Furnish Optimization.

Summary

This article describes a new easily visualizable method for optimizing tissue and flat paper properties, bulk, softness, water absorptive capacity, strength, and others. The methods relies on the determination of these properties for the individual pulps under consideration, and on the use of the weight average law of mixing to obtain properties of a mixed furnish. This information can be used calculate the composition with the lowest cost for a desired cost or for the lowest cost for a desired quality. The individual properties can be combined in a quality index called Desirability, which too can be optimized using the same methods. The article also shows that the results for a given paper machine can be extended to other paper machines.