Water is removed by gravity, or the vacuum developed by table rolls, foils or suction equipment, and the drilled couch. Water is drained from the fiber slurry on modern machines in both upward and downward directions to form a web of paper. Since this coating is applied in a water suspension, the paper must be dried in the after-dryer section. Finally, the paper is spooled into a giant roll of paper. The supercalendering machine is a series of rollers.
Paper passes through rollers alternatively made of steel and cotton or a synthetic material.
This calendering takes place under high pressure and temperature, and creates a glossy, smooth and attractive surface. After supercalendering, the paper is cut into roll sizes that will eventually be shipped to our web offset or rotogravure customers, or to our sheet converting operation for converting to sheets. The converting operation also packages our products and prepares it for shipment to our customers. The most common method of mechanical pulping is the groundwood process where wood is pressed lengthwise against a grinding stone. This causes the surface of the wood to abrade away.