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)