Size Presses: Starch Runnability and Paper Properties, 1991 Papermakers Conference Proceedings

Metered size presses are a new technology for applying starch to paper. It replaces the pond of a flooded nip coventional size press with a thin film. This thin film is metered onto the rubber size press rolls by means of a flexible air loaded blade or a wire wound (or grooved) metering rod. The thin film is then transferred to the paper web in the size press nip.

Because the metered size press technology is so new, the literature has very little information describing the effects of starch on the runnability of the equipment or on the resulting paper properties. There are no studies relating starch properties and modifications to runnability or paper properties. This paper will discuss the effects of starch properties and type of modifications on the operation of blade metered size press equipment and their effects on the finished paper. Discussion of paper properties will focus on the mechanical properties, the optical properties and the offset printability of the finished paper sheet.