparation unit drained; pressure within documented range

Full guidance: Daily Maintenance

Belts, bearings, fasteners, sealing components, sensors and the pneumatic preparation unit. Depths and intervals are defined per machine in your delivered documentation.

What to check

• Weekly pass over belts, bearings, fasteners and sealing components
• Monthly lubrication and electrical inspection by qualified personnel

Full guidance: Weekly Maintenance · Preventive Maintenance

Sealing jaw faces and elastic elements, cutting blades, drive belts, feed rollers and guide contact surfaces. Replace at the machine manual's wear limit or when quality trends confirm degradation — whichever comes first.

What to check

• Quality indicators weekly — seal appearance and cut quality reveal most wear early
• Per-machine replacement log with running hours and film used

Related: Spare Parts · Preventive Maintenance

Machine model, serial number, problem description, film specification, production speed, photos or video, and the alarm code if one is displayed. With these, most issues are diagnosed in the first exchange.

Full list: Before Contacting Support

Machine model and serial number from the nameplate, the part number where marked or listed in your spare parts documentation, and photos showing where the part sits on the machine.

Full guidance: Before Requesting a Part

Stop after the basic checks fail, when alarms recur with verified settings, after any electrical or mechanical intervention, and whenever safety is in question. Repeatedly resetting a recurring alarm can turn a small repair into a major one.

Related: Contact Technical Support · Troubleshooting Process