Glencoe/Glencoe English/Explaining a Process P. 188////E8N11/ *****"WORKING WITH THE MODEL Sheldon wanted to explain the paper©making process. Read
his speech. Notice how he explains each step. The way we make paper hasn't changed in 2000 years. True,
steps that used to be done by hand are now done by machines. The
four basic steps, however, are still the same. They are pulping,
sheet formation, drying, and cutting. Let's go though them one
by one. The first step is pulping. Today most paper is made from
wood. Logs are stripped of their bark and cut into chips. The
chips are then mixed with water and cooked. What's left after
cooking is a soft mash called pulp. The second step in paper making is sheet formation. The
pulp is thinned with large amounts of water. In this form, it is
spread onto a wire screen. In modern paper mills, this screen is
actually a conveyor belt twenty to thirty feet wide. As the belt
moves, it shakes from side to side. This shaking forces out the
water. It also mats the wood fibers together in a thin layer on
top of the screen. This thin layer is a single sheet of paper. In the third step, the newly formed sheet of paper is dried.
It is transferred to a fiber belt and pressed between rollers.
This procedure squeezes out any remaining moisture. It also
smooths the paper's surface. Heat is then applied to complete
the drying. The fourth step is cutting. As if comes off the conveyor
belt, the paper is wound in huge rolls that often weight tons."