It goes without saying that the green initiatives being put in place across the globe are changing the way we do things. From paper straws to molded pulp fiber packaging, paper products are growing in popularity.
But if we look at the objectives industry as a whole, it's much more than just replacing single-use plastics. It's about replacing all waste, including paper products, once we are done using them.
As a result, a lot of paper waste is recycled and repurposed. A major element of the recycling process is identifying suitable screening media, such as woven wire mesh.
With that said, how exactly does woven wire mesh fit into the world of recycling?
W.S. Tyler has been a proud member of the wire mesh industry for over 150 years, helping customers leverage the capabilities of woven wire mesh to innovate their processes and products.
For this reason, we wrote the following article to establish the benefits woven wire mesh delivers during the paper recycling process. You will learn:
- What the paper recycling process looks like
- How woven wire mesh is defined
- How woven wire mesh is used when recycling paper
- How woven wire mesh can be implemented into a paper recycling process
- What woven wire mesh pricing looks like
How Is Recycled Paper Cleaned?
Soiled paper first arrives in large bundles that are transferred to an industrial pulper. Once inside the pulper, water is combined with various cleaning chemicals to saturate the paper.
The paper, water, and chemicals are then heated up to loosen the fibers of the paper while also sanitizing the paper. Once at a desirable temperature, the saturated paper is forced through a shredder.
You are left with pulp that consists of fine individual paper fibers.
The final step in the recycling process is to screen the pulp. This process involves removing debris, such as adhesives, organic matter, ink pigments, etc., from the pulp, ensuring it is ready to be formed.
What Is Woven Wire Mesh?
Woven wire mesh is best defined as a series of individual metallic wires that become intertwined once a centuries-old weaving process is applied. As this weaving process is influenced by traditional weaving practices and is heavily monitored, woven wire mesh is often utilized for its rigid yet precise pore openings.
Prior to being woven, parameters such as the wire diameter, size, opening size, shape, and weave pattern are pre-determined. Additional post-weaving processes, such as heat treatment, stamping, ultrasonic cleaning, calendering, welding, etc., can be applied to further extend the value woven wire mesh provides your operation.
How Is Woven Wire Mesh Used When Recycling Paper?
When screening recycled paper, the pulp is projected through screening media. As stated above, this is to remove unwanted contaminants so the pulp can be safely used to produce quality molded fiber goods.
Woven wire mesh is one of the more widely used screening mediums, first and foremost, for its durability. To ensure you can efficiently filter out material for extended periods of time, your screening media must be able to withstand constant impact from the various contaminant particles.
The diameter of the mesh’s individual wires can be altered to ensure your mesh lasts.
When it comes to the actual screening of particles, woven wire mesh’s pore openings can be customized to allow the fibers the pass freely while stopping these contaminants in their track. But as it offers maximum screening surface area, this can be done while maintaining a desired flow rate.
Taking this a step further, woven wire mesh can be woven using various weave patterns. These weave patterns all deliver their own beneficial qualities, ensuring you reach the flow rate needed for your pulper to run efficiently.
Additionally, you can experiment with these weave patterns to achieve different finishes. This can be critical for manufacturers looking to produce aesthetically pleasing molded pulp fiber packaging.
What Are the Possibilities of Woven Wire Mesh Filters?
Woven Wire Mesh can be purchased in bulk rolls as well as customized fabricated parts. Those interested in wire mesh rolls are looking to handle all fabrication of the filter in-house.
This typically includes stamping or deep drawing the mesh to fit the pulper.
Having your filter fabricated entails the wire mesh supplier taking the desired mesh specification from a roll and forming it in accordance with your shop drawings. This process starts with the supplier taking the mesh and applying heat-treating the mesh.
This is either an annealing or sintering process, depending on the needs of your filter.
The mesh will then be cut into smaller pieces and formed, stamped, or pressed using specific tooling. As these processes can be automated, thousands of wire mesh components can be fabricated in a short period of time.
That said, it should be noted that depending on the complexity of the filter, lead times can be anywhere from one to four weeks. Factors such as the amount of time needed to set up the tooling, material availability, and order quantity all affect this lead time.
Now, when it comes to the limitations of wire mesh, the only thing you must be concerned about is that there is a ratio in which mesh can be dreep drawn. This ratio illustrates the fact that the mesh component cannot be drawn at lengths greater than the diameter of the part.
For example, a wire mesh filter cone with a six-inch diameter cannot have a draw depth of 10 inches.
How Is Woven Wire Mesh Pricing Handled?
As woven wire mesh can be purchased in either rolls or pre-fabricated parts, pricing is handled per order. While there are similarities, both forms of woven wire mesh have their own list of factors that influence cost.
If you are interested in woven wire mesh rolls, the following factors will be reflected in your quote:
- Mesh specifications
- Roll length
- Roll width
- Post-weaving service requirements
- Compliance requirements
- Quality
If you are interested in customized fabricated parts, the following factors will be reflected in your quote:
- Mesh specifications
- Part size
- Part shape
- Layer configuration
- Compliance requirements
- Post-weaving service requirements
- Labor
- Part quantity
Perfect Your Molded Pulp Fiber Products
Recycling paper is a significant step we can take, not just to eliminate single-use plastics but general waste overall. Doing so requires molded pulp and fiber facilities to integrate woven wire mesh into their pulpers in order to remove contaminant particles that can hinder the molding process and are unsafe for food contact applications.
But the value of woven wire mesh can go beyond screening recycled paper pulp. It can be used further down the production when it's time to form the recycled pulp into new products.
Having been in the woven wire mesh business for over 150 years, W.S. Tyler is here to help you remove the roadblocks that hinder your confidence in your ability to produce world-changing molded pulp fiber products.
To gain a better understanding of how woven wire mesh is used when forming quality molded pulp fiber products, read the following article: