2.1: Materials And Components

Question 1

What are the 4 steps of the Fourdrinier process?

Answer 1

Wet end
Wet press section
Dryer section
Calendar section

Question 2

Types of paper and card

Paper sizes

Answer 2

A0-A8

A0 folded in half of A1, A1 folded in half A2 etc

Question 3

Types of paper and card

Common paper

Answer 3

Layout paper
Tracing paper 
Copier paper 
Cartridge paper 
Bond paper
Coated paper
Recycled paper
Mounting paper

Question 4

Types of paper and board

Properties

Answer 4

Design requirements (durability, surface finish, colour, texture, opacity, weight, size etc). 
Demands of the printing process. 
Economic considerations (scale of production).

Question 5

Types of paper and card
Paper and board
Cartonboard and advantages

Answer 5

Used in retail.
Must allow for high quality, high speed printing.
Ease of cutting, folded, creasing and gluing.
Must be durable enough for automated packaging equipment.

Advantages 
Total graphics coverage. 
Excellent protection when made up. 
Relatively inexpensive when compared with other forms of packaging. 
Can be recycled.

Question 6

Paper and board

Types of common cardboard

Answer 6

Folding box board
Corrugated board
Solid white board
Foil lined board

Question 7

Types of paper and card

Weight and size

Answer 7

GSM (copier paper 80gsm).
Card and board measured in microns.
Card usually greater than 220 gsm, usually more than 2 ply.

Question 8

Types of plastic

Answer 8

Plastics can be divided into two categories based on their properties:
Thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics.
Thermoplastics can be reheated and reformed.
Thermosetting plastics cannot be reheated once formed.
Plastics used in schools come in many forms: sheet tube, granules, square section, and then many more specialist shapes.

Question 9

Thermoplastics

Acrylic (polymerthyl methacrylate)

Answer 9

Properties: easily worked can be machines bent with heat, or bonded with solvent. Durable.
Uses: signs, furniture, jewellery, and as an alternative to glass.
Comes as: tubes, rods, sheets.

Question 10

Thermoplastics

Polypropylene

Answer 10

Properties: light and hard wearing.
Uses: food containers, packaging, ropes, electrical insulation, lampshades, carpet fibres.
Comes as: granules, sheets, powder.

Question 11

Thermoplastics

Nylon (polyamide)

Answer 11

Properties: very tough and resistant to friction.
Uses: gears and bearings, clothing, ropes, parachutes.
Comes as: granules and powders, rods, sheets.

Question 12

Thermosetting plastics

Phenol formaldehyde

Answer 12

Properties: the earliest commercial plastic (Bakelite). Hard and dense, but brittle
Uses: saucepan and door handles, board games, telephones.
Comes as: powder and granules, sheets, rods, tubes.

Question 13

Thermosetting plastics

Melamine formaldehyde

Answer 13

Properties: stiff, hard- and strain-resistant.
Uses: kitchen utensils, laminates (workrooms, flooring etc)., electrical fittings.
Comes as: powder and granules.

Question 14

Wood and papermaking

Answer 14

Pulping via chemical, mechanical and waste pulp.
Lignum.
Fourdrinier process.

Question 15

Thermosetting plastics

Urea formaldehyde

Answer 15

Properties: hard, strong, hear-resistant.
Uses: pressed wood products (e.g. MDF), adhesives; formerly used for electrical fittings such as switches and sockets.
Comes as: powder and granules.

Question 16

Recycling plastics
Reuse
Reduce
Recycle

Answer 16

Reuse- it’s important to reuse plastic products such as carrier bags and drinks bottles.
Reduce - for example, many supermarkets are now giving out fewer plastic carrier bags.
Recycle - some plastics products (e.g. Bottles) can be recycled cost-effectively.
Many modern plastics are now made using biodegradable materials (e.g. Corn starch) so that they break down in the environment.

Question 17

Recycle symbols

Polymer: polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Answer 17

Symbol: 1
Common uses: fizzy drink and water bottles, salad trays.
Common recycling applications: fibre for stuffing, carpets etc., packaging.
Material replaced: natural and synthetic fibres, virgin PET.

Question 18

Recycle symbols

Polymer: high density polyethylene (HDPE) / low density polyethylene (LDPE)

Answer 18

Symbol: 2 /4
Common uses: milk bottles, bleach, cleaners, shampoo bottles, carrier bags, bin liners and packaging films.
Common recycling applications: bottles (non-food and food), boxes, crates, bins and underground pipes.
Material replaced: virgin HDPE, LDPE.

Question 19

Recycle symbols

Polymer: poly vinyl chloride (PVC)

Answer 19

Symbol: 3
Common uses: pipes, fittings, window and door frames (rigid PVC). Thermal insulation (PVC foam) and automotive parts.
Common recycling applications: building products.
Material replaced: virgin PVC

Question 20

Recycle symbols

Polymer: polyethylene (PP)

Answer 20

Symbol: 5
Common uses: margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays, fibres and filaments for carpets, wall coverings and vehicle upholstery.
Common reciting applications: crates, boxes, chemical containers.
Material replaced: virgin PP

Question 21

Recycle symbols

Polymer: polystyrene (HIPS or EPS)

Answer 21

Symbol: 6
Common uses: yoghurt pots, foam burger boxes and egg cartons, plastic cutlery, packaging for electronic goods and toys, insulation.
Common recycling applications: loose fill packaging, stationery, garden furniture, building products.
Material replaced: Virgin EPS, other polymers, wood, concrete.