Mondi Teams Up with TU Graz and Océ in Search of the Perfect Paper
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Mondi, Austria, announced on official social media outlets Tuesday that the company agreed to terms that will have them team up with TU Graz and Océ in search of the "perfect paper". The new "Christian Doppler (CD) Laboratory for Fiber Swelling and Paper Performance" was officially opened as of this past week (January 11) and set up in cooperation with the Graz University of Technology, Océ Holding B.V., and Mondi. The team will investigate swelling and de-swelling processes during paper production, printing, and converting to find new solutions in the next seven years.
CD-Laboratory for Fiber Swelling and its Effect on Paper Properties describes the group's research mission:
Papers for industrial printing or packaging must be particularly absorbent, stable, and tear resistant. To describe these features scientifically and to develop improvement concepts, this is the aim of the CD Laboratory. The aim of the research is to detect the basic additional mechanical processes in the paper fibers in the absorption and desorption of liquids, such as printer color, primarily, and to further explain In high-speed inkjet printing, in particular, the exact property within the paper fibers after application of the ink and during drying and how they are relevant. In the beginning, the fiber swelling is low and thus the drying time can be as short as possible, on the other hand we know that the fiber swelling gives the paper more resistance. Here is an optimal balance for the degree of swelling of the paper fibers which must be found. In the humidification by the color, it also leads to deformation of the paper as bulges and curling. This is prevented, and the so-called flatness can be improved. Here you want to create hydration and dehydration of the paper within the framework of the research project mechanical models of exact performance. These are to be used in sequence in the development of new high-speed printing machines. The fiber swelling also has an influence on the mechanical properties of the paper such as strength and flexural rigidity. These properties depend primarily on how much to connect the swollen fibers during the manufacturing process with each other. Based on the obtained findings are elaborated concepts for modifications of fibers and paper to improve its performance characteristics and create models for mechanical simulation of the paper for printing press optimal development of materials.
