Paper Analysis
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OpTest manufactures paper analyzers in Hawkesbury Ontario, which is halfway between Ottawa and Montreal. They are also the North American distributor for the European based PTA group. They provide full service and support for all the products.
The venerable Micro Scanner is a unique instrument because it allows for four different tests with a single analyzer. Formation, dirt analysis, light contraries, and print uniformity can all be done thus saving lab space and budget.
LSI-A4 is a scanner-based dirt analyzer. It works well on flat sheets and costs thousands less than the Micro Scanner. OpTest uses a scanner that they modify specifically for this application. You cannot buy it on the open market. The difference is that it provides light from every angle to pick up every spec. And now the LSI-A4 can be used for visible hole detection. Originally designed for tissue, we have also used it for an ever increasing array of paper.
The Paper Perfect formation analyzer is one of the most popular products made by OpTest because it is so flexible.
The Fiber Quality Analyzer measures length, width, kink, and curl with a high degree of precision. The patented flow cell replicates a slide under a microscope and will never clog. Optional software provides coarseness, shive analysis, vessel element measurement, and hardwood/softwood ratio. This has been a very successful analyzer trusted by many mills.
One of the exciting new products from the PTA Group is a SPECTROPHOTOMETER for determination of ISO brightness (whiteness), color, fluorescence, and opacity of paper.
OptiSurf measures the optical roughness of paper. It is much faster and easier to use than the old air-leak or stylus methods of measurement and it comes up with more repeatable results.
OpTest is not just for the lab. Online products include Online Dirt In-Speck-Tor
which puts the Micro Scanner online. Like the Micro Scanner, it reports both physical sizes and EBA (equivalent black area) sizes of the dirt specs detected. Because it uses a camera it is able to detect dirt increases and wrinkles.
Stapleman Corporation
Chuck Stapleman
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