Paper Making and Testing Technical Services
The Go-To Place for Solutions to Papermaking and Testing Challenges
The mission of the Pulp and Paper Technical Services program is to support our allied industries with high quality, cost-effective services. From small-scale laboratory testing to pilot-scale production of large quantities of pulp or paper from a variety of sources, we are well-equipped for almost any technical challenge related to pulping and pride ourselves on a total customer focus.
Papermaking
We have great capabilities in papermaking at NC State. At bench scale, sheet moulds are available in a variety of sizes, with and without white water recycle. For pilot production of paper, the 12-inch “Wolfpack Baby” fourdrinier permits a cost-effective evaluation of a variety of furnishes and conditions.
Sheet Forming
Standard British Sheet Moulds
- Number available: 3
- Construction: 316 SS cast
Standard British Sheet Moulds with White Water Recycle
- Number available: 2
- Construction: stainless
- Sump pump can be enabled to recycle white water back into mould. Immersion heaters with temperature control.
Square Handsheet Mould
- Dimensions: 9.5 x 11.5 ” (24 x 29 cm)
Pilot Fourdrinier
First installed in 1957, the “Wolfpack Baby” was significantly upgraded in recent years. This small machine is quite flexible and permits the evaluation of a number of furnishes and process conditions in a short time period, which help keep costs low.
Features:
- deckle width 14-15″
- reel width 9-12″
- basis weight range 20-200 lb/3000 ft2 (33-325 g/m2)
- speed range 30-150 feet/mipilot fourdrinier (2)n (9-45 m/min)
- production rate 50-100 MD lb/hour
- atmospheric headbox
- wet end shake for good formation
- table rolls
- four vacuum flat boxes
- dandy roll
- full white water recirculation loop
- forward 1st press, felted
- reversing 2nd press, felted pilot fourdrinier (3)
- smoothing 3rd press, unfelted
- 1st dryer section with 8 steam-heated cylinders
- 2nd dryer section (after size press) with 5 steam-heated cylinders
- metering size press (go to page AK)
- calender stack with two hard, one soft nip
- Measurex 2002 scanner with basis weight and moisture control
- wet-end additives system with high-shear makedown tanks, continuous metering to multiple points on wet end
Paper Testing
NC State has a well-appointed testing laboratory capable of most routine and specialized testing.
Paper Testing
- Brightness, Opacity, color spectrum
- Tensile (regular and zero-span)
- Tear
- Burst
- Fold
- STFI Edge Compression
- Ring crush
- HST, Cobb
- Scott Bond
- Sheffield Smoothness, Parker Print Surface
- Gurley porosity
- Stiffness – Taber and vibrational
- Aging/Yellowing via controlled irradiation (Atlas Weatherometer)
- Image analysis (microscopic and scanner)
