OptiFill℠ program
To remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, papermakers must find new ways to reduce their manufacturing costs. While substituting expensive fiber with lower-cost fillers or fiber can significantly reduce a papermaker’s costs, doing so typically results in productivity and/or paper quality issues.
A new program that enables papermakers to optimize their filler and fiber use without compromising productivity or paper quality was recently developed by Ashland. The program, marketed as OptiFill, is in use at a number of paper mills around the world and has enabled these mills to realize significant cost savings.
Ashland’s OptiFill program was specifically designed for use in coated
and uncoated freesheet and mechanical grades and employs the use of a novel dry strength additive and/or an advanced retention/drainage aid. The dry strength additive enhances the bonding of filler and fiber to maintain sheet strength in the wet-end and in the finished sheet. The retention/drainage aid allows first pass ash retention to be maintained, controls z-direction filler distribution in the sheet, and maximizes drainage without impacting sheet formation.
To further increase filler use while maintaining bulk and stiffness, a modified calcium carbonate filler can be used as part of the OptiFill program.
Explore other products: Pulp and Papermaking Chemicals
Product Availability
- Europe, Middle East, Africa, India
- North America
Application InformationWant to know more about how our products are used?
Ashland’s OptiFill program enables papermakers to realize significant cost savings by replacing expensive fiber with lower cost fillers or fiber. Commercial applications confirm this and typically result in a number of value-added benefits.
● Reduced fiber usage
● Reduced energy usage
● Reduced overall costs
● Improved sheet quality
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ServicesAshland offers a variety of services which complement this product.
Papermaking Services
Continuous pilot papermaking systems are the cornerstones of Ashland Water Technologies’ Papermaking Services group. The primary purpose of our papermaking operations is to provide papermakers with insights and solutions to problems and opportunities related to the effects of additives and system changes on wet-laid products and processes. Our facilities are equipped to conduct trials that predict commercial system performance.
Customer Analytical Services
Ashland Water Technologies’ Customer Analytical Services team is dedicated to helping customers address the multitude of contaminants that can negatively impact the efficiency and reliability of their water-based systems. The team is made up of an experienced staff of analytical chemists, microbiologists and technicians and is supported by sophisticated testing equipment that provides rapid analysis and identification of contaminants beyond what may be accomplished with field-based methods. Key services provided by the team include fluid analysis, deposit analysis, microbiological analysis and metallurgical analysis.