Paper process

Making pulp

 1 Several processes are commonly used to convert logs to wood pulp. In the mechanical process, logs
are first tumbled in drums to remove the bark. The logs are then sent to grinders, which break the wood
down into pulp by pressing it between huge revolving slabs. The pulp is filtered to remove foreign
objects.

Beating

 2 The pulp is next put through a pounding and squeezing process called, appropriately enough, beating.
Inside a large tub, the pulp is subjected to the effect of machine beaters. At this point, various filler
materials can be added such as chalks, clays, or chemicals such as titanium oxide. These additives will
influence the opacity and other qualities of the final product. Sizings are also added at this point. Sizing
affects the way the paper will react with various inks. Without any sizing at all, a paper will be too
absorbent for most uses except as a desk blotter. A sizing such as starch makes the paper resistant to
water-based ink (inks actually sit on top of a sheet of paper, rather than sinking in). A variety of sizings,
generally rosins and gums, is available depending on the eventual use of the paper. Paper that will
receive a printed design, such as gift wrapping, requires a particular formula of sizing that will make the
paper accept the printing properly.

Pulp to paper

 3 In order to finally turn the pulp into paper, the pulp is fed or pumped into giant, automated machines.
One common type is called the Fourdrinier machine, which was invented in England in 1807. Pulp is fed
into the Fourdrinier machine on a moving belt of fine mesh screening. The pulp is squeezed through a
series of rollers, while suction devices below the belt drain off water. If the paper is to receive a water-
mark, a device called a dandy moves across the sheet of pulp and presses a design into it.

The paper then moves onto the press section of the machine, where it is pressed between rollers of wool
felt. The paper then passes over a series of steam-heated cylinders to remove the remaining water. A
large machine may have from 40 to 70 drying cylinders.

Finishing

 4 Finally, the dried paper is wound onto large reels, where it will be further processed depending on its
ultimate use. Paper is smoothed and compacted further by passing through metal rollers called calendars.
A particular finish, whether soft and dull or hard and shiny, can be imparted by the calendars.

The paper may be further finished by passing through a vat of sizing material. It may also receive a
coating, which is either brushed on or rolled on. Coating adds chemicals or pigments to the paper's
surface, supplementing the sizings and fillers from earlier in the process. Fine clay is often used as a
coating. The paper may next be supercalendered, that is, run through extremely smooth calendar rollers,
for a final time. Then the paper is cut to the desired size.
Ceramics processing
Step #1: Milling & Raw Material Procurement – The raw materials used in the process are
milled materials typically found in mining sites that have been reduced from a large size to smaller sizes or even
in some cases, pulverized depending upon the end product. The idea is to liberate any impurities in the materials
allowing for better mixing and forming which in essence produces a more reactive material when firing.

Step #2: Sizing – During this step in the processing sequence, the materials that have undergone the milling and
procurement process must be sized to separate desirable material from non-usable. By controlling the particle
size, the result will give you proper bonding and a smooth surface on the finished product. This can be
accomplished using Fine Mesh Vibratory Sifting Equipment such as our HK Single Motor Sifter when dealing
with dry, fine powder mixes in ceramics. Multiple mesh sizes are available. Screen deck sizes vary depending
on slurry thickness and the percentage of the solids present in the mix.

Step #3: Batching – This part of the process can also be known as”blending” which calculates amounts,
weighing and initial blended of the raw materials. For consistent material flow into a pub mill hopper, Vibratory
Feeders can be applied in the process

Step #4: Mixing – To obtain a more chemically and physically homogeneous material prior to forming, the
constituents of the ceramic powder is combined using the method of mixing or blunging. Most often, pug mills
are the preferred piece of machinery used in this step of the process when dealing with dry mixes. It is also
important to add binders or plasticizers as well. For wet slurry mixtures, a filter press would remove the water
from the slurry and yield the clay body from the mix. For these wet mixtures, deflocculants and antifoaming
agents are added to improve the processing of the materials.

Step #5: Forming – For this step, the materials such as dry powders, pastes or slurries are consolidated and
molded to produce a cohesive body of whatever end product is desired. In the particular case of dry
forming, vibratory compaction can be used to achieve the desired shape. For molds of a smaller scale with a
lighter load, Vibratory Jogger Tables may be desired but in cases that the mold is large, FA Flat Deck Vibratory
Tablescan be used. Simply providing the weight of the mold/materials and scale of the mold as well should help
make the selection of proper vibratory compaction table relatively easy.

Step #6: Drying – The formed materials hold water and binder in its mix that can in turn cause shrinkage,
warping or distortion of the product. Generally convection drying is the most commonly used method in which
heated air is circulated around the ceramic piece that alleviates the risk of such imperfections in the final
product.

Step #7: Glazing – Referring back to traditional ceramics, this step is added to the process prior to firing.
Typically, the glaze consists of oxides that give the product the desired finish look. The raw materials are
ground in a ball mill or attrition mill. We have provided customers with Vibratory Screeners that screened the
glaze in order to give the mixture a uniform consistency that when applied to the ceramic, would be smooth and
even. The glaze can be applied using the spraying or dipping methods.

Step #8: Firing – Also known as sintering or densification, the ceramics pass through a controlled heat process
where the oxides are consolidated into a dense, cohesive body made up of uniform grain. Some general points
to remember about different types of firing end products:
Plywood processing

Selecting logs and conditioning

The entire plywood-making process begins with log selection. At this stage, logs both hardwood and softwood
are carefully identified and segregated in terms of hardwood species and quality. The primary objective here is
to find logs that would produce veneer with acceptable physical and aesthetic characteristics. Some of the more
commonly used hardwoods and softwoods in making plywood are ash, maple, mahogany, Douglas fir, and
several pine, cedar and spruce varieties.

Once suitable logs are selected, they are then made to go through a conditioning process to assure that good
quality veneer is produced during the peeling process. This process usually involves spraying the logs with
water.

Cutting and Debarking

The next step in the plywood making process is to measure the conditioned logs for crosscutting. Once the logs
have been cut to length, the bark will then be removed using a debarking machine. The debarking process also
aims to improve cross-section roundness.

Peeling and clipping

Using a rotary lathe machine, the logs will be peeled into thin veneers. The veneers produced can come in the
form of continuous sheets, or immediately clipped into a predetermined width and length.

Since the quality of the veneer is one of the single most important factors in determining plywood grade,
veneers with visible defects are clipped off. As a result, clipping leaves some veneers end up with a smaller
surface area. This, however, isn’t a problem, because these smaller veneers can be joined together to form
standard 4×8 or 3×7 sheets.

Drying the veneer

As you can expect, the green veneers produced by the peeling process are typically wet or full of moisture, and
need to be dried. Veneer drying is necessary for improved bonding, and is done by feeding the veneers into
continuous or roller dryers at a controlled speed. These dryers produce heat from steam boilers that are fuelled
by barks, discarded veneers, sawdust and other mill residues. Ideally, the moisture content of veneers should
only be somewhere between six to 14 per cent by the time they make it through the other end of the dryer.

Composing the sheets

After properly drying and trimming the veneers, they are then composed into final 4×8 sheets. At this stage,
they are also segregated as face, core or back veneers. The face is the surface that is to be used or seen. The
back, as the term suggests, is the part that remains unused or hidden. The core, meanwhile, refers to the centre
layer. The process is meant to make composing the plywood layout easier. The plywood layout, for its part, will
be controlled in terms of thickness, timber grain orientation, wood species, and the quality of the ply.

Bonding using adhesives

Once the sheets are properly composed, they are then bonded with the use of adhesives. The adhesives to be
used at this point will depend on the type of plywood being produced. If the plywood is meant to be of the
general or normal type, urea formaldehyde resins are typically used. Marine plywood, on the other hand, use
melamine or phenol-based adhesives.

To make sure that the adhesive is evenly spread on alternate layers of veneer, mills pass the veneers through a
mechanical glue spreader. This will then be followed by composed them into panels in odd numbered layers.
The thickness of the final plywood product will be determined by the number of veneer layers.

Cold press, then hot press

The composed panels are then pre-pressed in a cold press at an ambient temperature and a controlled hydraulic
pressure. This process usually takes 20 minutes, which is enough time for the adhesive to solidify and
effectively bond the veneer plys in each panel. Aside from helping with bonding, this process also helps flatten
the plywood.

To assure excellent bonding, the pre-pressed panels will then be put into a hot press. This process takes
approximately three to seven minutes, although the time—as well as the temperature—may vary depending on
the wood species, the veneer thickness and the design of the plywood.

Quality check
After the pressing process, the panel is ready for quality control. Samples will be randomly picked and tested
for mechanical strength, bonding strength as well as formaldehyde emission levels. A visual check will also be
performed, and should there be any gaps, they will be filled with putty.

Sanding and trimming

Once the plywood passes quality control, it will then be sanded to make sure the surface has a smooth surface
and its thickness uniform. Depending on market specifications, the plywood can either be sanded on the face
side or both face and back sides. After sanding, the plywood will then be trimmed to its final size.

Packing, stacking and stamping

Finally, the finished plywood will be packed, stacked and stamped accordingly for shipment to both local and
overseas markets. The stamps will usually indicate a grade-trademark that is meant to inform buyers about the
plywood’s exposure rating, grade, mill number, and other factors.

The plywood manufacturing process is quite interesting, isn’t it? Now that your question, “How is plywood
made?” has been answered, you now know that a lot of effort is poured into each sheet of plywood. This way,
people are assured that they have a high-quality product in their hands which they can use for just about any
building project they embark on.