Making Vulcanex Vulcanized Fiber
Vulcanized Fiber is made from plies of paper. More than 99% of the finished product is Cellulose, so Vulcanized Fiber, although it is not paper, is made almost entirely of paper. There are no glues, resins or binders in Vulcanized Fiber.
The number of plies of Base Paper depends on the thickness of the Vulcanized Fiber that is being produced. Please refer to the diagram below as we proceed with the explanation.
In the Laminator, the plies of paper pass through a bath of Zinc Chloride, which is an acid. The Zinc Chloride bath makes the surfaces of the individual fibers, which make up the paper, gummy and sticky. These gummy plies of paper are then pressed together.
The gelatinous fibers create both a stronger bond within each ply of paper and a stronger bond between the plies of paper. They bind together to form Vulcanized Fiber, a chemically pure product of unmatched physical and electrical properties, and unique bond strength.
Once the plies are bonded together, the Vulcanized Fiber enters the Leaching Tanks. In this process, the Zinc Chloride is gradually leached out of the Fiber in a series of water baths. These water baths have gradually decreasing concentrations of Zinc Chloride in them. After the Fiber has finished its path through the Leaching Tanks, it has only a trace amount of Zinc Chloride (typically less than 0.1%) left in it.
The Fiber then passes through the Drying section. In this process, the Fiber passes over a series of large heated rolls which dry the Fiber to its final Moisture Content.
After that, the Fiber is Calendered. The Calender is a pair of rollers which compress the Fiber significantly, making it smoother and denser.
After the Calender, the Fiber is either wound into Master Rolls or Cut into Flat Sheets. Fiber which is made into Master Rolls can also be slit into tight tolerance coils, to virtually any width, but that process is done after the fact, not as part of the overall manufacturing process.
Vulcanex Vulcanized Fiber, made by this process, is almost completely pure cellulose, free from any artificial glues, resins or binders. Other than trace elements, it contains entirely natural components.
Information about Vulcanex Vulcanized Fiber and about the benefits and unique products that we offer is on this page.