Commercial Laundry: Edward Arzouian, Bates Troy Inc., Binghamton, N.Y.
How to resolve the issue of more snags and jams on the finishing side? Let me count the ways.
This issue could demand an entire manual of instruction. The three most common machine-folder configurations are return-to-feed, rear-discharge, and sorting-by-size machines (that’s according to G.A. Braun).
Since the question offered no specifics, I’m going to assume we’re talking about small-piece folders (SPF) and folder/stackers on chest ironers, which is what we have in our facility.
As you would expect, most snags and jams occur due to poor or insufficient maintenance. Probably the common problems are belt wear, missing belts, and slippage.
Compressor issues can affect air quality getting to the equipment. This can be air pressures not matching manufacturer specifications, but it can also be debris or water in the air lines due to improper filtering.
Poorly maintained optical sensors with dust or loose wiring can cause misreads and error codes. Old circuit boards or loose connectors can cause stops, unresponsiveness and inconsistent speeds.
Equipment misalignment can cause uneven folds or linens to bunch up in folder. Part of that misalignment can be due to equipment incompatibility as well. A folder or stacker that ran well on one piece of equipment may not necessarily work well on another. You can’t always mix and match.
What do you do to avoid all this? Preventive maintenance (PM) should include inspecting belts, and cleaning sensors and contact areas. Look for loose wiring, excessive lint, and bearing wear.
I asked our Maintenance Supervisor Steve Scrooby, a veteran in the laundry industry, about the problem. He offered a simple piece of advice: “These snags and jams may depend on what folding equipment they are using. For small-piece folders, or folders that have fixed folding blades, or drop gates, we always use a furniture polish like Citro Shield™ or an equivalent. We would spray it on a bath towel and run it through the folder twice under that fold formula.”
So, resolving problems with snags and jams comes down primarily to proper PM, except for one factor that applies to most laundry equipment: operator error or, worse, operator overrides.
Newer equipment operators, still unfamiliar with their machines, may not be feeding items properly into equipment. They may not change to the correct program for different items. That is a question of more training and experience.
A bigger problem can be those more experienced employees who have figured out how to change things on their equipment without authorization to do so. They will speed things up or slow them down, alter programs or set points, etc. They will repeatedly clear jams on their own not waiting on a maintenance call and, in doing so, they will rip linens out, causing misalignments or breaking things.
Usually, they will not let anybody know they are doing these things. A vigilant supervisory and maintenance staff will spot them doing it and attempt to discourage or stop it.
Good luck!
Chemicals Supply: David Dotzauer, Ecolab, Eagan, Minn.
When an operation starts seeing more issues or disruptions on the finishing side, I would start by looking for what changed. There usually isn’t a single root cause. More often, it is a sign that the process has become less tolerant.
Many commercial laundries are constantly working to improve throughput, manage labor shortages, adopt more automation, and keep equipment running longer, all while handling a changing mix of goods. Finishing is often where problems show up first because that is where we pay the most attention to product quality.
A good first step is to observe the line during normal production and identify where the disruptions are happening. Faster line speeds can sometimes expose problems that were previously manageable. There is less leeway for inconsistent sorting, damaged goods, uneven feeding, or minor equipment issues before those small problems turn into repeated jams or quality issues.
Operator practices should be part of the review. With continued staffing challenges, laundries may have fewer experienced operators on the line or less time available for training. Finishing equipment still depends heavily on people for manual feeding and responding quickly when goods are not moving through the process correctly.
Equipment condition may also contribute to challenges on the finishing side. Some plants have older equipment that needs tighter preventive maintenance, while others have newer equipment with more automation and control features. In either case, it takes a lot of effort to make sure your equipment is clean, aligned, and properly calibrated. Dirty sensors, worn belts, loose guides, lint or residue buildup, and misalignment can all create regular disruptions, even when the equipment appears to be running normally.
It can be tempting to focus troubleshooting on the finishing equipment because that is where the problem is most visible, but many finishing problems start upstream. I would review whether goods are arriving at finishing in the right condition. We often see customers have issues if goods are too wet or too dry when they get to finishing. Items that are too wet, too dry, prone to static, or overloaded with lint will make it harder for the finishing equipment to run well.
A broader review of the full process might point to which other areas of the operation could be adjusted to help address the problem.
At Ecolab, our commercial laundry programs combine service, training, data-driven diagnostics, and consulting support to help commercial laundries improve process consistency, resource use, and overall plant performance. That support is valuable when the visible issue is in finishing, but the root cause may be spread across different steps in the laundry process.
The most effective solution is usually not a single adjustment, but a thorough review of the whole operation to make sure the finishing department receives goods it can handle consistently.
Check back tomorrow for the conclusion with advice from linen supply and uniforms/workwear manufacturing experts.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
