C H A P T E R

7
Coating

7.1 INTRODUCTION coated papers are LWC papers and ULWC

papers (ultra-lightweight coated), MWC papers,
Coated papers are produced both from and HWC papers. Art printing papers are typical
mechanical and chemical pulp and prepared in WF coated paper for the highest printing quality.
lightweight coated (LWC), medium weight Coated folding boxboard is an example of coated
coated (MWC), and high weight coated (HWC) board which is used in selling packages for
grades. Coated paper and paperboard products goods. Tables 7.1 and 7.2 shows coated paper
are used in printing, writing, catalogs, maga- and board grades, their furnish, and usage.
zines, art papers, packaging, and other applica-
tions. Coated papers are frequently used for
newspaper inserts, magazines, catalogs, adver-
tising materials, security papers, and converted TABLE 7.1 Coated Paper and Their Usage
paper products and coated boards are used for
Paper (Both Side Base Paper
packaging. Coated papers are resistant to dirt, Coated) Furnish Usage
offer robustness against wear and tear, and
have a glossy or matte finish surface that adds Ultra-lightweight MP, CP, DIP Catalogs,
coated magazines
to the presentation. Depending on grade, coated
papers are available in various price ranges to Machine finished MP, CP, DIP Catalogs,
ideally meet the requirements of its targeted coated magazines
customers. Lightweight coated MP, CP, DIP Magazines
Coated papers are classified as wood-
Film coated offset MP, DIP Inserts, flyers,
containing or mechanical papers and fine advertising
papers, which are also called wood-free or WF
Medium weight MP, CP, CP Special magazines,
papers. Wood-containing papers are made of a
coated advertising
fiber furnish such as groundwood or other me-
chanical pulps. Recycled carbon fibers are also High weight MP, CP, CP Magazine covers,
coated advertising
currently an important and steadily growing
raw material for coated base papers. WF papers Wood-free CP Magazines, image
are made of a fiber furnish of only chemical pulp coated fine papers brochures, labels
or only very little mechanical pulp (no more than CP, chemical pulp; DIP, deinked pulp; MP, mechanical pulp.
10% of the fiber material). Typical mechanical Based on Kogler and Auhorn (2006).

Biermann's Handbook of Pulp and Paper: Paper and Board Making

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814238-7.00007-6 159 Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
160 7. COATING

both surfaces of paper. Coating can be applied

TABLE 7.2 Coated Paperboard and Their Usage
on-machine or off-machine. On-machine coating
Paperboard has the obvious advantages associated with
(Mainly Top Base Paper decreased handling of the paper. Off-machine
Side Only Coated) Furnish Usage has the advantages of providing greater flexi-
Folding box DIP, RP, Packaging of bility in the system, including the speed of
board MP, CP food, book coating. About 20% of paper is coated. Coating
covers improves brightness, gloss, smoothness, caliper,
White lined DIP, RP, Shoe and wine and uniformity of the base paper. Coating also
chipboard MP, CP boxes, protection improves many aspects of the printing process.
packaging Improvements in printing are improved gloss
Solid bleached BHSP, BSSP Packaging of of the ink film (ink holdout), freedom from
sulfate chocolate, mottling (uniform absorption of ink), improved
cigarettes, resolution of printed images, improved contrast
cosmetics
because of ink holdout, and decreased show-
BHSP, bleached hardwood sulfate pulp; BSSP, bleached softwood through as the ink remains on the surface.
sulfate pulp; CP, chemical pulp; DIP, deinked pulp; MP, mechanical Fig. 7.1 shows scanning electron micrographs
pulp; RP, recovered paper.
Based on Kogler and Auhorn (2006).
from a base sheet at low magnification and
four types of coating papers, applied to the
same base sheet, at very high magnification.
The global coated paper market is expanding Coatings that have high gloss must be smooth
at a healthy growth rate and is estimated to reach relative to the wavelength of light (about
a valuation of US$48.21 bn by the end of 2020. 0.5 mm). The center picture is at low magnifica-
The demand in the coated paper market is tion and is from the base sheet. Its surface is quite
increasing primarily from industrial packaging, rough compared with the coated samples. The
which is a reflection of increasing internet trade. upper left micrograph is from a matte coated pa-
In addition to that, escalating demand for high per (similar to the paper used in this book) that
quality print images for hoardings and other has little gloss. The upper right micrograph is
applications, demand for flexible product pack- from a dull coated paper that has some gloss.
aging, and the prosperity of the food and The lower left micrograph is from a gloss coated
beverage packaging industry are other factors paper that is typical of high-quality magazines.
augmenting the demand in the global coated The lower right micrograph is from a cast coated
paper market. On the other hand, increasing paper (machine glazed with a Yankee dryer) that
pulp prices because of diminishing pulp would be used in the highest quality magazines
plantation and capital- and energy-intensive and annual reports of large companies. As the
manufacturing processes of coated paper are surface becomes more uniform (on a mm scale),
few important factors hindering the growth of the gloss increases.
the market for coated paper. The composition of the coating color is largely
determined by the demands made on the surface
of the paper by the particular printing process.
7.2 COATING The base paper in coating must ensure trouble-
free running of the coater, provide an optimal
Coating is the treatment or application of pig- basis for paper finishing, and form a base for
ments, polymers, or other materials to one or fixing the coating layers demanded by the end
 7.2 COATING 161

FIGURE 7.1 Uncoated base paper (center), matte coated (top left), dull coated (top right), gloss coated (bottom left), and
cast coated (bottom right) papers.
162 7. COATING
users. The lower the basis weight, the more
important the properties of the base paper. The
best coated paper surface is usually obtained
with the best and most uniform base paper.
Variations in formation, absorption, thickness,
moisture, and roughness of the base paper
have a great effect on the properties and the uni-
formity of the coating layer. Nonuniform coat
weight distribution is the most important factor
in producing uneven print image, called
mottling. Other important properties are paper
web profiles in the machine and cross machine
directions in regard to basis weight, filler distri-
bution, caliper, and moisture. The paper web
must be free from faults, holes, and impurities
and have low fiber roughening potential (for
web-offset grades), low porosity with a uniform
pore distribution, high smoothness, opacity and
brightness, minimal two-sidedness, sufficient
tensile and tear strength, and sufficient stiffness.
Stiffness is related to the bulk of the coated
paper. Stiffness becomes a critical property
with low basis weights, high filler content and
high coat weight, and in sheet printing. By select-
ing coarse, bulky fibers, careful wet pressing,
and by calendering as little as possible, bulk
can be improved. In sheet-fed printing, the stiff-
ness in the cross machine direction is more crit-
ical. This can be influenced with fiber furnish
and by controlling fiber orientation with the
jet/wire ratio in web forming. Good internal
bond strength is needed both in heatset web
offset (HSWO) and sheet-fed offset. If the inter-
nal bond strength is good in HSWO, the
blistering temperature increases.
Base paper properties have a strong effect on
the quality of coated paper and board and pro-
cess economy. The major properties are: strength
properties; porosity, formation, smoothness ba-
sis weight, caliper, and moisture profiles in the
cross and machine directions (strongly influence
coating uniformity). Smooth base paper gives a
uniform and closed coated surface. The various
coating processes have slightly different smooth-
ness requirements.
7.3 COATING PROCESSES
Coating machines are separate machines in
which a previously produced dry base paper is
unwound, coated, dried, and then reeled again.
In contrast to coating applicators placed online
in a paper machine, they are usually called
“offline coaters” or “off-machine coaters.”
The actual coating process usually consists of
two stepsdapplication of the coating medium to
the paper or board and metering of the coating
medium to the desired quantity (or coat weight).
The process is called “direct coating” or “blade
coating” if the metering is done directly on the
paper after application, and if metering is done
before the transfer of the coating medium to
the paper or board, the process is called “indirect
coating” or “film coating.”
Coatings are applied at the size press or with a
roll coater (Fig. 7.2), air knife, or, the most com-
mon method, blade coater (Fig. 7.3). Coating
speeds are 3000e4000 ft/min for lightweight
papers and 1200e1300 for board materials. Blade
coating is still the predominant technology used
for pigment coating, but metered size press
(MSP) coating is gaining acceptance in making
LWC papers. There is growing interest in curtain
coating.
Currently, most of the coated groundwood
papers are made on short dwell blade coaters.
Development of the short dwell blade coater in
the 1980s was a significant improvement over
applicator roll blade coaters for production of
LWC mechanical papers. However, the last
2 decades have witnessed trends that brought
out the limitations of short dwell blade coaters,
including demands for significantly lower basis
weight as postage rates increase, higher machine
speeds, and increased relative cost of bleached
kraft pulp.
At speeds over 1200 m/min, short dwell ap-
plicators are prone to developing vortices inside
the chamber, leading to uneven coat weights, as
shown in Fig. 7.4. This problem has been solved
 7.3 COATING PROCESSES 163

(A) er e Hot Air

Coating Distributor e bb rom
e r hro
m Ru Ch
er bb C
b er ubb Ru
e ub R
R
rom
Ch

Oscillating
Doctor
Oscillating
l Doctor
ve
Tra
p er Rubber
Pa
Coating Distributor r
me be
e r hro b
er bb C Ru
bb Ru
me Ru
ro
Ch
Hot Air

ro me
Ch

(B) (C)
Metering Roll
Application’ or
Offset Roll
Application Roll, Top Application or
Offset
Distributing Roll Roll
Paper Web Doctor
Application Roll, Bottom Doctor
Knurled Roll
Distributing Roll Knurled Roll
Metering Roll
Furnish Roll Furnish Roll
24"
DIAM

(D) Cleaning Doctor

Metering Roll
Puddle
Edge Dam

Applicator
Roll

Backup Roll

FIGURE 7.2 Four variations of the roll coater. (A) Schematic diagram of Faeber coaster; (B) double roll coater showing
simultaneous coating of both sides; (C) two-side gravure coater; (D) three-roll nip-fed reverse roll coater. Reprinted from Making
Pulp and Paper, ©1967 Crown Zellerbach Corp., with permission.

by placing an internal baffle in the chamber with 2000 m/min. But the newer blade coating tech-
some degree of success. However, many of the nology did not help the problem of high cost of
new high speed coated mechanical paper instal- kraft pulp. Bleached kraft pulp is the most
lations have opted for low angle jet applicator expensive component in coated groundwood
coaters, similar to that shown in Fig 7.5. paper. In most cases, it is important to run at
These coaters can operate at speeds up to least 35%e40% bleached kraft pulp in the
164 7. COATING

(A) (B)
Rotating Rod to Backup Roll
Clean Backup Roll

Gate Rolls Applicator Roll

Blade
D
Rotating Blade
Rod Jaw
Inlet
A C
Overflow

(C) (D) Suction Apron

Backup Roll
To Dryer
T
Slot Lips
Air Doctor
Breast Roll Dip Roll
8" to 10"
Plenum Diam.
Chamber
6"
Diam. Applicator
Roll
Baffling and
Return System
Blade
Coating
Pneumatic Head
Tube

A, B and C, are Trailing Blade Coaters

FIGURE 7.3 Four variations of blade coaters. (A) Rotating rod coater for paper; (B) inverted blade coater with multi-roll
applicator; (C) flexible coater; (D) diagram of the air doctor coating process. Reprinted from Making Pulp and Paper, © 1967 Crown
Zellerbach Corp., with permission.

furnish to withstand the stresses placed on the
sheet by blade metering. The key to making
more economical ULWC mechanical paper is
reducing the kraft pulp percentage.
MSPs were developed in the 1980s to over-
come the speed limitations of conventional
pond size presses in surface sizing uncoated
free sheet papers (Fig. 7.6). By the early 1990s,
the scope of use of MSPs was expanded to pre-
coating of coated free sheet papers. The late
1990s witnessed the emergence of film coated
offset (FCO) grades made by a combination of
on-machine MSP coating and hotesoft nip calen-
dering. MSP coating reduces the stress on the
base sheet and allows reduction in the kraft
pulp percentage. There are FCO grades being
made by coating newsprint. Several mills coat
a base sheet that is 100% deinked news. Today,
ULWC groundwood papers are being made by
MSP coating followed by on-machine multiesoft
 7.3 COATING PROCESSES
FIGURE 7.4 Vortex development inside a short dwell
applicator. Reproduced with permission from Klass (2003).
FIGURE 7.5 Low angle jet applicator blade coater. Repro-
duced with permission from Klass (2003).
165
FIGURE 7.6 Metered size press coater. Reproduced with
permission from Klass (2003).
nip calendering. This also eliminates the coats
and paper losses associated with off-machine
supercalendering. This combination has become
the option of choice for production of ULWC
offset papers. So far, it has not been practical to
produce coated gravure papers by this process.
However, supercalendered uncoated (SC) pa-
pers have gained a dominant share of the
gravure publication market. SC papers are prob-
lematic for printing via heatset offset.
Roll applicator blade coaters are still the
dominant methods for producing coated free
sheet papers, but they have demerits such as
film split pattern from the applicator roll,
speed limitation, high coating recirculation
rates, and splashing around the coating pan.
The low angle jet coater solves these problems
and has become the coater of choice for
new coated free sheet and coated board installa-
tions. Several mills have improved quality by
replacing applicator roll blade coaters with
low angle jet coaters. Fig. 7.7 illustrates a spray
coater. There was significant interest in spray
coaters several years ago, but nowadays there
are not many commercial installations of spray
coating. One of the potential drawbacks limiting
this technology is the high cost of replacing
spray nozzles that wear rapidly when applying
coatings using abrasive pigments such as calcium
carbonate.
166 7. COATING

Web Moving
Downward

Upper Washing Upper Spray Beam

Chamber Wash Position
Operating Position
Lower Spray Beam
Operating Position

Spraying Zone
Lower Washing
Chamber
Home Position
Suction Channel

FIGURE 7.7 Spray coater. Reproduced with permission from Klass (2003).

Curtain coating has been in use for decades in multilayer curtain coating could provide signif-
waxing corrugated containers and also in the icant cost and quality benefits compared with
production of photographic films, but applica- precoating and top coating. This is likely to be
tion of this technology to pigment coating is a a target area for technical development during
recent development. The commercial curtain the next decade.
coaters installed to date make specialty papers,
such as carbonless and thermal papers. Pilot
coating trials have shown curtain coating to Slot-fed Die
work well at 1500 m/min. Curtain coating is
nonimpact and places minimal stress on the
base sheet. It can provide better coverage than
MSP coating (Fig. 7.8). Curtain coaters could be
advantageous for coating most grades of paper
and paperboard.
Photographic films are made by multilayer Sheet Forming Zone
curtain coating. The multilayer curtain coater
applies uniform, extremely thin or thick coating
Curtain Flow Zone
layers simultaneously within one coating sta-
tion. The application method gives excellent
coverage and profiles. Better coating coverage Impingement Zone
enables reduced use of raw materials, as com-
plete coverage can be achieved with a lower
coat weight. With its numerous features, multi- Uncoated Coated
layer curtain coating brings a number of grade Paper Web Paper Web
development possibilities to better meet the FIGURE 7.8 Curtain coater. Reproduced with permission
needs of brand owners. Application of from Klass (2003).
 7.3 COATING PROCESSES 167
Figs. 7.9e7.11 shows the OptiCoat Layer machines, regardless of their speeds and widths.
multilayer curtain coater (Valmet). It applies The multilayer concept offers several advantages
extremely thin or thick and uniform layers over single-layer curtain coating and other con-
simultaneously all within one coating station. It ventional coating methods. Its major feature is
is equally suitable for both board and paper flexible multilayer coating for thin functional

FIGURE 7.9 OptiCoat Layer coater with multilayer curtain application. Courtesy Valmet (Timo Nurmiainen).

FIGURE 7.10 OptiCoat Layer main components (Design and functions are compact). Courtesy Valmet (Timo Nurmiainen).
168
FIGURE 7.11 OptiCoat Layer curtain coating station. Courtesy Valmet (Timo Nurmiainen).
layers. Curtain coating slide die has an expand-
able design, which gives a possibility to upgrade
the coating station by adding coating layers. The
ability to coat both very thin and thick coating
layers gives a possibility for a wide end product
assortment. The fierce competition forces paper
and board producers to rethink their processes
and products. With its numerous features, Opti-
Coat Layer brings a number of grade develop-
ment possibilities. One of the most interesting
ways to use curtain coating is to first apply a
blade coating layer, the curtain coating in the
middle, and another blade coating layer. This
brings out the best features of both coating
methods. The uniform coating layers and good
coverage of curtain coating combined with the
smooth surface of blade coating gives excellent
results. Furthermore, the profiles are stable and
even in curtain coating. Well-functioning air
removal and fully sheltered coating process
gives an even and stable curtain coating. Excel-
lent runnability and efficiency are the results
from contactless coating method. Because of
the curtain coating method, the base paper can
7. COATING
be produced with less or completely without
white fibers. Each coating layer can be adjusted
to desired function and cost. This enables the
optimizing of the base paper and coating layer
to reach the most cost-effective solution. There
are no coating color losses because of the dry-
edge running mode and careful recovery of the
coating color. The OptiCoat Layer curtain
coating station is very compact in size and can
easily be fitted in most paper or board machines.
There are different issues to consider when
deciding about a blade or MSP coating concept.
The layouts shown in Fig. 7.12 illustrate the differ-
ence in space requirement, where the simultaneous
MSP coating is considerably more compact than
the two blade stations. High process efficiency is
also required for a coating concept. Here, the
MSP concept allows quite weak webs to be coated,
resulting in fewer web breaks.
Blade coaters with short contact time and low
application pressure have traditionally been
used when single coating LWC papers. The
target for these grades is to achieve sufficient
fiber coverage at quite low coat weights, but
 7.3 COATING PROCESSES 169

FIGURE 7.12 High-speed layouts for C2S metered size press (top picture) and 2C1S blade (bottom picture) coaters
(OptiConcept, Metso Paper Corporation). Reproduced with permission from Virtanen (2002).

the blade coaters run into restrictions because of
an uneven coating layer thickness at rather high
blade loads. Smoothness is more easily achieved
with blade coating, but a higher coat weight is
required to reach the same coverage and optical
evenness as with MSP. A better fiber coverage is
achieved with MSP at lower basis and coat
weights on the expense of smoothness as a result
of contour-type coating (Figs. 7.13 and 7.14).
Despite its superior coverage, a higher tendency
for gloss variation is apparent for MSP coated
paper, with large density variations in the base
paper (i.e., formation issue).
Production and pilot machine experiences
also indicate that MSP is less demanding than
blade coating in terms of drying strategies,
which allows a more compact and less costly
dryer section. In particular, blade coating can
easily create a mottled surface if the drying strat-
egy is not optimized properly. MSP is less sensi-
tive to the influence of incoming moisture on the
coating profiles or runnability, compared to
blade coaters. For a paper machine producing
LWC, the incoming moisture content is typically
4%e5% in MSP and 2%e3% in blade coating. It
is also a fact that MSP produces fewer scratches

FIGURE 7.13 Comparison of lightweight coated paper coated with metered size press (left) and blade (right) to a coat
weight of 5 g/m2. Reproduced with permission from Virtanen (2002).
170
FIGURE 7.14 The principle of coverage by alternate coating methods. Reproduced with permission from Virtanen (2002).
and defects than blade, which in turn might
cause deposits on the roll surfaces in an online
calender. In the online multinip calendering,
the coating color sticking has arisen as a critical
issue.
Coating with transfer roll coaters has the ad-
vantages of giving an even coat weight, even
when the surface of the base sheet is somewhat
rough. It is used at speeds of 600 m/min
(2000 ft/min), with high solid content coatings
with high viscosity. These coaters have low
maintenance. The disadvantages are the large
space requirements, film splitting, high installa-
tion costs, and the requirements of numerous
adjustments. Coating weights are limited to
about 10 g/m2, although two layers are used
sometimes. Reverse roll coaters have a lower
speed rate, about 50% of other roll coaters.
Coating with an air knife has the advantages
of giving an even coat weight, being able to
use high coat weights, not leaving scratches,
and being versatile. These coaters have several
disadvantages. They can only be used with coat-
ings containing low solid contents and having
low viscosities, they must be used at relatively
low speeds around 500 m/min (1500 ft/min),
and they may cause streaking and patterning.
Blade coaters offer the advantages of low cost,
the ability to coat two sides at once, and adapt-
ability to on-machine coating. The disadvan-
tages include an orange peel surface on the
product, low speeds, use of coatings with low
solids and viscosity, and low coating levels.
7. COATING
Blade coated
Film transfer coated
7.4 COATING COMPONENTS
The coating usually consists of three cate-
gories of compounds: the pigment, the binder,
and additives. Pigments are minerals which
serve to provide optical and printability proper-
ties. White pigments provide opacity to cover the
dark surface of the paperboard and brightness to
obtain the desired degree of whiteness. High
refractive index pigments such as titanium
dioxide and calcined clay are very effective in
scattering light and covering the dark surface
of the paperboard. Another major function of
pigments is to control the degree of ink recep-
tivity; this is dependent on the shape and size
of pigment particles (morphology). Using
the proper combination of pigments controls
the mean pore structure and smoothness of the
coated sheet surface. Some pigments, such as
fine particle size clay, are capable of being
aligned to provide uniform low angle reflectance
of light upon calendering in an elastic nip; this
is how gloss is developed. Other pigments
provide an open coating structure, which can
be the key to providing bulking and coating
porosity; examples of pigments with higher
than average open area include calcium carbon-
ate and calcined clay. Pigment formulations are
expressed in terms of dry parts, with the total
dry parts of pigment in a given formulation
always equal to 100. Other coating components
are expressed in parts as a ratio to 100 parts
pigment.
 7.4 COATING COMPONENTS
Binders are adhesives that hold the pigment
particles together and also bond the coating to
the base sheet or precoating. Binders may either
be natural or synthetic materials. Examples of
natural organic binders include starch and pro-
teins such as soy protein or casein. Examples of
synthetic binders include latices such as
styrene-butadiene, vinyl acrylic copolymers,
and polyvinyl acetate. Starch is a binder which
tends to form a dense and relatively brittle
film. In coating of paperboard, starch is used pri-
marily for surface sizing or pigmented surface
size precoating; the rigidity, tight surface, and
relatively low binding strength of starch limit
its use in pigmented coating of paperboard. Pro-
tein and casein binders have high binding
strength and form relatively open coating struc-
tures; they also provide excellent water holding
properties to improve coater runnability. The
limiting factor on use of protein binders is their
high cost. They are normally used as cobinders
in combination with latex. Styrene-butadiene
(SBR) latices provide high binding strength and
excellent film forming; the tight film forming
properties of SBR can cause gluability problems
in paperboard coating operations. For this
reason, SBR latices are seldom used as the sole
latex in paperboard coating, but they may be
blended with acrylic or acetate latices. Acrylic
and acetate latices provide a more open coating
structure, which aids gluability, binding, and
score cracking properties; they also cause less
brightness depression than SBR latices.
Several additives are used in coating formula-
tions (Table 7.3).
Dispersants are anionic charged short-chain
polymers or complex inorganic phosphates.
Coating pigments also have anionic surface
charge. When a dispersant is dissolved in water
used to slurry pigments, the anionic charges
repel one another, helping to keep the pigment
particles in suspension and allowing make
down of a high solids pigment slurry. The
most effective dispersants are sodium polyacry-
lates. Lubricants allow the pigment particles to
171
TABLE 7.3 Additives Used in Coating Formulations
Dispersants
Thickeners/rheology modifiers/water-holding agents
Insolubilizers or cross-linking agents
Alkalis for pH adjustment
Defoamers
Preservatives
slip over one another during calendering and
bending to help prevent dusting. They can also
aid in gloss development. Because lubricants
tend to close the coating structure, they must
be used with care in direct print flexo coatings.
The most commonly used lubricant is calcium
stearate. Polyethylene emulsion is a common
synthetic lubricant. Rheology modifiers are
used to control viscosity and improve leveling
of the coating after application. They also aid
in water retention to reduce the amount of water
transport into the base sheet between coating
application and metering. Natural organic thick-
eners include carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC)
and alginate. Common synthetic thickeners are
acrylate gums. Insolubilizers are used to cross-
link natural binders such as proteins or starches
to make them resistant to fountain solutions in
offset printing or wet rub in other applications.
Common insolubilizers include formaldehyde
resins, glyoxal, and glyoxalated resins. Ammo-
nium zirconium carbonate is an inorganic insol-
ubilizer which helps to provide an open coating
structure, especially when used in coating for-
mulations using protein or casein as a cobinder.
It is desirable to run most paperboard coating at
an alkaline pH in the range 8.5e9.0. Alkalis are
used to adjust pH up to the desired range. So-
dium hydroxide is a “permanent” alkali; when
the dried coating is exposed to water, the surface
remains alkaline. Ammonium hydroxide is a
“fugitive” alkali; when the coating is dried,
ammonia is vaporized, and the dried coating re-
mains cross-linked, even when subsequently
172 7. COATING
exposed to water. Defoamers are used to control
foam in the coating. Because defoamers can have
an adverse effect on certain coating performance
properties, they should be used sparingly and
only when necessary. Preservatives are micro-
biocides, which are added to the coating color
as necessary to prevent spoilage from bacterial
action. In the United States, only one type of pre-
servative is approved by the Food and Drug
Administration for use in coatings on paper-
boards intended for use in packaging foods;
this material is an organosulfur compound.
Latex
Latex is a water emulsion of a synthetic poly-
mer (rubber or plastic). Latexes are used in
paints, and many coatings are really much like
paints. An emulsion is a suspension of mutually
insoluble materials. One of the materials is
dispersed as small droplets throughout the
other. Milk is an emulsion of fat and water.
Drying of Coatings
The coating is dried by electrical or gas
infrared dryers (with heat transfer by radiation),
convection dryers, or conduction dryers (with
heat transfer by hot air impingement). Infrared
dryers are usually gas fired, although electric
heaters are used occasionally. Hot air impinge-
ment uses hoods containing air moving at high
velocities.
Printing Coating
A printing coating consists primarily of a
pigment (clay, TiO2, CaCO3, etc.) and a binder
(starch, protein, synthetic resin, etc.) and is
designed to impart a good printing surface to
the paper. Printing coatings are used for slick
magazines because of the high gloss and high
quality printing reproduction imparted to the
paper.
Decorative Coating
A decorative coating is applied mainly for the
sake of appearance or to act as a base for print-
ing. Some examples are decorative wrapping
papers and coated magazine and book stock.
Functional Coatings and Other Coatings
Functional coatings are designed as barriers to
liquids and vapors, such as for frozen food con-
tainers. Often, pure polymers such as polyeth-
ylene are used to make laminates, milk cartons,
etc. Other coatings are used to generate images,
such as in photographic papers, carbon paper,
or carbonless papers (NCR or 3M).
7.5 COLOR PREPARATION
Coating color is produced in a batch or contin-
uous process. During the batch preparation, all
components of the coating color formula are
pumped from their storage tanks to a mixer
and screened. A recirculation pipe installed
between the component storage tank and the
mixer is used for chemicals that have a settling
tendency, such as pigment slurries, or to keep
certain products such as starch, CMC, or pro-
teins homogeneous in temperature and concen-
tration. The mixer is placed on load cells to
measure accurately the batch sizes and weights
of the major components. Mass flow meters
and metering pumps are also used to dose the
additives. In batch processes, these metering de-
vices can be optimally calibrated and dimen-
sioned, as the flow rates are normally kept
constant and the dosing time is changed depend-
ing on the amount of each additive used in a
coating color formula. Batch processes are also
very flexible for a wide dosing range of each
component. One set of metering instruments
and valves can easily be used to serve two
mixers, thereby optimizing investment costs
and space in the coating color kitchen.
 7.6 COATED SURFACE AND COATING COLORS MEASUREMENTS
In the continuous process, the components of
coating colors are continuously pumped,
screened, and metered into a continuous mixer.
Besides the size difference of the piping equip-
ment, the mixers are completely different, as
mixing must be completed during the short
time in which the components pass through
the mixer, which is equipped with high-shear,
high-energy mixing zones. Dosing of all addi-
tives is important for constant coating color
quality, and they are metered with mass flow
meters, magnetic flow meters, or metering
pumps. The mixer feeds its ready-made coating
color directly to the coater supply tanks, result-
ing in a low storage volume of processed
coating color. The advantages are fast control
measurements of the coating color properties
and the possibility of quick changes in color
composition. The advantage of a continuous
process is the smaller size and thus lower cost
of pumps, valves, flow meters, and piping. Cali-
bration systems for each line ensure metering
accuracy and are fully automated. These contin-
uous systems are most effective in high capacity
coating with large volumes of coating colors
with the same color quality, such as a one-
grade paper mill.
7.6 COATED SURFACE AND
COATING COLORS
MEASUREMENTS
The coating amount has a significant effect on
the physical and optical surface properties.
Physical properties are surface strength, ink
absorption, smoothness, gloss, dusting/linting,
piling, and visual defects. Optical properties
are brightness, whiteness, color shade, opacity,
mottling, and print unevenness. For paper and
paperboard grades used for food packages, taste
and odor are important properties.
For better understanding and optimization of
the process, the shear viscosity and viscoelastic
173
properties of paper coatings are important prop-
erties that should be measured. Viscosity is
measured with rheometers or viscometers. The
methods used include rotational deformation,
squeezing deformation, extrusion flow, and
free surface stretching. Viscoelasticity is most
often measured by applying oscillatory shear
instead of steady shear. An alternative way to
measure the viscoelastic properties of a material
is to apply a step change in stress or strain and
then measure the response of the material over
time. This is the basis for stress relaxation and
creep testing of materials. Methods for
measuring water retention can be divided into
static (direct and indirect) and dynamic
methods. The former quantifies the amount of
aqueous phase leaving the coating color and
penetrating into the base paper. The measure-
ment principle is based on filtration of coating
color under the effect of external pressure. The
indirect methods measure other parameters
reflecting the penetration of aqueous phase into
the base paper, such as electric conductivity,
ultrasonic transmittance surface gloss, and
coating viscosity. The dynamic techniques are
generally based on measurement of solids in-
crease in the coating pan or various scrape-off
experiments during the laboratory and pilot tri-
als. The solids content is measured by drying a
sample in an oven and calculating the amount
of dry components as a percentage. Quicker
infrared and microwave drying methods have
been developed for “just-in-time quality con-
trol.” The pH value is sensitive to temperature
variations; therefore pH measurements should
be performed under constant conditions and
pH gauges calibrated carefully. The normal
coating color pH is between 8 and 8.5 but higher
levels are needed for some synthetic thickeners
and pH-dependent latexes. The ISO 787-9
method should be followed for pH measure-
ments. The bacteria level of a material can be
counted by the so-called Easicult Combi test,
which is easier than plate cultivation.
174 7. COATING
7.7 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Satas, D., Ed., Web Processing and Converting
Technology and Equipment, Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co., New York, 1984, 537 p.
There are 24 chapters including 9 chapters on
coaters and coating. There are also chapters
on some hard-to-find topics including
calendering, extrusion, saturators, laminating,
surface treatment, drying, IR and electron
beam curing, film orientation, winding,
slitting, splicing, web handling, sheeting, die
cutting, embossing, and static electricity.
Gunning, J.R., Coating, in Pulp and Paper
Manufacture, Volume 2, MacDonald, R.G., Ed.,
McGraw-Hill, New York, 1969, pp. 457e532.
This is a good introduction to the historical
equipment development, methods of coating,
properties of coated paper, pigments used in
coating, lists of dyes, starch, additives, coating
formulations, and finishing.
TAPPITIS 0102-01 (1985), Literature
references on the measurement of water
retention of paper coatings. 6 p.
Over 40 abstracts are given on the title topic.
The function of water retention is “to improve
the ability to hold the vehicle (water) within
coatings after application and to decrease the
migration to the surface or into the base sheet.”
TAPPI TIS 0110-01 (1987), Factors to be
considered in selecting screening media for
coating processes. 2 p.
TIS 0110-02 (1986), Viscosity of coating colors
at high shear rates. 6 p.
Omya Paper Handbook (2005). Klauser
Weibel Design, Z€ urich 2005.
Paulapuru H (2003). Papermaking Science
and Technology’, vol. 18, Paper and Board
Grades, Fapet Oy, Helsinki.
This chapter deals with different types of
papers and covers the most important grades
in the international markets. The classification
is based on that used by the European forest
industry companies.
Preprints of 21st PTS Coating Symposium,
BadeneBaden, Germany, Sept. 2003.
PTS Coating Symposium is the largest and
most prominent international meeting place
for the surface finishing of paper and board.
Coating technology has undergone a sea
change in the past few years to become a
flexible coating process for innovative
surface functions. Today, barriers and
multifunctional surfaces can meet complex
requirements for a wide range of
applications in an endless variety of sectors.
Etzel R, Olsson LH, Elovaara V (2004).
OptiSpray e the new improved coating
technology and the first production results’,
Das Papier 2004, T53.
Metso Paper developed a totally new spray
coating technology, OptiSpray, which uses
high-speed low-impact coating technology.
OptiSpray provides excellent runnability and
production efficiency and is a viable option
for rebuilding existing machine lines to
produce coated grades.
Willenbacher N, Hanciogullari H (1997).
TAPPI 1997 Advanced Coating
Fundamentals Symposium Notes, TAPPI
Press, Atlanta, 1997.
Various presentations deal with the latest
advances in coating research and
development.
Kearney RL, Maurer HW (1990). Starch and
Starch Products in Paper Coating, TAPPI
Press, Atlanta 1990.
This book is a comprehensive overview about
basic starch chemistry, starch modifications,
quality control, shipment, storage, cooking, in
mill conversion, best practices of application in
surface sizing and coating, and also includes
the environmental aspects. It also includes a
description of developments for modified
starches, copolymers, and coating technology
that have happened in the last decade.
Babcock D and Kotoye F (2005). Coated paper
imports and the effect on North American
 7.7 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
paper requirements, presentation at the 2005
TAPPI Coating and Graphic Arts Conference,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 18e20, 2005.
This presentation focuses on coated paper
imports and the effect on North American
paper requirements.
Klass CP (2003). Improving the quality and
printability of coated paperboard, Solutions!
86 (12): 42 (December 2003).
Coated paperboard is a global business,
especially in the coated solid bleached sulfate
board (SBS) market. US exports are increasing
as the dollar weakens against foreign
currencies. US exports of coated SBS board
have traditionally been approximately 20% of
total US production. Improving the quality
and printability of coated paperboard is
discussed.
Klass CP (2003). Update on Coated Papers,
Coating Processes and Materials, Paper
presented at China Paper 2005, Beijing China,
September 19, 2005.
This excellent paper presents an Update on
Coated Papers, Coating Processes and
Materials.
Klass CP (1998). Introduction to formulating
coatings for linerboard www.kohlercoating.
com/reference/refpdfs/CKformulcoat.PDF.
Kogler W, Auhorn WJ (2006). Coating of
Paper and Board. In: Holik, H (ed.) Handbook
of Paper and Board. Wiley, Weinheim.
This is a very important reference on Coating
of Paper and Board.
Triantafillopoulos N, Gron J, Luostaring I and
P. Paloviiti P (2001). Operational issues in
high speed curtain coating, Paper presented
at the 2001 TAPPI Coating Conference, San
Diego, California USA May 7e10, 2001.
Curtain coatingda new coating process for
specialty papersdis emerging as a potential
method for coating printing paper grades.
The operational principles of the process and
results from pilot coater trials are presented.
Curtain coating can achieve low coat weights
(5.8 g/m2 on LWC, with the high coverage
175
(85%), even at low coating solids (54%) to
avoid detrimental bubbles in the coating.
Urscheler R, Dobler F, Roper JA, Haavisto J
and Nurmiainen T (2005). Key attributes and
opportunities of multilayer curtain coating
for paper, Paper-10 e presented at the 2005
TAPPI Coating and Graphic Arts Conference,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 18e20, 2005.
Curtain coating is an emerging method for
coated paper and paper board. Most of the
work has focused on single-layer curtain
coating using slot die curtain applicators.
Multilayer curtain coating offers several
advantages over single-layer curtain coating.
These advantages include low capital costs,
flexibility in coating design, wide operational
latitude in terms of coating rheology, and
avoidance of issues faced at high application
speeds.
Dimmick A (2003). Influence of average
particle size of aragonitic precipitated calcium
carbonate on coated paper properties, Paper
presented at the 2003 TAPPI Spring Technical
Conference, Chicago, Illinois USA May
11e15, 2003.
This paper presents the influence of average
particle size of aragonitic precipitated calcium
carbonate on coated paper properties. The
optimal average particle size for opacity for
acicular aragonitic PCC was equal to the
optimum predicted by Zeller of 0.4e0.55 mm
with prismatic calcite PCC. The coated paper
smoothness improved, and sheet gloss and
print gloss both increased, as the average
particle size of the aragonite PCC became
smaller.
Joyce MK, Saari JS, Kataja K, Mikkonen H,
Peltonon S and Qvintus- Lieno PK (2005).
Coating trial results with non-mineral bases
pigments, Paper presented at the 2005 TAPPI
Coating Conference, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada, April 18e20, 2005.
VTT has developed starch-based nonmineral
paper pigments to replace mineral pigments.
The purpose is to introduce some coating
176 7. COATING
results of developed starch pigments. Pilot
scale coating and filler trials were
performed at Western Michigan University
pilot facilities.
Walter, J.C (1993). The Coating Process, Tappi
Press, 260 p.
This is a useful, general reference on paper
coating including materials, the preparation
of coating formulations, and the various
coating processes.
Virtanen JM (2002). Latest experiences of film
coating and introduction of a new contactless
optispray coating method, African Pulp and
Paper Week “Adding value in global industry”
(konferenssi), TAPPSA, Durban 2002.
EXERCISES
1. What is coating?
2. Describe the raw materials for producing
coated papers.
3. Describe different types of coating processes.
4. What are the additives used in coating
formulation?
5. Besides additives, what are the two main
categories of coating constituents?
6. Describe the preparation of coating color.
7. Describe coated paper and their usage.
8. Describe coated paperboard and their usage.