• soft and weak pieces
• longer forming time
• rough back side
• slow drying

• poor floc, cloudy water
• high temperature shrinkage
• reformulation

• check weight or volume of starch used
• increase starch in formulation

bacteria eating starch; unusually smelly effect

• clean out system with Clorox to kill bacteria and treat water like swimming pool to keep bacteria free

• chop fibers longer or add some chopped fibers to formulation
• consult with fiber supplier

• optimize by using less Bindzil 1440 in formulation or use bigger particle size Bindzil 2040 for greater strength

• try a different pallet and lot number

• check weight and size of filler used

• check weight added; try 10% more

• check weight, size and quality of fillers

• try a different pallet (1000#/batch)

smaller or shorter fiber

• try fiber from different pallet
• consult with fiber supplier

• check weights and filler analyses
• use coarser filler, 100-120 mesh preferred. Try 48 or 35 mesh to open it up

• check weights and ratio of silica to starch
• reduce starch or Wesil CS by 10%

• don’t use clays with Wesil CS
• in general clays like bentonite increase forming and drying time

• reduce starch, increase silica to starch ratio
• run lower fiber content in slurry
• use less Wesil CS

• reduce silica to starch ratio in formulation (less colloidal silica)
• if using Wesil CS, reduce amount 10%

• clay tends to hold water; check weight used. Use less.

• drying above 250°F degrades starch; low humidity gives fastest drying so much air must be vented early in drying cycle (with good circulation)

too little binder

• check to be certain correct amount of colloidal silica was added
• increase colloidal silica by 10% to see if floc improves

• try a different pallet, different lot
• if pre-dissolved, make up fresh batch

• use higher temperature fiber

• use larger particle colloidal silica or Wesol Alumina binder

• use mullite or alumina filler (high alumina content)