You might have a paper converter in your area or have friends that work at a paper converting facility, but do you know what “paper converting” actually is? Most of us – in the U.S. Midwest, at least – have heard the term before, though many people don’t understand what a paper converting facility does.
While each paper converting facility is different, they all convert raw paper products into the everyday paper products used by consumers, like newsprint, paper plates, books, envelopes, and every other finished paper good you can think of. Services Plus, Inc.’s focus is on the conversion of tissue paper into useful products for household use and for the medical industry.
Paper Rolls: The Starting Point
It all begins with massive rolls of tissue paper. These rolls are typically made from a mixture of virgin or recycled paper pulp. When these rolls arrive at our Green Bay facility from our clients’ paper mills, they are enormous, weighing thousands of pounds and measuring several feet in width. The rolls are often taller than a person and wider than the average arm span. These huge rolls of tissue paper are the foundation of the tissue products you use in your everyday life, like facial tissue, toilet paper, and paper goods used in medical settings, such as dental bibs and exam table covers.
Unwinding & Slitting
The next step in tissue paper conversion is unwinding the massive paper rolls. This process carefully unfurls the delicate paper, allowing it to be easily transported to the next phase. It's important to handle the tissue paper gently to avoid any damage or cause imperfections. After unwinding, the paper is precisely slit into narrower pieces or rolls, each of which will become the basis for the tissue paper product they are destined to become. This step requires pinpoint accuracy to ensure the right width for each product type.
Embossing and Perforation
Embossing is an essential process that adds texture and thickness to the tissue paper. It's what gives tissue paper a unique softness and the embossing pattern used can also be part of the clients’ branding. The paper is passed through embossing rollers, which create the familiar patterns and textures you feel when you touch a familiar tissue paper product.
Perforation is the art of creating those neat tear-off sections that make it easy to separate individual sheets of tissue paper. This process is particularly important for products like paper towels and toilet paper. Everyone loves the convenience of perforated paper products, even though we take this feature for granted.
Re-rolling and Packaging
Once the paper has been unwound, slit, and perforated, it's time to re-pack it into smaller, more manageable pack sizes for consumer use. These smaller pieces of the once-giant tissue paper rolls end up in the boxes and packages of facial tissue or toilet paper (bathroom tissue) you use in your home or workplace.
The final step in tissue paper converting is packaging. The rolls, boxes, or packs of tissues are packaged in various quantities, from single packs to multi-packs, before they're ready to be shipped to stores, offices, and warehouses.
Interfolding
For products that utilize our paper converting process of interfolding, like pop-up facial tissue, the process differs slightly. First, the giant paper rolls are unwound, and fed into a specialized machine that cuts the tissue to the correct length, and simultaneously interfolds sheets into an interlocking structure. That product is then fed into a large saw that cuts the tissue to the appropriate length. These clips of tissue are then fed into cartons, and the finished product is produced per customer requirement.
Quality Control
Throughout the entire tissue paper converting process, quality control is of paramount importance. Our skilled technicians and state-of-the-art machinery ensure that each roll of tissue paper meets the highest standards for softness, strength, and hygiene. Services Plus, Inc., also follows ISO 9001 international quality standards.
Tissue paper converting is a precise, delicate process that brings products you use every day into existence. At Services Plus, Inc., we take pride in our role in this industry, providing top-quality tissue paper products to meet your everyday needs.
The next time you use a sheet of tissue paper, consider the precision that went into making it, from the massive paper rolls to the final product that you use in your daily life. We're proud to be a part of this journey, and we hope you now have a better understanding of the world of tissue paper converting.
Comments