From Paper-mill to PressroomWheelwright, William Bond
Philosophy
From Paper-mill to Pressroom
Wheelwright, William Bond
Papermaking
If a portion were pressed too hard it would contain less moisture as
it reached the driers and become dry before adjacent sections. If the
paper were calendered, the moister parts would take on a smoother
surface than the drier parts.
Another feature to be closely watched on particular papers is to
eliminate, as far as possible, the impress of the weave of the wire
cloth, which is left in the under side of the web. This can be
accomplished to so fine a degree, by a skilful man, that the difference
between the two sides of the paper is scarcely discernible. The
fineness of weave of the one cloth also is an important bearing in
securing an even sided sheet.
Thus we see that it is well-nigh impossible to reduce the making of
paper to an exact science, and a reasonable variation must be expected,
both in weight and finish. The successful management of a paper-machine
depends, from start to finish, on careful, experienced judgment and
alert attention. If the beater-man dilutes one batch of stuff more than
another, the variation will show the minute the altered stuff appears
on the machine, and only an immediate readjustment at the wet end can
avoid considerable variation in the product. Then, from end to end,
the long machine must be watched carefully, so that the pressing,
drying and calendering may all be kept uniform. A bungler should find
no place in the machine-room, but it is desirable that consumers
have sufficient appreciation of human limitations, as applied to
paper-making, to admit proper allowances for normal variations.
CYLINDER MACHINE.--The cylinder machine, invented by John Dickinson
about ten years after the Fourdrinier, is much the same as the wet
machine described in Chapter II, with the addition of press rolls,
driers and calenders. The single-cylinder machine is used for making
light-weight tissues and other thin papers. Cylinder vats can also be
arranged in series, as on board machines, so that the webs formed on
each cylinder can be combined. This is accomplished by an arrangement
of felts which run tangent to the cylinders, picking off the formed
paper automatically from each successive mold.
The felt runs between squeeze rolls, so that the various plies of paper
are pressed together, forming a single thickness. Machines of this type
can make very thick sheets, and are used for making bristol boards,
blanks, boxboard, strawboard, etc.
The number and arrangement of driers on any machine depends on the
product to be derived. Fast-running machines, such as the large news
mills are equipped with, have necessarily a large number of driers,
as they turn off fifty tons or so a day and require a great drying
capacity. Slow running machines, such as are used in fine writing-paper
mills, need a much smaller number, as the average fine writing-paper
machine produces little over three or four tons a day.
[Illustration: CYLINDER VATS, MADE BY THE PUSEY & JONES CO.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account