Profitable business: pencil production. Necessary equipment and technology for the production of pencils

Back in 1912, by decree of the tsarist government, a factory was created in Tomsk, where they sawed a cedar board for pencils produced throughout the country.

Today "Siberian Pencil Factory" is the only one on the territory of the former Soviet Union a manufacturer of pencils and pencil boards from Siberian cedar, the wood of which is used for the production of pencils of the highest price category.

How are pencils, familiar to us from childhood, produced?

The production of pencils begins at the timber exchange, where the harvested cedar is stored. Now there are more than three thousand cubes of wood here. The regional authorities have been very helpful in providing the factory with material, and this year they plan to produce about 85 million pencils.

The wood we buy does not come to us as a result of barbaric felling, says Anatoly Lunin, director of the factory. - In the overwhelming majority, this is sanitary felling of stagnant cedar, which no longer yields a nut. The cedar grows up to 500 years, but cones appear on it somewhere up to 250 years of age, after which it begins to die, various insects strike it. If you cut it down during this period, a new cedar will grow faster.

Until the time of sawing, the logs undergo compulsory preparation: each log must be washed so that the adhering pieces of earth or clay with stones do not accidentally damage the saw. For this, a tree from the forest exchange is placed and kept in a special pool with warm water. In summer, it is kept here for a short time, up to twenty minutes, but in winter, the log is in the pool until it thaws - it can take up to three hours. And after 369 hours or 16.5 days and 26 different technological operations, ready-made pencils will be obtained from the log.

At the sawmill, such a beam is made from a log:

The production of a wooden pencil is extremely demanding on the quality of the material; only pure straight wood is used. And if for joinery the presence of such defects as, for example, knots is not catastrophic, then a pencil from such a tree can no longer be made. Therefore, it is very difficult to say in advance how many pencils will be obtained from one bar.

To reduce the amount of waste, the company is looking for different ways increasing the depth of wood processing. One of these ways is to expand the range of products. So, from a plank, which is not suitable for the production of a pencil, they plan to organize the production of wooden puzzle-coloring for children and moth repellent. Something goes to the production of short pencils, like for IKEA stores, and some go to the production of these wooden skewers:

The timber obtained from the log is sawn into short pieces, each of which is then dissolved into ten planks. In order for all the boards to be the same, they need to be calibrated. To do this, they are driven through a special machine. At the exit from it, the planks have the same size and strictly perpendicular edges.

Then the calibrated plates are placed in an autoclave. In their own way outward appearance it resembles a barrel to which many pipes of different diameters are connected. With the help of these pipes, a vacuum can be created in the chamber, pressure can be built up and all kinds of solutions can be supplied inside.

As a result of these processes, the resins contained in the board are removed from the board, and the wood is impregnated (impregnated) with paraffin. Today it is not the easiest, but one of the most effective ways improve important properties material and protect wood from harmful environmental influences.

The "refined" after processing in an autoclave, pencil boards are left to dry properly, and then sent directly to the pencil production. On this, the process of making the board can be considered complete. This is how the planks look after autoclaving.

The basic principle and production technology have not changed since Tomsk began to make pencils, - says Anatoly Lunin. - All processes in our factory are well-established. The modernization of equipment is expressed in the replacement of some units, or the transition to more economical motors, the use of new cutters. Some new materials come, we change something in acceptance and evaluation, but the technology itself remains unchanged.

The finished board arrives at the workshop white pencil, where, for a start, grooves are cut in it on the machine, where the rods will then be laid (the word "white" in this case means that the pencil has not yet been painted at this stage). Planks are fed from one side of the machine, on the way their surface is ground for gluing, recesses are cut into it with a special cutter. At the near edge of the machine, the planks are automatically stacked. The thickness of the sanded board with cut grooves is 5 mm, which is equal to half the thickness of the future pencil.

At the next stage, the boards are glued together in pairs to form one pencil block.

The machine smoothly feeds the first board and places the rods in its grooves. Following this, a second plank, already greased with water-soluble glue, "leaves" from another device, and gently lays down on the first. The resulting pencil blocks are clamped in a pneumatic press and tightened with clamps.

If the plank is made at the factory independently, then the core is mainly purchased in China. There it began to be produced according to the "dry" technology, which does not require firing in a furnace at a high temperature.

As a result, the prime cost of the rod turned out to be so low that the lion's share of pencil manufacturers switched to just such a rod.

To prevent the pencil lead from breaking inside the body, the factory uses the technology of additional gluing of the rod with a special glue system. After this operation, the glued blocks are kept in a special drying chamber for several hours.

It's pretty hot in the cell. Hot air is blown in by a fan, maintaining the temperature of the order of 35-40 degrees. The wood needs to dry well so that in the future the pencil becomes smooth in one pass and gets the desired geometry. A pencil with a "simple" lead dries here for at least two hours, and a colored one for at least four. Due to the fact that the color contains more fatty substances, it takes longer for it to dry.

After this time, the blocks are disassembled, placed in carts indicating all further parameters and sent to the next machine, which will divide them into separate pencils.

In its shape, the machine is similar to the one that makes grooves in the planks, but it also has its own characteristics. The workpieces are placed in a hopper.

They pass through transport hubs, trimmed, sawed off, and the output turns out to be the usual wooden pencil, just not dyed yet.

The double cutter, which separates the blocks, also sets the shape of the future pencil, and this is all done in one pass. It depends on the type of profile of the cutting cutter whether the pencil will be hexagonal or round.

More recently, the factory has mastered the production of a triangular pencil. It turned out that the demand for such a form is growing. Buyers are attracted by the ergonomics and natural position of the fingers on the edges, which, of course, makes it easier to teach children to write.

Next to the machine is the sorter's work table. Her task is to sort out the pencils made, select the "good" ones and separate the defective ones. Defects include chips of the rod at the end, roughness, wood burns, and the like. Above the table hangs a memo with marriage rules. Each tray on the table holds 1,440 pencils.

The sorted pencils are taken to the next floor by a special lift, where they will be painted.

The paint is purchased dry and diluted to the desired thickness in the paint laboratory. The painting itself is fast enough.

The device continuously pushes the colored pencils onto the conveyor. The length and speed of the conveyor belt are designed so that the pencil dries as it travels on it.

When they reach the opposite end of the conveyor, the pencils fall into one of three receptacles, from where they are sent back to the next coating.

On average, each pencil is covered with three layers of paint and two layers of varnish - here it all depends on the wishes of the customer. You can also paint a pencil in almost any color. The factory produces sets of six, twelve, eighteen and twenty-four colors. Some pencils are coated with varnish only.

After painting, the pencils are sent to the finishing workshop. At this point, they acquire the final form in which they reach the consumer. A stamp is applied to the pencils, an eraser is put on and sharpened.

There are quite a few ways to apply stamps, but at the Siberian Pencil Factory they do it using foil different colors... This method is called incubation. The working part of the machine heats up, and the stamp is transferred through the foil to the pencil - so it will not peel off and stain your hands. The stamp itself can be anything, it is specially ordered from the engraver. Depending on the complexity, it takes about five days to make.

On some of the pencils, if necessary, put on an eraser.

The last operation is sharpening. Pencils are sharpened on an abrasive cloth put on a drum and moving at high speed. This happens very quickly, literally in a matter of seconds.

The oldest company in Russia for production of pencils Factory them. Krasin was and remains the flagship in its industry. Rich traditions and high professionalism of the company's specialists, like many years ago, allow creating living history pencil.

The history of the factory. Krasin

After 1917 in a young Soviet Russia"Took on pencil»The elimination of illiteracy among the adult population. Millions of new students urgently needed school supplies. The new government, realizing that industrialization would be impossible without trained specialists, did not skimp on the education of its adult citizens. Moreover, in order to refuse to import from abroad, in 1925 it was decided to develop its own pencilindustry. And indeed, funds for the purchase, delivery, installation and adjustment of the necessary equipment, despite the scarcity of gold reserves, were found.

The main difficulty was the lack of specialists - pencil-makers... And from Germany, following the equipment, teams of industry professionals set out in order to build the first pencil factory. The huge and growing demand for pencils spurred construction, and it ended in 1926, in a record time even for our time. According to the usual practice of those years, calling enterprises by the names of party leaders, the factory was named after the diplomat LB Krasin. This is how one of the famous Soviet brands subsequently appears. The half-filled flattened hexagon is the factory logo, recognizable for all generations living in the USSR.

Built by last word equipment factory "Krasin" in 1935 begins to export its products ( pencils) and abroad. In the post-war years, the list of Krasin importers includes 21 countries. Soviet pencils can be found in England, Germany, Japan, Bulgaria, Turkey, Cuba and other countries.

From the first days of the Great Patriotic War the factory, like most enterprises in the country, is switching to the production of defense items, significantly reducing production pencils... But by the second year of the war, their shortage in the country was so obvious that pencil products receive the status of "strategically important". At the factory, valuing its reputation, during wartime, with the forced simplification of the process and replacing raw materials with cheaper ones pencil marked as "defective".

After the restructuring of the three enterprises producing pencils in a wood casing, only the Krasin factory becomes the only enterprise in the industry in the country. Today, while maintaining long-term relationships with partners of the most different corners of the former Soviet Union, the factory invites everyone who is interested in high-quality and varied pencil products to cooperate.

Due to the richness of the assortment at the factory, you can buy pencils for a wide variety of purposes. Wholesale pencils are sold in lots from gross or sets. On the pages of the site, only those products are presented that are part of the factory's reputation - the most famous and popular pencil models (colored, graphite, art and many others). But the assortment is regularly replenished, contributing to the development of the factory, as well as the business of its partners.

In spite of big variety pencil products, not all pencil manufacturers actually offer products good quality... That is why many people are faced with the question of where to buy pencils that will perform their function efficiently. When purchasing pencils, you need to trust only those manufacturers who are long years the work has earned a good reputation and became famous for the excellent quality of its products. Today we are the leader among such manufacturers. Our campaign, which has become the legal successor of the production facilities, technologies and traditions of the Krasin Moscow Pencil Factory, which has been operating since November 1926. Our enterprise is the first Russian enterprise that has full technological cycle and specializes in making wood sheathed pencils. During all the years of our activity, we have been able not only to maintain the high quality of our products, but also to constantly improve it, while remaining one of the largest enterprises for the production of office supplies in Russia.

We produce:
Applying new developments and technologies, it manufactures products of various types. The range of these products allows you to meet the requirements of any customer. The list of our stationery products includes such products as:

• drawing pencils;

• graphite pencils;

• graphite rods;

• copy pencils;

• colour pencils;

• wax crayons of various colors;

• charcoal pencils, etc.

You can always purchase pencil products from us for performing of various kinds works - joinery and carpentry, drawing and graphite, design, art, stationery and layout work. Separate view our products are souvenir pencils(pencil gift). Such pencils are in great demand among firms and companies of various profiles that use a souvenir pencil as a gift to business partners, employees, clients, etc. Gift pencils can contain the company logo, its slogan and can be made in the corporate colors of the customer company.

Graphite rods.
We manufacture and sell graphite rods. These rods can be used both as independent products and used for the manufacture of various products. We manufacture and sell graphite rods of various hardness levels.

The policy of our manufacturing and trading company is to manufacture products that fully meet all the operational, functional, organoleptic requirements of various groups of buyers. We do everything to ensure that drawing pencils, gift pencils, as well as all our other stationery products have maximum quality indicators.

Pencils for children.
The main group of our buyers who are interested in pencil Moscow are parents of schoolchildren and preschool age... With this in mind, we pay special attention to ensuring the absolute safety of all our products. As a result, for the production of pencils, we use only those materials and raw materials that have special certificates confirming the right to use these materials in the food industry and their interaction with food.

At the same time, all raw materials and materials used by us are in mandatory are subject to the entrance control of the Central Fleet, and also every quarter they undergo non-departmental control of the Moscow sanitary and epidemiological supervision.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that among all Russian factories in this segment, only we use exclusively natural wood for the production of our products, which is not subjected to chemical treatment (linden and cedar pine), since chemical treatment is unacceptable in the manufacture of products for children. In addition, resin is preserved in pine and linden, thanks to which pencils obtain bactericidal and antiseptic qualities.

Pencils for small children, as well as every pencil as a gift (souvenir) and other types of pencils, are processed using environmentally friendly enamels and varnishes made from cotton and wood pulp. Such a coating does not cause allergies, does not harm health, and at the same time is very resistant.

Each set of pencils made by our company is a product of excellent quality, which will perform its functions 100% and be absolutely safe for the health of adults and even more so for children. In addition, the price for any of our pencils is affordable, which also has a positive effect on the popularity of our products.

We use pencils starting with kindergarten... But few of us know how pencils are made, what kind of wood is used for these purposes. It is noteworthy that the creation of these stationery products is carried out in each factory in its own way. But at the same time, there are general points that are fundamental to the production process.

Which tree?

A classic wooden pencil has an important component - wood, on the quality of which the operation of this accessory depends. It is clear that not every tree is suitable for this purpose. In the past, the industry used the wood of the Viridian or red cedar, which belongs to the genus of junipers. Long fibers, no knots, ease of processing - that's what attracted attention in this material. But due to the high cost, European and American brands that produce pencils began to use California cedar wood. Moreover, on its basis, high-quality products are created that are used for graphic and artistic purposes.

In most cases, pencils are made from alder, linden, pine, California and Siberian cedar, as well as such a rare tree as jelutong. What wood are pencils made of in our country? In most cases, from alder and linden, which are huge in Russia.

Alder is not the most durable material, but it has a uniform structure, which makes easier process processing and retains its natural natural color. As for linden, it meets all operational requirements, and therefore is used in the production of both cheap and expensive pencils... Due to its good viscosity, the material firmly holds the lead.

A unique material for creating pencils is cedar, which is widely used in factories in Russia. It is noteworthy that not healthy wood is used, but specimens that no longer give a nut.

Rod: what is the base?

The production of pencils is carried out using a special rod. consists of three components - graphite, soot and silt, to which organic binders are often added. Moreover, graphite is a permanent component, including a colored one, since it is the lead that leaves a mark on the paper.

The rods are created from a carefully prepared mass that has a certain temperature and humidity. It is important that the mixture does not dry out, as this will affect the wear of the equipment. The kneaded dough is molded in a special press, then passed through the equipment with holes, which makes the mass look like noodles. These noodles are formed into cylinders from which rods are extruded. It remains only to calcine them in special crucibles. Then the rods are subjected to firing, and after it fatty is performed: the pores formed under pressure and at a specific temperature are filled with fat, stearin or wax.

How are colored pencils made? Here fundamental difference has, again, a core, which is made from pigments, fillers, fatliquoring components and a binder. Here, the rod manufacturing process is as follows:

• the rods made are placed in special grooves on the board and covered with the second board;
• both boards are glued together with PVA glue, while the rod should not stick;
• the ends of the glued boards are leveled;
• preparation is performed, that is, the addition of fat to an already existing mixture.

It is noteworthy that the production of pencils is carried out taking into account the consumer properties of the products. So, cheap ones are not created from wood itself. High Quality, exactly the same - not the best quality - and the shell. But pencils, which are used for artistic purposes, are made of high-quality wood, which has double gluing.

Wood preparation stage

The production of pencils is carried out from well-selected wood, which is processed to obtain blocks. Be sure to trim the bars along the length of the pencil, and allowances must be taken into account, since the material will shrink. On a special multi-saw machine, the bars are cut into planks, which are impregnated with paraffin in special autoclaves. This procedure improves the mechanical properties of the future product.

Depending on what the pencil is made of, sharpening will also be performed. It is believed that neat shavings are obtained if the products are made from pine, linden or cedar wood. In addition, it is important that the lead is glued with high quality - such a pencil will not break even if dropped.

What kind of shell?

The simplicity and beauty of the pencil depends on the shell. Since pencils are made from wood, it must meet the following requirements:

1. Softness, strength and lightness: during operation, the casing should not break or crumble, like the entire casing.
2. Do not exfoliate under the influence of natural factors.
3. Have a beautiful cut - smooth and shiny, while the chips themselves should not break.
4. The wood must be moisture resistant.

What kind of equipment?

The production of pencils is carried out using a variety of equipment. For example, the refining of clay, from which a graphite rod will subsequently be created, requires special mills and crushers. The processing of the mixed dough is carried out on a screw press, where the core itself is formed from the dough using rollers with three different gaps. A die with holes is used for the same purposes. Drying of wooden blanks is carried out where the products are rotated for 16 hours. With good drying, the wood acquires a moisture level of maximum 0.5%. As for colored pencils, they are not subjected to heat treatment due to the presence of fillers, dyes and fatty components in them. On a special machine, pencils are cut in length.

Drying

How are pencils made? Drying plays an important role in the production process. It is carried out in special wells using machines, and the planks are stacked so that drying is as efficient as possible. In these wells, drying is performed for about 72 hours, then the boards are sorted: all cracked or ugly products are rejected. The selected workpieces are refined with paraffin, calibrated, that is, special grooves are cut on them, where the rods will be located.

How are pencils made in production next? The milling cut-off line is now used, on which the blocks are divided into pencils. Depending on what shape the knives are used at this stage, the pencils are either round, faceted, or oval. An important role is played by the fastening of the lead in the wooden case: this must be done firmly and reliably, which reduces the risk of the lead elements falling out. The elastic glue used for the bond makes the lead stronger.

Coating features

Modern pencils and crayons come in a huge variety of designs and colors. Since pencils are made in the factory, they pay close attention to each stage of production. Coloring is one of the important stages, since it must meet a number of requirements. For surface finishing, the extrusion method is used, and the end is finished by dipping. In the first case, the pencil is passed through a primer, where at the end of the conveyor it is turned over to apply the next layer. Thus, a uniform coverage is obtained.

Color quality: what does it depend on?

The quality of painting depends on how well the paints and varnishes themselves meet the established requirements, whether the priming machine is correctly adjusted, whether the crayons on the tape have been dried on time. Any pencil factory uses quick-drying compounds that form a hard, durable and elastic film on the surface that adheres well to the surface of the wood.

Painting is carried out with special primer paints, which have a certain viscosity and contain pigments. If the pigment part is large, it will reduce the gloss of the film and require further application of nitro varnish to the surface. Even simple pencils are varnished with nitrocellulose gloss varnish.

If the pencil is of dark shades, then it is painted in at least 5 layers and 4 layers of varnish. To achieve light shades, a combination of 7 paint coats with 4 varnish coats is used. At the same time, for an even and accurate coating, it is important that the surface has a maximum of 18 layers. The coloring of the end parts of the pencils is carried out in a dipping machine, into which the frame with the pencils located on it is lowered.

Pencil frame

Depending on how pencils are made and from what materials, their frame may vary. In the traditional version, the lead has a wooden frame, but the modern market offers a wide range of products in plastic, lacquered and even paper cases. On the one hand, this adds beauty and strangeness to them, on the other hand, when such pencils fall, little will remain.

After painting, the pencils are finished. For this, various stamps and foils of different colors are used. This process is called thermostatting.

What hardness?

All crayons and pencils differ in the hardness of the lead, which is reflected in their marking. You need to choose them like this: the denser and harder the paper, the harder the graphite rod should be. But too hard graphite can damage the paper. In Russia, you can buy pencils with the following markings:

1. M - soft.
2. T is solid.
3. TM - hard-soft.

You should be aware of the marking when choosing pencils for creating drawings or drawing in the appropriate technique.

Features of colored pencils

We have already figured out what simple pencils are made of. Now you need to understand when and how they appeared. It is known that the first products with colored slate appeared in 1820, however, who invented them remained a mystery. The color lead is based on a combination of a binder, color pigments and filler. Kaolin glue acts as a connecting substance, due to which the lead shape is also formed. Finely ground, high quality colored materials are used as color pigments, and the pigment can be organic or inorganic. The color pigments themselves are created on the basis of materials that are resistant to fading under the influence of sunlight and environmental safety. Today pencils are available in 36 shades according to the international Pantone shade scale. As for fillers, kaolin and chalk are used in this capacity, which are thoroughly ground.

A pencil is so common that it seems unremarkable and simple tool for drawing. However, in order to manufacture it, a rather complex production technology is used. I would like to tell you about this little-known process.

The stages in the production of pencils can be divided into two parts: the manufacture of the lead and the manufacture of the wooden shell into which it is inserted.

A pencil lead is made from a mixture of graphite powders and special clay. The very same graphite powder is made from slate slate. A mixture of graphite and clay is thoroughly mixed with water, then dried, then ground into powder again, and at the end it is added again a small amount of water until a thick paste forms. The hardness of the pencil will depend on the ratio of graphite and clay in this paste. The more clay, the harder the pencil will be. But the degree of hardness will still depend on another process, which I will describe below.

Then, this paste goes to special equipment, similar to an extruder. The graphite paste is pressed through the forming holes of the die and at the exit you can see the familiar pencil shaft. However, he is still far from the finished rod.

The resulting slate blank is dried. Then they are fired at high temperatures in a special oven. During firing, graphite and clay are combined and the core hardens. As I wrote above, the hardness of the pencil will largely depend on this process. The higher the firing temperature, the harder the pencil will be. The less clay is in the lead and the lower the firing temperature, the softer the pencil will be. As you know, pencils indicate the hardness of either English letters, or Russians. English "H" means "hard" and English "B" means "soft". Accordingly, the Russian letter "T" means hard, and the Russian letter "M" - "soft". There are also different degrees of pencil hardness. For example, 2B or 2M is double hardness, and 2H or 2T is double hardness. In total, there are about 17 degrees of pencil hardness: from 8M to 8T.

After firing, the graphite rods are placed in special wooden blanks for future pencils. These blanks are wooden slabs, half a pencil thick. They are usually made from cedar or linden. This wood is soft and has fibers that are good for making pencils. From each such blank board, either 6 or 8 pencils are obtained, depending on the production standard. Accordingly, 6 - 8 grooves are sawn in these planks for graphite pencil rods.

Further, the rods are placed in the sawn grooves. Then, a wooden plate with rods is covered with the exact same plate on top. The graphite rods are trapped between two wooden plates. The rods are securely fixed in the wooden shell in two ways: either by means of glue, or by squeezing the wooden halves of the future pencil. The halves themselves in both cases are connected by means of glue and a press.

At the next stage of production, these blanks go to a special machine, the cutters of which have teeth in the form of half a hexagon, or half a circle. With such cutters, a wooden blank with rods is sawn, and at the same time a hexagonal or round shape is given to the resulting pencils.

Well, now the pencil is almost ready! But it hasn't been painted yet. Painting is done with special enamels. And when the pencil is already painted, marking is made on it indicating the manufacturer, the degree of softness of the pencil, etc. Such embossing is done by means of paint or foil.

This is how it is - a difficult process of making a seemingly simple pencil.

Each of us with early years, doing creativity, or on school lessons came across such an object as a pencil. More often than not, people treat it as something ordinary, as a simple and useful thing. But few people thought how difficult technological process its production.
By the way, during the production of a pencil, it goes through 83 technological operations, 107 types of raw materials and materials are used in its manufacture, and the production cycle is 11 days. If you still look at all this from the side of a whole product line, then a complex established production with careful planning and control is drawn.

In order to see with our own eyes the process of making pencils, we go to the Moscow Krasin Factory. This is the oldest pencil production in Russia. The factory was founded in 1926 with the support of the government.

The main task of the government was to eliminate illiteracy in the country, and for this it was necessary to make office supplies available. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Krasin's factory remained the only pencil manufacturer in the CIS with full cycle production. This means that the factory produces everything from lead to the final product - pencils. Let's take a closer look at the pencil production process.

For the production of pencils, specially processed and stacked linden planks are sent to the factory. But before they are used, it is necessary to make the writing rods. Let's go to the workshop for the production of pencil rods. Writing rods are made from a mixture of clay and graphite. The preparation of the required mixture begins with such technological units, where clay is ground. The crushed clay is transported along a conveyor to the next production site.

In the next section, special mills are installed, where the clay is ground more finely and mixed with water. Plants for preparing a mixture of clay and graphite. Here the mixture for future rods gets rid of impurities and prepares for further processing.
It should be noted that only natural substances are used in the production of slates, which makes the production environmentally friendly. Installation for pressing the mixture. From the obtained semi-finished products, rods are obtained. In fact, there is no waste from production, since they use it again.

In this production area, the rods themselves are already received, but in order for them to fall into the pencil, a number of technological operations will be carried out over them.
The very technology of obtaining the rods resembles extrusion. A carefully prepared and mixed mass is squeezed out through a special stamp with holes.

After that, the blanks for the writing rods are placed in a special container.
Special containers

And dried in a closet for 16 hours.
The rods are then carefully sorted by hand.
It looks like workplace for sorting rods. This is a very difficult and painstaking job. Cats sleep behind a table lamp.
After sorting, the rods are calcined in a special cabinet. The annealing temperature ranges from 800 to 1200 degrees Celsius and directly affects the final properties of the rod. The hardness of the pencil depends on the temperature, which has 17 gradations - from 7H to 8V.

After annealing, the rods are filled with fat under special pressure and temperature. This is necessary to give them the necessary writing properties: intensity of a line, ease of sliding, quality of sharpening, ease of erasing with an eraser. Depending on the required value of the hardness of the rod, you can use: salomas, confectionery fat or even beeswax and carnauba wax.
Output products from the bar production area.
After that, the rods go to the assembly. On these machines, pencils are prepared. Grooves are cut into them for the installation of writing rods.
The cutting part of the machine grinds grooves in the planks.

Planks automatically go into such a clip.
After that, on another machine, the rods are placed in pre-prepared planks.
After laying, the halves of the boards are glued together with PVA glue, and they are left to dry under a press. The essence of this operation is that the rod itself does not stick to the planks. Its diameter is larger than the diameter of the groove, and in order for the structure to be closed, a press is needed. The rod, on the other hand, will be held in the wood not due to glue, but due to the tension of the wooden shell (specially created in this way in the construction of the pencil).

After drying, the workpiece is sawn with special cutters into separate pencils.
The pencils are gradually sawn through several processing cycles.
The output is ready-made, but not colored pencils.
Already at this stage, the shape of the pencil is laid due to the type of profile of the cutting cutter.

Further, on special lines, the surface of the pencil is primed. When painting pencils, enamels made at the factory itself are used. These enamels are made from components that are safe for humans. Line for painting pencils.
I think we have seen gift pencils painted with colorful streaks many times in stores. It turns out that in order to color them like this, a whole specially developed technology is used. Here is a small snippet of the painting process.
When I visited the paint shop, I happened to see a batch of pencils for delivery to the government of the Russian Federation of a new sample. The tip of the pencil symbolizes our state flag... Pencils dry in special technological frames. The regularity of the rows looks very unusual and attractive.

After painting, the pencils are stacked in batches for shipment to the next areas of the factory.
It is a great pleasure to look at thousands of pencils colored according to the proprietary technology of the plant. This is a very unusual sight.
Further, on a special machine, the final mechanical operation is carried out - end-face processing. Technological line for surface finishing.
Further, on a special machine, marking is applied to the pencil using a special stamp, which is applied to each pencil through a foil tape.
Locker for storing stamps. Stamps for the entire range of products are stored here.
If necessary, pencils are sharpened on a special machine before packing. The photo shows an intermediate stage of sharpening.
I was amazed at the speed of the machine. The pencils fell into the tray in a continuous stream. I immediately remembered all my unsuccessful personal attempts to sharpen pencils. From these memories, this machine began to inspire even more respect.
The factory also produces such interesting pencils oval, used in construction and repair.

Arrays of stacked pencils look very unusual and attractive. You will not see this anywhere else.
In the packaging area, pencils are sorted and packaged by hand. There is a special atmosphere here. People work quietly and silently. Many employees have more than 40 years of continuous work experience in the factory.

The factory has its own equipped laboratory in which products are tested throughout the entire production cycle and new production technologies are tested. The picture shows Amsler's device for determining the resistance at the fracture of the writing rods.

Before leaving, I went into a room with display stands of the factory's products. The factory emblem evokes some nostalgia. After all, these pencils are familiar to each of us from childhood.
The factory produces several lines of products. Professional pencil series for painters, decorators and designers.
Samples of pencils supplied to the government of the Russian Federation. For the design of the pencils, a drawing was chosen to match the color of standard malachite desktop instruments of employees of the government of the Russian Federation. But besides this, they have other differences from regular pencils: firstly, their shape is made with maximum consideration for the ergonomics of an adult's hand, and besides, they use a special lumograph-type rod for notes on the margins and in the diary, it is not smeared by hand, but can be easily erased with an eraser without damaging the paper.
Engineering pencils:
Original souvenir products of the factory.

(b) As a bonus, and for comparison, I offer you a couple of stories from the Discovery TV channel about the production of pencils they have. (/ b)