Voith Strengthens Best-In-Class Mechanical Roll Service with Sophisticated Sensor Technology and Digital Upgrades
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With a worldwide network of 22 Mechanical Roll Service Centers, unrivalled domain expertise and sophisticated digital solutions, Voith is uniquely positioned as a full-line supplier to provide best-in-class customized roll maintenance to papermakers around the globe.
Voith’s individualized and transparent service solutions ensure maximum machine availability as well as highly reliable and sustainable production lines. Moreover, the benefits of Voith’s approach to mechanical roll service (MRS) extend beyond efficiency and sustainability gains.
“Expertly maintained rolls in paper machines are fundamental to efficient and sustainable papermaking. With the support of our experienced application specialists and state-of-the-art service tools, we are able to recommend if and when optimization or maintenance measures are required. And our global network of dedicated service centers ensures that timely roll maintenance is performed to schedule and to the highest of industry standards,” says Joerg Schauberger Global Product Manager MRS & Digital Products at Voith Paper.
SealView unlocks data-driven decision-making
With SealView, for instance, papermakers now have accurate, reliable, and real-time information on the wear status of sealing strips inside suction rolls. The sophisticated sensor system can be installed on any type or brand of suction roll at Voith MRS Centers. Notably, the SealView system provides insight on the condition of the seal strips in suction rolls and predicts the remaining seal lifetime. SealView can be accessed by machine operators at the customer site as well as remotely by dedicated Voith Service Centers.
Such precise information supports data-driven decision-making, increases safe roll run times and allows the stress-free and timely scheduling of roll change and service with the Voith MRS Centers. As seal strips are only ordered in time for the scheduled maintenance, capital expenditure is also reduced. What’s more, as SealView is based on a pneumatic system, with this innovative solution there is less risk of malfunction during use under wet conditions.
HydroSeal radically cuts lubrication water consumption
When SealView is combined with HydroSeal, further cost and resource savings are achieved. Unlike conventional seal strips that rely on water showers to cut down on friction during rotation, HydroSeal works with an innovative integrated lubrication system to ensure a constant, even and uniform lubrication over the complete width of the suction roll. Along with significant savings in lubrication water requirements, HydroSeal also increases the efficiency of drive operation, which reduces energy costs. Furthermore, rewetting is reduced and a more homogenous moisture profile across machine direction can be achieved, when running in optimum conditions.
At one plant in the U.S., installing HydroSeal led to an 82 percent reduction in water consumption for the lubrication of sealing strips each year, which translates into cost savings of more than US$30,000 for fresh water and wastewater.
“Our sophisticated sensor technology and advanced cloud-based analytics ensure decision-making around roll maintenance is fact-based, data-driven and impactful,” says Halim Takhedmit Digital Product Manager Fabric & Roll Systems at Voith Paper. “This digital upgrade is what customers need to turn their paper plants into ultraefficient and sustainable operations.”
Digitalized roll maintenance and inventory management
A transparent and easy to use inventory management system is crucial for optimizing maintenance scheduling and visualizing run times. This is provided by Voith’s OnCare.pmPortal, the powerful asset management tool for fabrics, rolls, roll covers and doctor blades. With the OnCare.pmPortal module “ID Tagging” critical products are tagged to support better tracking and inventory management. Depending on the product and machine environment, either a barcode, QR code or RFID/NFC technology is used. In all cases, a simple scan with a mobile device quickly reveals all the relevant information necessary for optimized predictive maintenance, including product history and run time since installation.
“By combining best-in-class roll maintenance service with future-oriented inventory management support, we are driving best practices in efficient and sustainable papermaking,” states Joerg Schauberger.
