Cost Effective New Technology to Apply Starch and Other Additives, 1999 Papermakers Conference Proceedings

Marc Foulger, Joe Parisian

The sheet impregnation system is a new development that uses curtain coating technology to impregnate paper or board with additives such as starch applied on the wet end of the paper machine. This system can be used on virtually any grade of paper, and is easily installed on existing machines. The first commercial installation, which started up in late 1997, has proved that it can apply a wide range of dosage rates, has high retention, disperses the additive evenly, controls the dispersion through the thickness of the sheet, and does not interfere with the rest of the papermaking process. This technology can be used in place of other application methods such as addition to the stock in the headbox, sprays on the fourdrinier, or a size press in the dryer section. It can achieve significant strength improvements with no loss in drying capacity, making it an ideal retrofit for an existing machine. This technology is very cost effective, installed costs are considerably lower than for a size press, and the simple corn starch used is less expensive than cationic starches typically added at the headbox.