Myth busters: Web handling and the power of modeling

Abstract

Web handling is filled with myths and folklore about things to do and not to do, about how to design web paths, and about how to handle specific situations. The folklore and myths are often industry specific and many web handlers rely on their industry's folklore to do their work. In 40 years of web handling, the author has heard many of these myths. We have all heard the myths from, "Every driven roller needs to run faster than the last," and "Idlers add tension to a web," to "It ain't rocket science." Folklore is not always wrong and not every myth is busted. Some have a grain of truth or apply only in very specific situations. This paper discusses several of the more common web handling myths and uses simple formulas and logic to explain their origins and understand their validity.