CALENDERING IN PAPER INDUSTRY

LOKESHWARAN K
9917002008
CHEMICAL ENGG

A calender is a series of hard pressure rollers used to finish or smooth a sheet

of material such as paper, textiles, or plastics. Calender rolls are also used to
form some types of plastic films and to apply coatings Some calender rolls are
heated or cooled as needed. Calenders are sometimes mis-spelled calendars.

CALENDERING PAPER

In a principal paper application, the calender is located at the end of

a papermaking process (on-line). Those that are used separately from the
process (off-line) are also called supercalenders. The purpose of a calender is to
make the paper smooth and glossy for printing and writing, as well as of a
consistent thickness for capacitors that use paper as their dielectric membrane.
The calender section of a paper machine consists of a calender and other
equipment. The paper web is run between in order to further smooth it out,
which also gives it a more uniform thickness. The pressure applied to the web
by the rollers determines the finish of the paper, and there are three types of
finish that the paper can have.
The first is Machine Finish, or MF Paper and it can range from a Rough/
Matt (non glossy) look, to a Smooth high quality finish.
The second is called a Supercalendered Finish, or MG Paper (Machine Glazed)
which is Glossy/ Glazed, suitable for a high degree fine-
screened halftone printing.
The third type of finish is called a plater finish, and whereas the first two types
of finish are accomplished by the calender stack itself, a plater finish is obtained
by placing cut sheets of paper between zinc or copper plates that are stacked
together, then put under pressure and heating. A special finish such as
a linen finish would be achieved by placing a piece of linen between the plate
and the sheet of paper, or else an embossed steel roll might be used.
After calendering, the web has a moisture content of about 6% (depending on
the furnish). It is wound onto a roll called a tambour, and stored for final cutting
and shipping.
 Supercalender

A supercalender is a stack of calenders consisting of alternating steel and fiber-

covered rolls through which paper is passed to increase its density, smoothness
and gloss. It is similar to a calender except that alternate chilled cast iron and
softer rolls are used. The rolls used to supercalender uncoated paper usually
consist of cast iron and highly compressed paper, while the rolls used for coated
paper are usually cast iron and highly compressed cotton. The finish produced
varies according to the raw material used to make the paper and the pressure
exerted on it, and ranges from the highest English finish to a highly glazed
surface. Supercalendered papers are sometimes used for books containing fine
line blocks or halftones because they print well from type and halftones,
although for the latter they are not as good as coated paper.

SMOOTHNESS AND GLOSS ALLOWING EXCELLENT

PRINT RESULTS

Depending on the purpose for which a paper is used, its surface must have
certain properties – especially smoothness and gloss. These properties are
imparted to the paper by calenders. Calenders are machines with up to 15 rolls
arranged one above the other, which are run together under pressure and then
form closed nips.

When the paper web passes through these nips, it is exposed to mechanical and
thermal forces that give the paper the required surface properties. Calenders are
subdivided into two main types: calenders that consist exclusively of hard rolls
(so-called machine calenders) and calenders that are equipped with alternate
hard and plastic covered resilient rolls.