Valmet at Tissue World: New Products, New Services, New Orders

A tradition at Tissue World (North America) has been the Valmet breakfast seminar where its latest tissue technology is unveiled. Miami 2018 was no exception.

Anders Björn, vice president tissue mills business unit, welcomed delegates still shaking sleep from their eyes. He noted that the company would start up 14 new installations in 2018, six of which are already online. He also said that the 1,000th customer trial was recently held at the company’s tissue pilot plant in Karlstad, Sweden.

Five speakers then took the stage to discuss Valmet’s most recent innovations. Giordano Fragiacomo described Valmet’s new development in dryer hoods: Advantage AirCap Heli. It is able to correct a non-optimal drying profile. Giacomo explained that in conventional cross nozzle box design, there are some areas where the drying contribution is low because of turbulence.

The AirCap Heli stops overdrying to kill moisture peaks. Gas savings have been as high as $226,000 annually while also resulting in a 2 percent fiber saving. The system is flexible and easy to control.

Enhanced uniformity and quality in the press section is the objective of the Advantage ViscoNip. Jan Larsson said that since 2008, almost 60 new dry crepe tissue machines have been installed and about two-thirds of them have ViscoNip. All new machines sold recently (more than 20) will be equipped with ViscoNip.

The benefits are a 20 percent energy saving, flexible product development and improved runnability and uniformity.  The key element is the loading shell.

Larsson also discussed the Advantage ReDry concept. This takes exhaust heat from the Yankee and blows it on the web prior to the press.

Larsson then presented a case study from South America in which the mill changed froma  suction press roll to a ViscoNip with ReDry. Without the Redry, dryness increased from 39 up to 44 percent with improvements in the moisture profile. With ReDry, an extra 2 percent dryness was realized.

A recycled tissue mill in El Salvador showed significant improvements in moisture profile and dryness while improving energy consumption by up to 25 percent. Capacity increased by 20 percent. In 2018, 13 ViscoNips will be started.

Kent Nika then spoke about Valmet’s Performance Center, a good example of how the company uses the Industrial Internet. This includes reliability services (maintenance, monitoring and diagnoses), on demand services (troubleshooting) and performance (process optimization). The Performance Center offers clients easy access to Valmet’s expertise to meet their needs. The center’s experts gather and analyze data and support the customer.

Nika went over one tissue mill where, under an agreement, various key performance indicators are measured and data is sent to the Valmet expert. There is continuous reporting and analysis for the customer. Monthly, a deep analysis is done and a report sent to the mill. Quarterly, a review of the reports is done with the customer and, if needed, corrective action may be taken.

One of the new products introduced was Infinikote 2. It is a Yankee thermo spray that Andrew Cross said is a 100 percent chrome-free alternative. It is safe and environmentally-friendly.

It is designed for optimum Yankee performance. It is wear- and corrosion-resistant while providing the same or better adhesive and cohesive strengths. It is aligned with expected safety and environmental regulations concerning other Yankee coatings.

Infinikote 2 has been applied at four tissue mills in Europe and Valmet has just received an order for a fifth. Cross said all are running problem-free.  

To close out the meeting, Sören Eriksson went over the Advantage NTT tissue machine. Launched in 2008, it offers flexibility, high quality, large capacity and is energy and fiber efficient. Looking at flexibility, Eriksson said a belt change from plain to textured mode can be done in as little as three hours. It offers endless possibilities for embossing design.

In terms of quality, Eriksson compared softness to almost a TAD level. Since 2013, 11 NTTs have been installed.

Valmet will be hosting a seminar at its tissue headquarters in Karlstad, Sweden, May 16-18: T-evolution: Transforming tissue together. It is being organized in conjunction with Fabio Perini and Elettric80. For more information, see www.valmet.com/tissueconference or email: tissueconference@valmet.com