Coating Pilot

Paper and board coating for graphics, barrier and speciality applications

Develop coated paper and board for printing and writing, packaging and speciality markets
Compare the performances of paper and board substrates, coating products or processes
Produce reels for making demonstrators

The little story of the pilot

After its high-speed coating machine was shut down in 2003, the CTP acquired a highly versatile medium-size pilot that can be used to carry out day-long tests in a cost-effective manner, in order to meet the requirements of its clients.
Since the pilot was installed, the CTP has carried out a few tuning operations. There is no point in looking for any blue or orange neon lights on the machine. Instead there is a high evaporation capacity drying arch, a cooling cylinder, and since 2020 a brand-new transmission system.
What the CTP hasn’t changed is its pilot team, who knows the machine inside out and has been performing trials for many years.

Characteristics

General characteristics

Sheet width (max.): 370 mm
Reel diameter (max.): 800 mm
Grammage: 35 - 350 g/m²
Speed: 50 - 125 m/min
Mandrel diameters: 70 - 76 - 100 - 120 - 152 mm
Concentration range: 2 - 75% (depending on rheology, coating process, machine speed and drying capacity)
Cooling cylinder supplied with water at 4°C
Filters on each coating station
Thermostatic control of coating colour feed
Minimum coating colour volume: 50

Coating stations

Size press (roll hardness: 15 and 25 PJ)
Blade (steel or Soft-Tip) or volumetric rod

Drying

3 infrared dryers
150 kW/dryer
2 air impingement dryers (1 and 2 sides)
Tmax: 280°C
Nominal evaporation rate at 95 m/min: 347 kg/h/mpaper width
Temperature sensors between each drying station

Formulation preparation

Coating preparation kitchen:
- Batch cooking of starch and polyvinyl alcohol
- Batch slaking of pigments
Formulation characterisation:
- pH, water retention, solid content
- Brookfield viscosity
- Surface tension
Coating colour optimisation as trials are carried out, depending on requirements:
- Modification of the formulation (e.g. with additives)
- Modification of rheological properties.