The production of Toilet involves such key steps as pulping, molding, processing and packaging. Each step requires a specific mechanism and a clear division of labour for each step. Together, they turn raw materials into finished toilet paper. These steps are classified as follows:
1.Pulping: converting raw materials into Qualified Pulp
The key of the process is to process wood, waste paper and reeds into a pulp with uniform fiber and minimal impurities. Major equipment includes:
Shredder: For wood ingredientssuch as pine and poplar, high-speed rotating blades cut the log into even pieces (about 2-5cm long) for subsequent steaming or pulping to prevent incomplete pulping due to the size of the material. Digester/Deinking Equipment: When cooking wood, high temperature, high pressure (combined with chemicals such as caustic soda) is used to separate wood chip fibers and remove impurities such as lignin. When making pulp, deinking equipment (such as flotation and washing machines) uses mechanical stirring and chemicals to remove ink from the surface of waste paper, while filtering impurities (such as plastic and metal fragments) to ensure the purity of the pulp.
Pulper/Refiner: Further refining of the original pulp, grinding mechanically to break down and separate fibers. This will adjust beating degree (e.g. SR at 25-35° C) to improve the softness and absorbability of the subsequent paper. This is the key device that determines the feel of toilet paper.
Pulp sieve machine: using a screen (such as pressure screens, vibration sieve, etc.) to filter pulp coarse fiber and unresolved impurities, ensure that pulp fiber distribution is uniform, prevent pulp in subsequent forming holes or spots, and ensure the appearance and quality of toilet paper.
2.Molding: Converting Pulp into Toilet Paper Base
This stage of the process pulp becomes a continuous toilet paper base (large roll). The core equipment is tissue machine, which can be divided into:
Rotating sieve: Rotating cylinders (covered with filters) extract pulp fibers from a pulp pool to form wet paper. The sheets are then dehydrated by press rollers, dried in a dryer (heated by steam at about 100-120°C) and rolled into large diameter sheets (up to 1-2 metres in diameter). The machines are simple, low-cost and suitable for the production of low-and medium-end toilet paper, with a daily output of about 5-15 tons. Fourdrinier tissue machine: Pulp is evenly distributed over continuously running four-column filaments (polyester filter) through a headbox. Vacuum dewatering the wire and press it out. The resulting substrate is then dried in multiple drying stages (to improve drying efficiency). This allows for a more even distribution of fibres and a higher intensity, producing 20 to 50 tonnes of medium to high end tissues perday, with some larger machines producing higher yields.
Drying Cylinders/Drying Equipment: Dryer is a core part of the dryer, whether it's a rotary dryer or a four-roller dryer. It usually consists of multiple cast iron cylinders in series. Steam heating reduces the moisture content of wet paper from 50-60% to 8-12%. At the same time, dry surface lines,such as wrinkles, are printed on the paper to create soft wrinkles characteristic of tissue paper.
3. Processing: Turning raw paper into finished products
This method cuts and processes large amounts of basic paper rolls into regular tissue paper rolls and tissue paper forms. Major equipment includes:
Toilet paper slitting machine: This machine uses a high-speed rotary circular knife to cut large rolls of base paper (mother roll) into small rolls of varying widths (such as household tissue rolls 10-12cm). Reel diameter can be adjusted as required (e.g. 10-15cm). Roller tension is controlled during cutting to prevent loose or overly tight rollers.
Punching machine: This machine is used in conjunction with a paper cutting machine. At regular intervals (e.g., 10-15mm), holes are created in the surface of the paper to be easily torn. Users can tear the paper as needed. Punching accuracy directly affects tearing efficiency and prevents uneven or overlapping tearing. Tissue folding machines: In tissue production, these machines fold long strips of paper into nested layers using a continuous folding mechanism,such as a V-fold or a Z-fold. Then use a cutter to cut them into pieces of a fixed length (say, 20-25cm) to fit easily in a tissue boxes. Folding speeds of up to 100-300m/min ensure continuous use of tissues.
4. Packaging: Packaging of finished toilet paper.
This process ensures that toilet paper is hygienic and moisture-proofing, making it easy to store and distribute. Major equipment includes:
Roll Packing Machine: Roll Packing Machine is divided into single roll Packing Machine and multi-roll packaging machines. Single-roll packers seal rolls of toilet paper with plastic,such as PE film, and can print the brand logo and date of production. Multi-roll packaging machines (e.g., 10 rolls/case or 12 rolls/ box) line up multiple rolls of toilet paper neatly, wrap them in thermal shrinkage film and then reheat them into finished rolls to improve product portability. Paper towel wrapper: Place Folded tissue paper in a cardboard box (manual or automatic) and seal with transparent plastic wrap or lid. Some high-end devices can integrate the "cartoning-sealing-labeling" process to improve packaging efficiency and protect tissue paper from moisture and dust while maintaining a tight seal.
Labeling Machines: Label wrapped toilet paper (roll paper machine, tissue paper box) with product name, specifications, ingredients, date of manufacture, etc. Labels should be positioned accurately to prevent tilting or peeling, in accordance with the labelling requirements for products in contact with food.
