Manufacturing
The manufacturing process can be broken down into 3 parts as shown in the picture below.
A more detailed explanation for aqueous based correction fluid goes as following:
Compounding the batch
1. Correction fluid are made in large stainless steel tanks which can hold more than 3,000 gallons of liquid! Those tanks have temperature coolers and mixers built in. Workers in the plant add raw materials in according to the formula at the right time and temperature. They then use computers to control the mixing speed and temperature.
2. The main batch tank has water added to it. Raw materials such as suspending and other miscellaneous agents are added. Mixing is now done at at slow pace and it doesn't allow air to enter. As the suspending agent gets hydrated, the mixing begins to get faster.
3. The next step calls for pigment dispersion to be made. The pigment is added to some water and then distributed at a very shear rate. When the particles are super small, they are slowly added to the main batch. Other ingredients such as colours and preservatives are usually added at this point.
Quality Check
Once the ingredients are added, a sample batch is taking into a quality lab for inspection. At this point all the physical and chemical characteristics are checked and they should meet the requirements that are in the formula. If the batch fails to meet its requirements it is taken back to make adjustments such as colour. In the lab they run tests such as a pH demonstration, viscosity checks, appearance and odour evaluation. Once everything is approved, the batch gets pumped into a holding tank where it is stored until it is filled into bottles.
Packaging
1. Packaging depends on the type of product the fluid is being filled in. For a normal bottle of liquid paper it starts with empty bottles at the beginning of the filling line. The bottles are held in large bins and are physically manipulated until they are standing upright. They move down the conveyor belts until they reach the filling heads which hold the correction fluid.
2. As the bottles move along the conveyor belts, the correct amount of fluid gets added into the bottle. Once that is complete they move along to the capping machine. That machine sorts the caps and then adds them onto the bottles and tightens them too. At this point the bottles go through a labeling machine, the machine adds all of the necessary information to the bottle. The bottles are placed into boxes and await shipping to retailers. (Unknown, Author. n.d. Correction Fluid)
A more detailed explanation for aqueous based correction fluid goes as following:
Compounding the batch
1. Correction fluid are made in large stainless steel tanks which can hold more than 3,000 gallons of liquid! Those tanks have temperature coolers and mixers built in. Workers in the plant add raw materials in according to the formula at the right time and temperature. They then use computers to control the mixing speed and temperature.
2. The main batch tank has water added to it. Raw materials such as suspending and other miscellaneous agents are added. Mixing is now done at at slow pace and it doesn't allow air to enter. As the suspending agent gets hydrated, the mixing begins to get faster.
3. The next step calls for pigment dispersion to be made. The pigment is added to some water and then distributed at a very shear rate. When the particles are super small, they are slowly added to the main batch. Other ingredients such as colours and preservatives are usually added at this point.
Quality Check
Once the ingredients are added, a sample batch is taking into a quality lab for inspection. At this point all the physical and chemical characteristics are checked and they should meet the requirements that are in the formula. If the batch fails to meet its requirements it is taken back to make adjustments such as colour. In the lab they run tests such as a pH demonstration, viscosity checks, appearance and odour evaluation. Once everything is approved, the batch gets pumped into a holding tank where it is stored until it is filled into bottles.
Packaging
1. Packaging depends on the type of product the fluid is being filled in. For a normal bottle of liquid paper it starts with empty bottles at the beginning of the filling line. The bottles are held in large bins and are physically manipulated until they are standing upright. They move down the conveyor belts until they reach the filling heads which hold the correction fluid.
2. As the bottles move along the conveyor belts, the correct amount of fluid gets added into the bottle. Once that is complete they move along to the capping machine. That machine sorts the caps and then adds them onto the bottles and tightens them too. At this point the bottles go through a labeling machine, the machine adds all of the necessary information to the bottle. The bottles are placed into boxes and await shipping to retailers. (Unknown, Author. n.d. Correction Fluid)
Raw Materials
An opacifying agent is an ingredient added to products to reduce its visibility or become less transparent. The most common opacifying agent is Titanium Dioxide. This opacifying agent makes up 40-60 % of the liquid's formula.
A polymeric material is used to make the fluid stick on paper. It creates a film which is designed to be strong and it is also flexible so it won't crack, flake or fall off in normal conditions.
Solvents are added to control the viscosity and dry time of the fluid. It dilutes the fluid and evaporates quickly which then leaves a dried film. The two types of solvents used in liquid paper are aqueous based and organic based. The aqueous based solvents are used to cover oil based ink. Aqueous based solvents are usually a mixture of alcohol and water. Organic based solvents are volatile organic compounds (VOC). They usually dry quicker than aqueous solvents. Organic based solvents cover water based inks excellently. There are a huge variety of organic compounds which include: acetone, toluene, xylene, ethyl acetate, and methyl ethyl ketone. The formula can be made of 25-50% solvents. (Unknown, Author. n.d. Correction Fluid)
A polymeric material is used to make the fluid stick on paper. It creates a film which is designed to be strong and it is also flexible so it won't crack, flake or fall off in normal conditions.
Solvents are added to control the viscosity and dry time of the fluid. It dilutes the fluid and evaporates quickly which then leaves a dried film. The two types of solvents used in liquid paper are aqueous based and organic based. The aqueous based solvents are used to cover oil based ink. Aqueous based solvents are usually a mixture of alcohol and water. Organic based solvents are volatile organic compounds (VOC). They usually dry quicker than aqueous solvents. Organic based solvents cover water based inks excellently. There are a huge variety of organic compounds which include: acetone, toluene, xylene, ethyl acetate, and methyl ethyl ketone. The formula can be made of 25-50% solvents. (Unknown, Author. n.d. Correction Fluid)
Resource Extraction
Titanium Dioxide
Tio2 is a simple inorganic compound that is produced as a white powder. It is usually sold in two crystal forms, anatase and rutile.
The process goes as following:
Rutile
1 Ore import (Natural or synthetic rutile, slag or ilmenite)
2 Chlorination
3 Separating the solids
4 Condensation/ Gas scrubbing
5 TiCl4 purification (titanium tetrachloride)
6 Oxidation
7 Cooling
8 Degassing and Separation
9 Finishing
10 Final Tio2 product
Ilmenite
1 Ore import (slag or ilmenite)
2 Digestion
3 Reduction (ilmenite only)
4 Clarification
5 Crystallization (ilmenite only)
6 Hydrate Precipitation (hydrolysis)
7 Filter/Wash
8 Calcination
9 Finishing
10 Final Tio2 product
(McNulty, G.S. n.d.)
Tio2 is a simple inorganic compound that is produced as a white powder. It is usually sold in two crystal forms, anatase and rutile.
The process goes as following:
Rutile
1 Ore import (Natural or synthetic rutile, slag or ilmenite)
2 Chlorination
3 Separating the solids
4 Condensation/ Gas scrubbing
5 TiCl4 purification (titanium tetrachloride)
6 Oxidation
7 Cooling
8 Degassing and Separation
9 Finishing
10 Final Tio2 product
Ilmenite
1 Ore import (slag or ilmenite)
2 Digestion
3 Reduction (ilmenite only)
4 Clarification
5 Crystallization (ilmenite only)
6 Hydrate Precipitation (hydrolysis)
7 Filter/Wash
8 Calcination
9 Finishing
10 Final Tio2 product
(McNulty, G.S. n.d.)