Making new from old

Epson presents its papermaking machine PaperLab for the first time in Europe, at its stand at CeBIT 2017 (Hannover Trade Fair, 20-24 March 2017, Hall 3, Stand D17) This machine uses a dry process so that the machine can be installed without a water connection. PaperLab is capable of making several thousand sheets of recycled paper every day from used copier paper. PaperLab is particularly suitable for companies for whom the destruction of confidential documents and environmental paper recycling is a high priority. PaperLab will be on display at the Epson Stand along with several other efficient and compact office solutions.

The president of the Seiko Epson Corporation, Mr Minoru Usui, will deliver a keynote address at the fair. He will talk about future technologies in the workplace of the future. Usui will set out his vision and explain how Epson technology will contribute to raising workplace and living standards for people.

Usui adds: “I am delighted to present our PaperLab at the fair, the world’s first paper-making system that uses a dry process that we developed for use without the need for additional water. It destroys all kinds of documents and converts them into thousands of sheets of paper every day.”

PaperLab was introduced in Japan recently and will also be distributed in Europe over the course of the next year. The aim is to create a circulation system where customers can print their documents and then recycle them into new paper after use. We also plan to offer this recycling concept in different sizes so as to have suitable models for different environments. The underlying principle of PaperLab enables the production of papers of different sizes, grammage, thickness and quality. The spectrum includes standard paper, coloured paper and even business cards.

The stages of paper making:

Dry Fibre Technology
Fiberising
The paper is mechanically transformed into long fibres. All traces of information (for example printed content) are eliminated by this process.

Binding
The fibres obtained are bound back into paper with a special binding agent. During this stage, the paper can optionally be coloured with a colour of choice (including every colour, and bright white).

Forming
The fibres and binding agent are turned into a new sheet of paper. PaperLab can produce A4 or A3 sheets of different thicknesses, as desired. 

Security
The fiberising of the old sheets of paper results in the irreversible destruction of any of the information they contained. This has the added advantage that confidential documents no longer need to be securely transported to a special disposal site, thereby increasing security. Traditionally shredded documents can be reconstructed by laborious means and their information content can therefore be reconstructed.

Speedy new paper production
The first sheet of paper can be produced within three minutes of putting PaperLab into operation. The machine can produce up to 720 A4 sheets in one hour. PaperLab is also not fussy about the materials it uses: Any everyday office waste paper can be used for making paper.

Low environmental impact
In contrast to traditional paper production, PaperLab needs no external water supply to operate, thereby protecting water as a natural resource. 

Further information: 

Video: Epson PaperLab