High Resolution Variability Analysis the Key to Maximizing Paper Machine Production, Efficiency and Paper Quality, 1996 Coating Conference Proceedings

With the ever increasing demands to lower manufacturing costs and to improve product quality, optimizing and maintaining paper machines at their peak performance is critical to the success of any paper mill. Several Finnish mills over the last five years have now, as standard practice, begun troubleshooting and optimizing their paper machines with a new off-line, high resolution paper variability analyzer. Now the first North American paper mills are using this type of analyzer with good success. The results in identifying and correcting variations ranging from very short term formation ones (up to 10,000 Hz), to long term control type ones (down to 0.005 Hz), by analyzing the paper samples with high resolution sensors (basis weight, caliper, gloss, opacity, ash, opacity, remission, printability) coupled with advanced software, have now been well documented. This analyzer is not only able to identity the nature of the variation and its magnitude, but is also able to isolate the specific machine part (roll, wire , felt, calender, coater, screen, pump, bearing, etc.) that is most likely causing the sheet quality problem. The unit is designed to measure both true machine direction