Patent ID: 8568562

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a creped fiber web, comprising: providing a rotating cylindrical dryer including a dryer surface; providing a coating applicator fluidly connected to a supply or feed; providing an adhesive base formulation in the supply or feed comprising a crosslinkable polymer, in an aqueous medium having an acidic pH, wherein the adhesive base formulation has a first pH value, wherein the first pH value is from about 3.5 to about 8.5; adding a pH modifier to said adhesive base formulation to provide a creping adhesive composition having a second pH value, wherein the second pH value is at least about 0.5 pH units greater than the first pH value, wherein said adding of said pH modifier comprises introducing said pH modifier as a premixture with water to a mixing vessel, to make-up water, to a feed going to a boom, or a return to a mixing vessel, or any combination thereof; applying said creping adhesive composition to the dryer surface with the coating applicator to provide an adhesive dryer surface; conveying a fibrous web into contact with the adhesive dryer surface; drying the fiber web on said adhesive dryer surface to form a dried fiber web; and creping the dried fiber web from said adhesive dryer surface, wherein the adding of the pH modifier to said adhesive base formulation is effective for chemically setting at least a portion of the crosslinkable polymer to form a crosslinked polymer before the creping adhesive composition contacts the dryer surface.