Foam forming technology folding box board focused developments

Project was undertaken to develop an industrially, economically and technically feasible concept for the production of folding box board mid-ply utilizing foam forming technology with the goal to determine suitable processes and raw material solutions for production of commercially viable board of significantly (10%) lower grammage than current products. The well-known challenge is to take advantage of the improved formation, more bulky structure and potential lower wet press loading enabled by foam forming and simultaneously retain/re-develop strength properties needed for converting and package strength. Various strategies were evaluated in laboratory and then subsequently tested at pilot scale. Pilot scale conditions focused on processes to simulate, as close as practical, commercial capability, Including evolution of the process as knowledge was gained. Reasonable results were achieved through selection of foaming agents which did not additionally degrade strength, combined with new and traditional dry strength development strategies and targeting foam properties which could be generated and managed In more or less conventional board making processes.