When production demands have outstripped your current defoamer’s capabilities…
Applications » Paper Machine Defoamers
Colliding pressures are putting incredible strain on your papermaking process and equipment: sustainability concerns around water and energy use; the growing trend of lightweighting packaging pitted against inconsistent fiber sources (e.g., mixed waste); and having to run machines faster to meet increasing demand. To compensate for unstable operating conditions, many companies adjust chemistries like strength resins and defoamer, but when unexpected variations happen, there’s no consistent response.
One operator might see foam and increase defoamer usage, while another sees nothing and dials defoamer back to save costs. In either case, they don’t see it as a critical application—they’re focused on other things. But these subjective responses create more variability: too much defoamer increases chemistry costs and leads to downstream runnability and quality issues; too little means less drainage, fiber loss, and machine deposits.
Managing this vicious cycle puts broader value streams at risk: you run slower, your end product suffers, and you burn excess energy and resources.
It’s critical to realize that defoamer doesn’t just knock down foam; it influences your entire process ecosystem, which means it must be applied in more strategic ways. Doing this means understanding how different defoamers perform and tuning a program for evolved needs; optimizing how you apply it, so you can attack surface foam and entrained air without unintended side effects; and continually monitoring and adjusting your program to stabilize your process at scale. When you do this, you’ll right-size chemistry usage and costs, reduce defects and meet lightweighting goals, and run your machines at optimal speeds and temps—without needing excessive cleaning or downtime. As a result, you’ll be positioned to continuously improve operations as you pursue larger sustainability goals.
As you push your process to keep up with demand, how can you be sure your defoamer will keep up?
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