The Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) Advantage for Uncoated Woodfree (Freesheet) Papers

SMI produces the broadest portfolio of Filler Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC) products in the industry, which deliver value and enable paper makers to achieve cost savings while maintaining critical paper properties.  Depending on the desired paper property and performance, SMI’s product portfolio provides cost savings while improving optical paper properties of whiteness and brightness.

SMI provides customized filler PCC products that are critical for strategic use in white office paper processes to improve profitability and competitive performance.  Critical parameters of average particle size and particle size distribution are carefully controlled in order to provide superior economical paper opacity, brightness and bulk.  Our range of filler products can be optimized to also maintain desired paper stiffness and strength properties.

Paper companies continuously strive to optimize their paper products around the critical parameters of performance and efficiency. To accomplish these goals, papermakers continue the trends of higher and higher filler levels, modification of fillers and incorporating fillers in various applications where they are replacing high cost fiber with performance enhancing filler PCC.

PCC fillers from Specialty Minerals are tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual paper mill.   Products are optimized to address variations in equipment and furnish while also taking into consideration the optical, physical, and print requirements of the end paper product.

The unique flexibility inherent in Specialty Mineral’s PCC product families provides the papermaker with filler options designed to meet the challenges of today as well as the opportunities of tomorrow. The Specialty Minerals team works closely with the paper industry, its suppliers, and its customers to develop collaborative solutions that bring value to all involved.

Each of our families of controlled particle size distribution precipitated calcium carbonates provides a targeted balance of performance properties.

The Albacar® PCC family maximizes light scattering (opacity and brightness) and provides superior bulking properties versus other fillers.

The lower surface area of the Albafil® PCC family provides efficiency of chemical usage and paper machine, while also providing lower strength loss of the sheet and a more closed porosity.

The Megafil® PCC family provides improved stiffness and strength while balancing optical needs.

Specialty Minerals continues to develop and provide new technologies to the paper industry in order to meet changing market conditions. We are engineering novel PCC's that are optimized to meet the demands of modern paper machines including higher filler loading levels, faster machine speeds, and increased pressing pressures, while also addressing optical, strength, and print performance targets.