AKD Wax
Emulsifying your own AKD only pays if the wax purity and particle size are consistent.
Buying support
Building An AKD Sizing Programme
Choosing between buying wax, buying emulsifier, or buying a ready emulsion - and making the curing work either way.
Decide where you want the emulsification to happen
Mills with their own emulsification plant buy AKD Wax and AKD High Polymer Emulsifier. Mills without one buy Liquid AKD ready to dose. Both routes reach the same sizing chemistry; they differ in capital, control and preparation time.
Match the system pH
AKD performs in the neutral to slightly alkaline range, pH 7 to 8.5. Systems that still run acidic are better served by Cationic Rosin Sizing Agent, which works under acidic to weakly neutral conditions and reduces alum dosage.
Fix the AKD on the fibre
Retention systems decide how much of the AKD you dosed actually stays in the sheet. Retention and Drainage Aid, PolyDADMAC or Polyamine are the usual partners.
Get the curing right
Drying and curing temperature determine whether sizing develops on the machine or over the following days. AKD Curing Agent accelerates the esterification and evens out sizing towards the reel edges.
Add surface sizing if the print side needs it
Anionic Surface Sizing Agent runs at the size press alone or alongside starch, AKD or ASA, and is where linting, dusting and coating holdout get addressed.
Products in play
What You Will Be Choosing Between
AKD High Polymer Emulsifier
High-speed emulsification needs an emulsifier that stays low-foaming and stable under shear.
Liquid AKD
Not every mill wants to run its own emulsification plant.
AKD Curing agent
AKD that has not fully cured leaves sizing developing for days after the reel, and edges that size differently from the middle.
Cationic Rosin Sizing Agent
Acidic and weakly neutral systems still need sizing, and alum dosage is a cost line of its own.
Anionic Surface Sizing Agent
Linting, dusting and poor coating holdout at the size press show up as print defects downstream.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does building an akd sizing programme involve?
Choosing between buying wax, buying emulsifier, or buying a ready emulsion - and making the curing work either way.
Which products are involved?
AKD Wax, AKD High Polymer Emulsifier, Liquid AKD, AKD Curing agent, Cationic Rosin Sizing Agent, Anionic Surface Sizing Agent.
Do you support the trial on the machine?
Send the grade, furnish and target and we will give a dosage starting point and the sequence to run. Technical questions go to the same WhatsApp thread.
Building An AKD Sizing Programme
Send the grade and the target and we will walk the sequence with you.