Wet toilet tissue is different from conventional wet wipes in both product design and manufacturing process. The goal is not only to make a wet product, but also to achieve a convenient pull-out experience, accurate sheet count, uniform liquid distribution, stable pack weight, and good flushability.
For manufacturers, these requirements create several production challenges that need to be considered when designing the production line. Based on our experience with wet toilet tissue equipment, the following are some of the key issues and the approaches used to address them.
1. How to Make Wet Toilet Tissue Easy to Pull Out?
One of the main reasons for developing perforated pull-out wet toilet tissue is to improve the dispensing experience of traditional wet wipes.
In conventional wet wipes, individual sheets are normally separated from each other. After one sheet is removed, the user usually needs to reach into the package again to take out the next one. This can be inconvenient, especially when the product is used frequently.
Perforated pull-out wet toilet tissue uses a different sheet connection design. Adjacent sheets are connected through controlled perforation points. When the user pulls out one sheet, a small part of the next sheet is brought out at the same time. The current sheet can then be torn off along the perforation.
This sounds simple from the product side, but it creates additional requirements for the production line. The challenge is to create a connection that is strong enough to bring out the next sheet, but weak enough to tear easily. The solution what equipment side provides is perforated folding. Based on this solution, folding accuracy, web tension, perforation quality, and servo-controlled sheet handling all become important parts of the production process. In short, you need a folding machine capable of perfectly handling these functions mentioned.
2. How to Apply Liquid to a Folded and Stacked Product?
Liquid application is one of the more difficult parts of wet toilet tissue production.
The reason comes directly from the product structure. After folding and perforation, the wipes need to be counted and stacked into a complete pack, and the stack is then cut to the required size. Applying liquid evenly to the entire stack is more complicated than simply wetting a continuous web.
Different equipment designs can approach this problem in different ways. Liquid can be applied online during the folding process, applied to the entire stack before cutting, or applied after the stack has been cut. Each method has its own advantages and limitations in terms of liquid penetration, moisture uniformity, equipment structure, and production control.
For our high-capacity configuration, we use a combination of pre-wetting inside the folding machine and secondary liquid application after cutting.
The first stage provides initial moisture to the folded material, while the second stage allows the liquid level to be adjusted after the stack has been cut. This gives the production line another opportunity to control the final moisture content and helps maintain a more consistent result across different packs.
The liquid application system uses metered dosing and multi-side spraying onto the stacked wipes. The liquid is distributed through multiple spray nozzle groups so that it can penetrate the stack more evenly.
This two-stage approach is not the only possible solution, but in our experience it provides a good balance between production efficiency and liquid control for high-capacity wet toilet tissue lines.
3. How to Control the Weight of Each Pack?
For brands with strict quality control, finished product weight is another important consideration.
The final weight of a wet toilet tissue pack mainly comes from two parts:
Dry nonwoven weight + liquid weight = Finished product weight
Therefore, controlling the finished weight requires control over both the dry material and the liquid added to the product.
The dry weight is affected by the folding dimensions and cutting dimensions. If the folding size or cutting length changes, the amount of nonwoven material in each pack will also change.
Liquid weight, on the other hand, depends mainly on the accuracy and stability of the liquid dosing system. If the amount of liquid added to each pack fluctuates, the finished product weight will fluctuate accordingly.
In ordinary production, a pack weight deviation of around ±10 g is generally an acceptable target for many applications. By controlling the folding, cutting, and liquid dosing processes, the production line can maintain the required weight consistency.
For products that require tighter weight control, a liquid replenishment system can be added. This allows the operator to make small adjustments to the liquid amount after the main application process, helping bring individual packs closer to the target weight.
Weight control is therefore not simply a matter of installing a checkweigher at the end of the line. The more important point is to control the factors that determine the weight during the production process.
4. How to Keep Counting and Stacking Stable?
Because wet toilet tissue is produced in individual stacks, accurate counting and stable stacking are essential.
The machine needs to separate the folded sheets according to the preset quantity and form them into stable stacks before cutting and liquid application. If the sheet count is incorrect or the stack becomes uneven, the problem can affect the subsequent cutting, wetting, packaging, and final product appearance.
Our production line uses servo-controlled counting and automatic stacking to maintain consistent sheet quantities. The stacking process is also designed to keep the sheets aligned during continuous production.
5. How to Balance Wet Strength and Flushability?
Wet toilet tissue has another requirement that is not as important for ordinary wet wipes: the product needs to work well after flushing.
The material must have enough wet strength for normal use. At the same time, the finished product should be able to disperse appropriately after entering the wastewater system.
This balance is affected by several factors, including the type and basis weight of the flushable nonwoven material, the folding design, and the liquid formulation.
The production equipment cannot determine flushability on its own, but it needs to process the selected material without damaging its intended properties. Folding and perforation should be controlled consistently, while liquid application should provide the required moisture without unnecessarily changing the characteristics of the material.
For manufacturers developing a new wet toilet tissue product, it is therefore important to test the raw material, liquid formulation, finished product and production process together, rather than evaluating each factor separately.
Conclusion
Wet toilet tissue production involves more than simply adding liquid to folded nonwoven material. The perforated pull-out structure improves dispensing convenience, but it also creates additional requirements for folding, perforation, counting, stacking, cutting, and liquid application.
The key production challenges can be summarized as:
- Perforation and folding: ensuring reliable pull-out and easy sheet separation.
- Liquid application: achieving uniform moisture in a folded and stacked product.
- Weight control: controlling both dry material weight and liquid dosing.
- Counting and stacking: maintaining accurate sheet counts and stable stacks.
- Wet strength and flushability: balancing product performance with dispersibility.
A well-designed production line needs to consider these factors as one complete process. For different product specifications and investment levels, the equipment configuration can also be adjusted—for example, using smaller models for a more economical setup, or adding pre-wetting and secondary liquid application when tighter process control is required.
Ultimately, the right solution is not simply the machine with the highest speed. It is the production system that can consistently deliver the required dispensing performance, sheet count, moisture level, weight accuracy, packaging quality, and finished product performance.
