NEWSPRINT

279

The paper is damped on the machine just before reeling. A spray damper
is used to moisten the top of the sheet, and the automatic reel change-over
drum provides a ready means of applying moisture to the underside, the method
being to spray the surface of the drum so that there is a film of water on it
ready to be transferred to the paper.

Newsprint super-calenders are remarkable chiefly for their gigantic size
coupled with the fact that the accuracy with which the rolls are ground is

[The Watford Engineering Works, Ltd.
FIG. 123.—DIAGRAM ILLUSTRATING AN ARRANGEMENT FOR DAMPING NEWSPRINT PRIOR TO
SUPER-CALENDERING
In this arrangement, sprays of special design are used for both top and bottom damping
sufficient to enable a sheet some ^ inch thick to receive an amazingly uniform
finish (see Chapter XX).
Future Trends of Newsprint Manufacture.--In. this very brief review of some of
the salient features of newsprint manufacture, some indication has already been
given of the lines along which developments are occurring.
Undoubtedly one of the main trends in technical advance will be towards
further increases in speed. The scientific staffs of some of the leading companies
are already actively studying the conditions and problems that will arise at
speeds of 2000 f.p.m.
Further efforts to cheapen the cost of production will be directed towards