A paper machine is the core forming and processing equipment in paper production. It handles five main steps: wet sheet forming, press dewatering, drying and setting, surface finishing, and slitting and reeling.
Wet sheet forming
The headbox distributes prepared stock evenly onto the forming wire. Wire shaking and vacuum suction help fibers deposit evenly. A wet sheet forms with uniform formation and initial strength. About 70% of free water drains at this stage.
Press dewatering
The wet sheet moves from the wire section to the press section. Multiple pairs of press rolls apply mechanical pressure. They remove more free water and some bound water. Sheet moisture drops to about 60%. Sheet density, stiffness, and surface smoothness improve. This also lowers drying energy. Some fine paper machines include a size press to apply surface sizing during pressing, which improves water resistance and printability.
Hansheng Automation can machine custom press rolls, suction box parts, doctor blades, and bearing housings for paper machines from customer drawings, in single pieces or small batches.
Drying and setting
After pressing, the wet sheet enters the dryer section. Steam-heated dryer cylinders and a hot air circulation system use contact drying and hot air drying together. Sheet moisture is controlled at 8% to 12%. The fiber network is fixed and the sheet is set.
Surface finishing
The dried sheet enters the calender. Multiple high-hardness rolls press and rub the sheet. This improves smoothness, gloss, and thickness uniformity. Special paper machines may also include a coater for surface coating.
Slitting and reeling
The finished large roll is slit to the required width. A reeling unit winds the slit paper into finished rolls. This completes the paper machine process.
Safety
The machine has burn risks from high-temperature dryer cylinders and mechanical injury risks from high-speed rotating rolls. Only trained operators should run it. Do not touch rotating parts during operation. Before maintenance, stop the machine, cut power, and hang safety warning signs.
Beyond the paper machine parts discussed above, our precision component customization is not limited to this topic. We machine yacht precision components, RC car precision components, tobacco packaging machinery parts, filling machinery parts, printing machinery parts, food machinery parts, and medical device components. Hansheng Automation works from customer drawings and delivers one-off or batch parts to the required material, tolerance, and surface finish. Our scope is precision components, not complete machines.