MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

SAINT PETERSBURG STATE ELECTROTECHNICAL

UNIVERSITY «LETI» AFTER V.I.ULYANOV (LENIN)
Department of Instrumentation Technology

REPORT
BY SUBJECT «HISTORY AND METHODOLOGY IN INSTRUMENT PRODUCTION »

Topic: “Paper: From Cai-Lun to E-ink”

Students Gr. 3580 Rahman A.

Vjuginova A. A.
Teacher

Saint Petersburg

2017

1
List of Contents

1. Introduction .................................................................................. 3
2. Cai-Lun and Invention of Paper ................................................... 3
3. Paper Making and Fourdrinier Machine ...................................... 5
4. Modern Paper Machine ................................................................ 6
5. Printing History and E-Ink ........................................................... 8
6. Discussion .................................................................................. 10
7. Conclussion .................................................................................. 10
8. Biblioghraphy ............................................................................... 11

2
1. Introductions
Paper discovery became one of the most important innovations in history. Paper gives
great contribution to human civilization. It is also fact that paper is inevitable for the
development of human race, and the economy of country. Hence the paper industry of
any country plays vital role. The pulp and paper industry produces a great number of
paper and other cellulose based fibre products. The total quantity of cellulose-based
products consumed every year world wide exceeds 360 million tonnes. News papers,
copy papers, various types of tissue, bottle labels, cigarette papers, and coffee filters are
just few examples of products regularly used in everyday life. Moreover, with paper,
various messages and knowledge knowledge can be easily written, documented, and
disseminated around the world. Although its position was further undermined by the
advancement of digital technology, in the absence of paper, scientists will probably never
create a computer.

2. Cai-Lun and Invention of Paper

Before the discovery of paper, written messages and communications are done by means
of chisels on the walls of the cave, in stone, bone, or metal. The way then developed,
humans began to write on sheets of animal skins, bark, bamboo shards stitched, to
expensived silk sheets. Paper, derived from the Ancient Greek "papyros" which refers to
the Cyperus Papyrus plant. The history of paper manufacturing began in China during
the Han Dynasty empire. An imperial court official named Cai Lun (105 CE), was the
first one making paper by using some materials, such as tree bark fibers, fish nets, used
cloth and residual straw. Further paper production was perfected using bamboo base
materials which is very easy to find in the Chinese plains. The use of paper is
increasingly prevalent in China replacing the role of bamboo slabs and silk sheets. Paper
was even used as a payment method to the government center.

Cai Lun; Chinese: 蔡伦; (48–121 CE), as shown in Figure 1, was a Chinese eunuch,
inventor, and politician of the Han dynasty . He is traditionally regarded as the inventor
of paper and the papermaking process, in forms recognizable in modern times as paper
(as opposed to papyrus). He was born in Guiyang (modern day Leiyang, Hunan) during
the Eastern Han Dynasty. After castration followed by serving as a court eunuch from
CE 75, he was given several promotions under the rule of Emperor He of Han. In CE 89,
he was promoted with the title of Shang Fang Si, an office in charge of manufacturing
instruments and weapons; he also became a Regular Palace Attendant. He was involved
in palace intrigue as a supporter of Empress Dou, and in the death of her romantic
rival, Consort Song. After the death of Empress Dou in CE 97, he became an associate
of Consort Deng Sui.

3
 Figure 1. Cai-Lun
In CE 105, Cai invented the composition for paper along with the papermaking
process—though he may have been credited with an invention of someone from a lower
class. There is also a legend that says Cai received inspiration for making paper from
watching paper wasps make their nests. Tools and machinery of papermaking in modern
times may be more complex, but they still employ the ancient technique of felted sheets
of fiber suspended in water, draining of the water, and then drying into a thin matted
sheet. For this invention Cai would be world-renowned posthumously, and even in his
own time he was given recognition for his invention. Cai Lun was ranked #7 on Michael
H. Hart's “list of the most influential figures in history”. He was died by drinking poison.
After Cai invented the papermaking process in 105, it became widely used as a writing
medium in China by the 3rd century. It enabled China to develop its civilization (through
widespread literature and literacy) much faster than it had with earlier writing materials
(primarily bamboo and silk, the latter of which was a more expensive medium). By the
7th century, China's papermaking technique had spread to Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. In
CE 751, some Chinese paper makers were captured by Arabsafter Tang troops were
defeated in the Battle of Talas River. The techniques of papermaking then spread to the
West. When paper was first introduced to Europe in the 12th century, it gradually
revolutionized the manner in which written communication could be spread from region
to region. Along with contact between Arabs and Europeans during the Crusades (with
the essential recovery of ancient Greek written classics), the widespread use of paper
aided the foundation of the Scholastic Age in Europe.
For hundreds of years, China has kept paper-making recipes secret. However, slowly this
knowledge was out of the country. Paper-making technology began transferred to Korea
& Japan by Buddhist monks around the year 610 CE. In 751 CE, the Tang Dynasty
forces were defeated by the Arabs at Battle of Talas. The Chinese prisoners of war also
taught how making paper, until finally the first paper mill was set up in Samarkand. In
the 8th century, paper-making technology grew. Pulp made in scale with the help of
hydropower. In the 9th century, the Arabs increasingly intense use of paper for

4
 documenting the scriptures and other important works. Arabs begin bind the book by
sewing it with silk thread, and cover it with a paste board to protect it from moisture.

3. Paper-Making and Fourdrinier machine

The use of paper as the basic material of packaging began to be done around the year
1035 at Cairo - Egypt. Its use is to wrap vegetables, spices, and other hardware sold to
Persian travelers. In the 12th century bookshops began popping up in Marrakesh /
Morocco. The number reached 100 stores. Moreover in the 12th century, paper began to
enter the land of Europe, was in Italy. Manufacturing paper was first introduced in Mainz
- Germany, in 1320. However thus a new paper mill was established in Nuernberg in
1390. Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 was the first European to use movable type. Among
his many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing
movable type. Subsequently the factory of paper began to be developed in England
around 1588.

In 1799, a Frenchman named Nicholas Louis-Robert invented the process of making

sheets of paper in one moving wire screen. (2 December 1761 – 8 August 1828) was a
French soldier and mechanical engineer, who is credited with a paper-making invention
that became the blueprint of the Fourdrinier machine. The invention of the cylinder
engine by John Dickinson in 1809 has led to the increasing use of Fourdrinier machines
in the manufacture of thin papers. Many modern papermaking machines are based on the
principles of the Fourdrinier Machine, which uses a specially woven plastic fabric mesh
conveyor belt (known as a wire as it was once woven from bronze) in the forming
section, where a slurry of fibre (usually wood or other vegetable fibres) is drained to
create a continuous paper web. After the forming section the wet web passes through a
press section to squeeze out excess water, then the pressed web passes through a heated
drying section.

The original Fourdrinier forming section used a horizontal drainage area, referred to as
the drainage table (Figure 2). Paper machines have four distinct operational sections:

 Forming section (wet-end), commonly called the wet end, is where the slurry of fibres
filters out fluid a continuous fabric loop to form a wet web of fibre.
 Press section where the wet fibre web passes between large rolls loaded under high
pressure to squeeze out as much water as possible.
 Drying section, where the pressed sheet passes partly around, in a serpentine manner,
a series of steam heated drying cylinders. Drying removes the water content down to a
level of about 6%, where it will remain at typical indoor atmospheric conditions.
 Calender section where the dried paper is smoothened under high loading and
pressure. Only one nip (where the sheet is pressed between two rolls) is necessary in
order to hold the sheet, which shrinks through the drying section and is held in tension
between the press section (or breaker stack if used) and the calender. Extra nips give
more smoothing but at some expense to paper strength.

5
  Figure 2. Fourdrinier Machine Process

The invention of the cylinder engine by John Dickinson in 1809 has led to the
increasing use of Fourdrinier machines in the manufacture of thin papers. Typically,
in 1927 the United States began using the Fourdrinier machine (Figure 3).

Figure 3. First Fourdrinier machine in the US, 1927

In 1826, the steam cylinder was used to run the Fourdrinier, which was to accelerate
the process of drying the pulp by mechanical development process, so that it could
easily be extracted into a pulp. To improve paper quality, various trials were
conducted, by adding a variety of chemicals, ranging from soda to sulfate solution. In
the 19th century, along with pens and pencils, the price of paper became more and
more affordable. The books were easy to find, so the transformation of science could
grow rapidly and the world's economy lifted.

4. Modern Paper Making

Modern paper making is divided into 2 parts ie in the wood yard which raw wood
processed into chips and another part where the chips processed into paper. Figure 4 and
Figure 5 shows the process.

6
 Figure 4. Wood Yard in pulp and paper making process

The papers we use are often made of wood or more precisely from wood fibers mixed
with chemicals as filler and paper reinforcement. The wood used in tropical country is
generally the type of Acacia. This type of wood is short fibers so the paper becomes
brittle. In paper making machine, this wood fiber is mixed with long fibrous wood for
example pine tree. The pulp-making process begins with the provision of raw
materials, by taking from industrial forest plantations and then stored for the purpose
of weathering and raw material inventory. The ready-made wood is called Log,. Its
skin is peeled with a drum-shaped tool called Drum barker. After that, log is going
through the stone trap (a cylindrical tool serves to remove the stones attached to the
log), then it was washed. The clean log is then sliced into small pieces which called
Chip. It then sent to the main filter to separate usable chips (standard size
25x25x10mm) with the ones not. The standard chips are stored in the shelter.

Figure 5. Pulp and paper making process

Figure 5 shows pulp and paper making process. From shelter, chips are brought by
conveyor to a cooking vessel (pulping digester), which it will cooked by steam. The
next stage is it then washed in order to separate the residual liquid from the cooked
chip and to reduce the impact to the environment. This cooked chip which has
become porridge then bleached with chemicals in the bleaching process to achieve the
degree of whiteness according to ISO standards. Pulp is then stored or sent to a paper
machine to be processed into paper. Moreover, full diagram process in modern paper
making can be seen at Figure 6.
7
 Figure 6. Full diagram Paper Making

5. Printing History and E-Ink

The history of printing goes back to the duplication of images by means of stamps in
very early times. The use of round seals for rolling an impression into clay tablets
goes back to early Mesopotamian civilization before 3000 BCE, they feature complex
and beautiful images. In both China and Egypt, the use of small stamps for seals
preceded the use of larger blocks. In China, India and Europe, printing on cloth
certainly preceded printing on paper or papyrus. The process is essentially the same:
in Europe special presentation impressions of prints were often printed on silk until
the 17th century. The development of printing has made it possible for books,
newspapers, magazines, and other reading materials to be produced in great numbers,
and it plays an important role in promoting literacy.

Johannes Gutenberg in 1439 was the first European to use movable type. Among his
many contributions to printing are: the invention of a process for mass-producing
movable type. Figure 7 shows a Gutenberg Printing press that uses a board containing
mirrored letters, were made by metal. The mirrored letter then arranged into word
order in one page that has been smeared with ink. Then, a driving lever then move the
presses into the paper and produces a paper containing the written page.

8
 Figure 7. Gutenberg Printing Press machine

In ancient times, printing was done by carving on wood, stone or metal. Currently, it is
done with a printing machine that can be obtained with a various price. Digitalization
also changed the direction of the printing industry after the discovery of E-ink
technology in 1997 at MIT, USA. It is currently available commercially in grayscale and
color and is commonly used in mobile devices such as e-readers, and, to a lesser
extent, digital signage, mobile phones, smartwatches, electronic shelf labels and
architecture panels.

Figure 7. E-ink technology

It needs 7 years after E-ink invention, at 2004 first PDA used e-ink technology.
Currently, massive e-ink technology is used on the kindle reader. It started in 2007 when
amazon issued a kindle product. A capsule (Figure 8) with diameter of a human hair
containing two pigments white and black, separated by transparent oil. Both pigments
attach into two different electrodes. Pigments that have a charge will interact with
electrodes that also have a certain charge. The interaction between the pigment and the
electrode will produce black and white on the display.

9
6. Discussion
Along with the development of computer technology, slowly but surely, digital
transformation began to replace the role of paper-based documents. This further drowns
the function of paper as a means of conveying messages and information. In the era of
computerization, the use of paper is considered to reduce efficiency and productivity.
especially in terms of administration, management records, various employment
agreements, promotions, payment transactions, to the dissemination of science.
Digitalization is also believed to be able to reduce costs. Office stationery expenses can
pressed, bookshelves, and letter messenger are no longer needed. Technology allows us
to write with evernote, storing it virtually with unlimited capacity in cloud storage. We
can also read books and journals through e-books, search for information through media
portals, to send messages via e-mail and chatt messanger.

Production of paper money can be further reduced, because some payment transactions
can be done by way of digital transfer. The numbers on account and credit card numbers
can answer various payment issues, and we no longer need to carry too much cash. In
addition to digitalization, environmental issues become one of the originators to reduce
the amount of paper production. Environmentalists calculate that annually, paper
production accounts for 35% of all commercial timber harvests in the world. There are
1,732.5 hectares of forest cleared every hour to meet paper needs. Not to mention the
consumption of water as a raw material supporters, for three sheets of paper alone, it
takes a liter of water for the manufacturing process.

However, the existence of paper is still needed. Material makers can still be recycled and
used for other needs. Imagine how much earth damage would be if all the packaging of
the product was replaced by glass, plastic, or other polymer compounds. Increasingly
piling up the unraveling garbage on this earth. Paper removal can also have a major
impact on the economy, especially in home-based and small-scale business sectors that
still rely on cash transactions in small nominal terms. It would be very inconvenient if to
buy ketchup at the stall alone we have to pay it digitally using a debit or credit card.
Paper is also still an alternative cleaning material water substitute. It is hard to imagine
how modern toilets provide digital services to replace toilet paper. The rapid
development of e-ink is predicted to change the printing industry. Along with the
development of technology, e-ink will be cheaper and more rich in colors. Furthermore,
in the future an usage of E-ink will replace the printing machine massively.

7. Conclussion
Invention of paper and printing technology changed the human history. Books, articles,
and scientific journals that written in paper increased of human knowledge massively.
On the other hand, the era of digitized digitalization has recently changed the history of
paper and printing techniques. However, it can not be denied that the invention of paper
is the beginning of the great changes that occur in human civilization.

10
8. Biblioghraphy
1. Hart, Michael H. The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in history.
Citadel Press, 1978.
2. UCSB Edu, Dard Hunter Tsai Lun,
(www.arts.ucsb.edu/faculty/reese/classes/.../Dard%20Hunter_%20Ts'ai%20Lun.pdf),
accessed:27 October 2017
3. Wikipedia, History of Paper, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_paper),
accessed: 28 October 2017
4. Wikipedia, E ink technology, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E_ink), accessed: 29
October 2017
5. Wikipedia, Cai Lun, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cai_Lun), accessed: 27 October
2017
6. Wikipedia, Johannes_Gutenberg,
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg), accessed: 27 October 2017
7. Wikipedia, History of Printing, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Printing),
accessed: 30 October 2017
8. Wikipedia, Louis-Nicolas Robert, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis-
Nicolas_Robert), accessed: 28 October 2017
9. Wikipedia, Paper Machine, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_machine), accessed:
28 October 2017
10. Berita-iptek, Proses pembuatan kertas, (http://berita-
iptek.blogspot.ru/2008/05/proses-pembuatan-kertas.html), accessed: 28 September
2017

11