Since the invention of paper in Egypt 3500 BC, when it was produced by using the papy-rus plant, paper is one of the most important consumer goods of the world. For example in Germany, the paper consumption is as high as nowhere else in the world. A German citizen wastes round about 236 kg paper per year. With the total waste of the population of the federal republic you could construct a tower of standard paper size sheets from the earth up to the top of the moon.
The pulp and paper industry produces approximately 393 million tons of paper for instance writing paper, industrial paper, pasteboard and cardboard per year. This shows how essential the product paper is. When you think about paper you normally mean writing paper, paper for newspapers or graphic papers for photography or high resolution magazines.
But paper can be used in completely different ways depending on the products: For example It is used in the building industry, car manufacturing and other industries; you need it for hygiene products like tissue papers, for car poll filters or for packages for comestibles or any other goods. Paper appears in different grammages and quality. All these products are produced on several paper machines with different breadth.
For example there are paper machines in China with a breadth of 20 meters. These plants normally fabricate only one product of one grammages and same quality. The paper mill I work at, has a machine width of only 4,90 meters. Because of this fact it is comprehensible that one has to produce many different kinds of paper in order to be able to exist on the buyer's market for a longer period of time.
This machine has a technical capacity of 220,000 tons per year and a turnover of 52 Million Euros. There are two major products produced on the PM1: testliner brown, white and plasterboard liner (grey, ivory and green).
Table of Contents
1. First Part: Introduction to the Pulp and Paper Industry, the machines and the usability around the world
2. Second Part: Progress of fabricating the product
3. Dependency on business cycle (early indicator of recession)
Objectives and Topics
This report provides an overview of the paper manufacturing process, specifically focusing on the production of "testliner white" on a double fourdrinier machine, while examining the industry's economic sensitivity to business cycles.
- Historical context and global significance of the paper industry
- Technical overview of paper machine operations and capacity
- Raw material requirements and the fabrication stages of testliner
- Economic challenges and recessionary impacts on paper production
Excerpt from the book
2. Second Part: Progress of fabricating the product
I want to give a short outline of the fabrication paper on a “double fourdrinier machine” using the example of testliner white. Yonder is one of the main products for the packaging industry. The product consists of two plies: A brown underlayment (70 % of the paper) and a white top ply (30 % of the product).
To fabricate paper you need three sorts of raw materials. First of all you need recovered paper or cellulose. Owing to the increased costs it is better to use recovered paper (one ton of recovered paper has a market price of 45-56 €4, and cellulose has got a market price of 450 – 470 €).
Recovered paper is not qualified for every kind of paper production, because its fibres are more and more destroyed after every recycling progress. But these fibres are important for the sheet formation and resistance of the paper.5
Summary of Chapters
1. First Part: Introduction to the Pulp and Paper Industry, the machines and the usability around the world: This chapter highlights the historical development of paper and discusses the diverse industrial applications and production capacities of modern paper mills.
2. Second Part: Progress of fabricating the product: This section details the raw materials and technical steps involved in manufacturing testliner, from defibration in pulpers to the final stages of the dryer and calender sections.
3. Dependency on business cycle (early indicator of recession): This chapter explores the economic vulnerabilities of the energy-intensive paper industry and how global business cycles and demand fluctuations impact its sustainability.
Keywords
Paper manufacture, Testliner white, Pulp industry, Fourdrinier machine, Recovered paper, Defibration, Stock preparation, Paper machines, Packaging industry, Business cycle, Recession, Energy-intensive, Sheet forming, Paper mills, Raw materials
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this report?
The report focuses on the manufacturing process of paper, using "testliner white" as a specific example, and analyzes the economic dependencies of the paper industry.
What are the core thematic areas?
The core themes include industrial paper production technology, raw material utilization, and the economic impact of market cycles on the paper sector.
What is the central research objective?
The objective is to outline the fabrication process on a double fourdrinier machine and explain why the paper industry serves as an early indicator for economic recession.
Which methodology is employed?
The paper uses an industry-specific descriptive approach, combining technical process explanations with an economic analysis of production costs and market factors.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body covers the history of paper, the technical stages of manufacturing (pulping, refining, sheet forming, drying), and the industry's vulnerability to fluctuations in raw material and energy costs.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include testliner, paper manufacturing, double fourdrinier machine, recession, pulp industry, and raw materials.
What is the specific composition of the testliner white discussed?
The product consists of two plies: a 70% brown underlayment and a 30% white top ply.
Why is recovered paper preferred over cellulose in this production context?
Recovered paper is significantly more cost-effective, with a market price of 45-56 € per ton compared to 450-470 € for cellulose.
What role does the "couche cylinder" play in the manufacturing process?
The couche cylinder is responsible for joining the two separate de-watered plies together into one connected paper web.
How does the business cycle affect the paper industry specifically?
Because the industry has enormous fixed costs and high energy demands, it struggles to adapt during recessions, particularly when demand for packaging materials like testliner drops.
- Quote paper
- Benjamin Wagner (Author), 2009, Paper manufacture using the "testliner white", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/448473
