01 DIRECTION & ROLL MAP
MD, TD, shrink and winding direction: keep every axis attached to the roll
MD and TD only remain useful when the specimen can be traced back to the production web. Add the treated, print, lamination, metal or seal side and the unwind direction, and the buyer receives an orientation map rather than disconnected test values.
02 DECISION FRAME
Direction is part of the result, not a note beside it
ASTM D882 and ISO 527-3 require film tensile specimens and test conditions to be controlled, while ISO 11501 and ASTM D2732 address dimensional change or unrestrained shrink under their own procedures. The direction, specimen, conditioning and thermal history must travel with the result; a number labelled only “shrink” or “strength” is incomplete.
- A film comparison with separate MD and TD mechanical or dimensional data
- A printing, laminating, slitting or packing problem linked to roll orientation
- A shrink or heat-exposure requirement where specimen direction is unclear
- That machine direction means the same physical left-to-right orientation after slitting or rewinding
- That tensile, tear or shrink results can lose their MD / TD label after conversion
- That results from different shrink methods, temperatures or restraint conditions are equivalent
03 COMPARISON MAP
Use one orientation record from master web to machine
Replace relative words such as “front,” “left” or “face up” with a labelled web, side and unwind diagram.
Swipe or scroll horizontally to review every evidence column.
| Record | What it identifies | Where it can be lost | RFQ / report control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine direction (MD) | Direction of travel in the identified film-production web | After sheet cutting, turning, relabelling or undocumented rewinding | Arrow on specimen, sample, roll label and drawing |
| Transverse direction (TD) | Direction across the identified production web | When a slit web is described only by width or left / right position | Perpendicular axis marked with slit or lane reference |
| Mechanical specimen | Axis used to cut and test tensile, tear or another directional specimen | When results are copied without specimen geometry and direction | Method, orientation, thickness, conditioning, speed and unit |
| Shrink specimen | MD / TD dimensional response under the named method and exposure | When temperature, time, restraint or sample history is omitted | Method, specimen, direction, thermal profile, restraint and conditioning |
| Working side | Treated, printed, coated, laminated, metallized, seal or product-contact surface | When “inside” and “outside” change between supplier and converter | Side A / B map tied to actual interfaces and roll label |
| Unwind direction | Which way the roll enters the named machine and which side faces each interface | After slitting, rewinding, roll reversal or machine-path changes | Machine-specific unwind sketch, core view and print / seal orientation |
04 SELECTION SEQUENCE
Move from a broad comparison to an approvable decision.
Draw the production-web axes
Mark MD, TD, Side A and Side B on the supplier sample. Add the slit lane or master-roll reference when it matters to the investigation.
Attach direction to every test
Record specimen orientation, method, thickness, conditioning and test conditions in the same result row. Do not separate the number from its axis.
Translate the map to the machine
Show core view, unwind, web travel and the interface presented to print, adhesive, seal jaw or packed product before the trial starts.
05 RFQ INPUTS
MD, TD, shrink and winding-direction checklist
Use one labelled map for data-sheet review, samples, tests, slitting, delivery and the converter trial.
Open the RFQ brief builder ↗- 01
Supplier, grade, lot, data-sheet revision and production route
- 02
Master-web MD arrow, TD axis, Side A / Side B and slit or lane reference
- 03
Treatment, print, coating, lamination, metal, seal and product-contact side labels
- 04
Test specimen drawing with MD / TD orientation and sampling location
- 05
Method, specimen dimensions, thickness basis, conditioning, speed and unit
- 06
Shrink or dimensional-change method, thermal profile, time, restraint and sample history
- 07
Core view, winding direction, outside / inside surface and roll-label diagram
- 08
Converter machine, web path, print repeat or registration and seal orientation
- 09
Rewinding, slitting or roll-reversal steps that can change the delivered map
- 10
Trial record, observed direction-dependent issue and retained labelled samples
06 EVIDENCE BOUNDARY
A direction label does not make two test results comparable
ASTM D882 and ISO 527-3 cover tensile testing, while ISO 11501 and ASTM D2732 address different dimensional-change or shrink decisions. Use the licensed current procedure. Keep method, specimen, conditioning, thermal history and direction together; this guide supplies no property value or acceptance limit.
07 BUYER QUESTIONS
Resolve the assumptions that make quotes diverge.
01What do MD and TD mean on a film report?+
MD identifies the direction of travel in the referenced production web; TD is across that web. The report should show how the specimen was cut and retain that map through slitting, rewinding and conversion.
02Is unwind direction the same as machine direction?+
Not as a complete instruction. MD describes the production-web axis. An unwind instruction must also identify the roll view, web path and which working surface faces the relevant machine or product interface.
03Can two shrink results be compared if both show MD and TD?+
Only after checking the test method, specimen, temperature, exposure time, restraint, conditioning and sample history. Direction labels do not normalize different procedures.
04What should be printed on a trial-roll orientation label?+
Include the grade and lot, MD or web-travel arrow, Side A / B functions, winding or unwind diagram, core view, slit reference and any machine-specific print, seal or product-contact orientation.