Paper processing: preparation and manufacture of the sheet

Paper processing is an extremely delicate process.

Divided into preparation of the mixture and manufacture of the sheet, it takes place through indispensable procedures capable of giving it the structural characteristics that distinguish it.

Let’s understand together how this delicate and indispensable material is worked.

Paper: what it is and how it works

Paper is a material composed of mostly vegetable raw materials, joined together by feltration and subsequently dried.

Among these, cellulose is certainly one of the most important. Main component of plant cell membranes, it is obtained from the wood of trees cultivated specifically for its production.

Paper is then produced by weaving millions of cellulose fibers. Once obtained, the cellulose pulp is washed, bleached and prepared to reach the paper mill, where it will be processed to produce strong and qualitatively optimal sheets.

What happens when the paper reaches the paper mills?

Once you reach the paper mills, the actual paper processing begins.

The different fibrous materials are initially pulped in water and mixed together, forming a concentrated mixture. This procedure is particularly important for the optimal realization of the material: remember that the fibers derive from natural sources that must be respected and treated with care.

For this reason, it takes place through numerous separation and washing steps, with the aim of obtaining a final product worthy of the work employed.

The obtained pastes are then bleached through the use of chlorine and used to form the sheets.

Paper processing: the formation of the sheet

The sheet forming process has undergone many changes over time.

Today we start with a first cellulose drainage, in order to concentrate and compact the fibers. Fibers are then aligned thanks to specific machines, forming the initial part of the sheet.

After that, the newly formed sheet is pressed, undergoing a lamination and further losing the remaining water. The raw paper obtained is then processed with a considerable number of additives, applied as a surface coating (patina).

The untreated material is in fact very absorbent and is not, in itself, suitable for activities such as writing or printing.

Once out of the various treatments, the paper is dried: the sheet is then smooth and ready for use.