New opportunities in the paper and nonwovens industries with foam-assisted web forming and chemical application

Foam-assisted web forming and chemical application technologies have great potential to improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality in the paper and nonwovens industries. In this study, the benefits of foam forming and foam-assisted application of chemicals were demonstrated in a pilot machine trial. Uniform high -bulk webs of unrefined bleached softwood kraft pulp (BSKP) and viscose fibers were manufactured by foam forming. It was shown that foam formed low-grammage and high-bulk viscose fiber webs can be strengthened by foam-assisted application of latex onto the wet web. Correspondingly, foam-assisted application of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and anionic polyacrylamide (A-PAM) improved the strength of the foam formed low-grammage and high-bulk BSKP web. Overall, the pilot machine results indicated that material cost savings could be achieved and a high-performance product could be manufactured with foam-based technologies. Application: Foam forming of the fiber web and foam-assisted application of chemicals on the wet web may enable manufacture of new products with older paper machines or enhance the production efficiency of the current product.

Automated summary

Foam-assisted web forming and chemical application technologies have been shown to enhance manufacturing efficiency and product quality in the paper and nonwovens industries. Pilot machine trials demonstrated the potential benefits of foam forming and foam-assisted application of chemicals in producing high-bulk webs with improved strength. These technologies offer material cost savings and the ability to manufacture high-performance products.