Noise Abatement in the Sheet Finishing Area, 1990 Finishing and Converting Conference Proceedings

Steadily rising operational speeds of modern high production sheeters and increasing emphasis on ergonomics result in ever greater importance of measures to reduce ambient noise level. This factor has assumed a role of vital importance in planning new installations.

As a consequence, sheeters have been in-stalled in recent times, encased partially or completely in noise protective enclosures. This paper relates operational experiences with such installations and analyzes the effectiveness of the noise abatement devices, which are described in detail.

The dilemma of noise vs. productivity Improvements in existing designs and the application of new technologies have resulted in substantial increases in the efficiency of paper and board finishing installations during the last few years.

Intelligent trouble shooting systems, for example, have contributed as much to increasing uptime, as did new designs that permitted equipment to operate safely at higher speeds.

Unfortunately, these higher speeds and rates of production are unavoidably linked to a rise in the noise emission level.

On the other hand, the government agencies involved in most industrial countries are progressively tightening their specifications for acceptable noise levels, meaning that the required limits are being steadily lowered.

I will use an actual sheeter installation as an example to show how these basically conflicting demands could be reconciled with the use of suitable noise protective devices.