Ultra-low Intensity FINEBAR® Patterns

FINEBAR® low-intensity plates improve paper quality and reduce production costs.  Hardwood pulps, mechanical pulps and recycled fibers can all be dramatically improved by refining at ultra-low intensity.

Hardwood pulps

Hardwood kraft pulps should be refined at the lowest practical refining intensity. In the past, this lower limit was 0.6 - 0.8 Ws/m due to the limitations of manufacturing technology. FINEBAR® achieves intensities of 0.2 - 0.6 Ws/m.

One of the key benefits of low intensity refining is the reduction in energy required to achieve a given pulp quality or drainage level. Other significant quality benefits are:

• Increased bulk at a given smoothness or porosity
• Improved internal bond properties
• Improved pick resistance of vessel segments

 Mechanical pulps

Mechanical pulps are very prone to fiber cutting due to the stiff fibers. FINEBAR® ultra-low intensity refining transfers enough energy to the fibers to increase strength, improve surface qualities, and reduce shives -- while minimizing drainage changes at a given energy input.

Recycled fiber pulps

Recycled fibers benefit from low-intensity refining because they have already been processed and require a gentle treatment to minimize fines generation. FINEBAR® plates improve fiber quality development and achieve target specifications at higher drainage levels. Plate pattern selection depends on the fiber mix (e.g. OCC vs. MOW).