Embossing is a functional and strategic process for creating high-quality multi-sensory tissue-paper products. Embossing modifies the sheet surface by generating hill and/or valley designs, changing the third-dimension z with a compressive die. This research work specifically concerns the impact study of the engraving finishing geometry on the final properties of tissue paper. This work led us to conclude that, even though the sheets individually present a higher hand-feel (HF) value for the straight finishing geometry, the highest softness was obtained in the two-ply prototype for the round finishing geometry. Moreover, this study confirmed that the HF value reduces with the increase of the bulk, being more accentuated for the micropattern. Relevant differences could not be seen in the spreading kinetics of the liquid droplets over time. Thus, the finishing geometry of the 3D plates did not impact the absorption kinetics on these samples. The finite element model allows us to understand the effect of the plate pattern and its finishing geometry on the paper, and the simulation results were in accordance with the experimental results, showing the same trend where patterns with a round finishing geometry marked the tissue-paper sheet more than patterns with a straight finishing did.
Keywords: FEM simulation; dots and lines geometry; embossing prototype; mechanical properties; softness characterization; tissue paper.