TWIN WIRE FORMERS

Twin wire formers are machines that use

a jet of stock imparted on two converging wires to accelerate water removal
and maintain better web uniformity.

These are particularly useful for high speed machines,

where the four drinier wet end would tend to give a two-sided sheet,
since both sides are wire sides and the sheet is formed symmetrically on
the two sides.

D. Webster is invented the twin wire former.

The first twin wire machine for board was commercially available in
1958 and for paper in 1965.

Diagrams of several types of twin wire

formers

 In the early verti-formers,

the stock flowed downward from the head box mounted above
and between the two wires traveling vertically downward.

In the Bel Baie former,

the stock is sprayed as a high speed jet in an upward direction
from the head box that is mounted below and between the two
wires that move upward.

Many flat wire machines use a second wire part way down
the table to help with dewatering and formation.
this type of machine has two flat wire parts: one leading to
the nip and one after the former.

 In the flat section after the head box, the table consists of a
forming board, foils, and one or two lovacs.
If this section is very short, the danger of sheet sealing is
present.
If the sheet enters the nip in a sealed condition, the
formation is unsatisfactory and the retention is low.
The flat wire must be managed carefully if foils are used as
they tend to seal the sheet between 0.8 and 1.4%
consistency.

 The main change occurred at the hivac area: the two drilled
covers were changed to two slotted; the piping was enlarged;
automatic valves were added.
The remarkable increase in dryness to and from the couch
eliminated press section vibration and resulted in 15% savings
in steam to the dryers.
The foils were changed to lovacs that pulsate the fabric.
As a result, more water was added and formation improved.
the consistency to the nip was reduced below the 1.4%.

 Twin wire formers can exert high pressures

between the two sides of the web,
whereas single wire machines are limited to a pressure
differential of one atmosphere.

Shear forces occur that are not possible on

fourdrinier machines.

These shear forces greatly help the formation of

the sheet and improve the overall quality of paper.

THE CYLINDER MACHINE

Cylinder
The cylinder paper machine with a cylindrical forming wet end was invented
in 1809.
The web is formed on a rotating cylindrical screen 36 to 60 in. in diameter
and immediately picked off.
Typically, 5 to 10 of these operate in series to make a multi-layered sheet.
This method is usually used to make heavyweight board from secondary fiber,
which is not de-inked, for folding boxboard, chipboard and gypsum board.
A high quality fiber surface may be added for printing upon.
Heavy weight paper and centrifugal force limit speeds to less than 7.5 m/s .

Diagram of a cylinder machine

 The cylinder is a large hollow roll covered with a wire screen which
revolves in a bath or tub of stock; as the wire comes out of the vat, a mat
of fibers collects on the wire.
The water passes through the wire and is carried away by a vacuum from
the inside of the rotating cylinder.
A horizontal felt is pressed against the top side of the cylinder with a
press roll, which further dewaters the mat, to pick up the web.

Several other webs are added as the felt picks up other webs from
additional cylinders in tandem.

Normally there are no more than six or seven cylinders in a single

machine.

 Many new designs of cylinder machines are

available .
Modern versions of cylinder machines
such as the roto former, control the stock flow to the
cylinder with channels and baffles to give improved control
over formation of the web.

The Ultra former is one of the few machines

that applies the stock to the cylinder and the plies are then
picked up by the topside of the felt.