New Forming Technology to Improve Quality at Simkins

NEW FORMING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE QUALITY
AT
SIMKINS INDUSTRIES LOWE PAPER COMPANY
RIDGEFIELD, NEW JERSEY
By Charles Pound, Manager FCFORMTEK
Today’s recycled multiply board market is putting new
demands on the papermaker to increase mill
productivity and raise board quality. This is evident by
the number of multiply board mills that are currently
planning wet end rebuilds facing the option of meeting
the higher quality needs or loosing market share. This
demand for higher, more uniform quality comes with
the converter’s expectation of minimal if any increase
in cost.
In order to meet this challenge Mill Management at
Simkins Industries Lowe Paper Company, Ridgefield,
New Jersey plant evaluated their process and decided
replacement of the old counterflow vats comprising the
center four plies of their sheet would increase quality
and productivity levels. The mill produces
approximately 54,400 tons per year of clay coated
boxboard on the 98-inch trim machine. Basis weight
ranges from 68 to 140 pounds per 1000 square feet
(#/msf) with calipers between 0.014 and 0.034 inches.
The wet end of the paper machine (before the rebuild)
consists of two Horne formers followed by the four
counterflow vats and two more Horne formers.
WET END
PRIOR TO
REBUILD
COUNTERFLOW
VAT TO BE
REPLACED
Wet End Before Rebuild
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The felt run was a conventional split top design
allowing optimization of dewatering and finish in
each position independently.
The original rebuild concept called for
replacement of the four old vats with four newer
counterflow vats. This concept however, changed
in February 1999 when the mill evaluated the
current technologies available today and became
aware of a new forming device, that had been
developed at Jefferson Smurfit’s, Smurfit Carton
y Papel Los Reyes Mill 1 in Mexico.
The forming unit consists of an inclined wire
forming table with V.I.D. TM dewatering
technology and a hydraulic headbox capable of
consistency profiling. The FCFORMER as it is
known today was giving papermakers in Mexico,
Tacoma, Washington and Delaware Water Gap,
Pennsylvania control over the papermaking
process unattainable with conventional vat or
hydraulic formers and rivaled or surpassed
multiple fourdrinier style machines at a fraction
of the cost.
Bottom Felt
Headbox
V.I.D.
Stepfoils
TYPICAL FCFORMER
1. Pound, C. Bachand, J. and Cabrera, F., “Wet End
Rebuild Improves Board Quality at Smurfit Carton y
Papel”, Paper Age March 1998
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V.I.D Structure on FCFORMER
In light of the new forming technology, the Lowe Paper
Company rebuild team decided that the Ridgefield
machine would be reconfigured to add two
FCFORMERS to replace the four aging counterflow
filler vats. The existing Horne formers and suction
drum would remain unchanged, and a new suction
primary and felt stretch would replace the current ones
in approximately the same locations.
Proposed Machine Configuration
Two FCFORMERS Replacing The Four Center Vats
The goals of the rebuild were to :
- Increase machine productivity
- Improve sheet profile and density
- Improve sheet finish
- Increase forming capacity
With the design concept in place, Simkins Industries
contacted the FCFORMTEK Division of AES
Engineered Systems, Queensbury, New York for the
supply of the FCFORMERS and associated vacuum
equipment. The installation of the two FCFORMERS is
scheduled for the last week in July 1999 with
production resuming on August 2 nd . Crew training will
take place in early July to help the machine crews to
understand the difference between vat forming and
forming on the FCFORMERS which are essentially a
mini-fourdriniers.
___________________________________________
Single FCFORMER on assembly floor
prior to shipment to Tacoma location
Even though the FCFORMERS are new
technology and radically different than
equipment the machine operators have run
before, the start ups in all other installations have
gone off without any difficulty and have been
later described “as non-events”. The Simkins
installation is expected to follow suit.
Results to Date
FCFORMERS are currently running at three
separate mills manufacturing clay-coated and
uncoated folding boxboard and core stock.
Some of the following quality improvements
which have been documented are expected to be
duplicated at the Simkins installation where
applicable
MILL #1 RESULTS TO DATE
This mill manufactures clay coated boxboard
ranging in caliper from 0.30 to 0.82 mm (0.012”
to 0.032”). To date improvements in the
following areas are attributable to the installation
of the FCFORMERs:
1. Average productivity increase 14%
2. Reduced sheet density 5%
3. Improved MD/CD ratio 32%
4. Improved smoothness
Sheffield 6%
Micro 22%
5. Reduced wet end energy use 48%
In addition to the results listed above, the machine
has recently installed cross machine dilution basis
weight control on the second forming unit. Initial
results indicate a caliper variation reduction from
+/- 0.001” on a typical grade to +/- 0.0002”.
____________________________________________

MILL #2 RESULTS TO DATE
A single FCFORMER was installed in addition to the
existing eight original counterflow vats to increase
forming capacity on this machine that makes uncoated
folding boxboard and core stock.
In late March 1998 the following improvements in
overall quality were presented by the mill at their
Corporate Technical Seminar:
1. Sheet squareness, which is controllable via the
rush/drag ratio, has been improved by 19 percent
when 28 percent of the total sheet is carried by
the FCFORMER.
2. Overall profile has been improved 30 to 50
percent depending on sheet basis weight.
3. Cross Machine profile variation has been
reduced by 90 percent. This is attributed to the
extremely flat profile produced by the
FCFORMER and the reduction in associated load
on the original vats. On lighter weight sheets
some original vats are shut off.
4. On boxboard grades the density of the board has
been. reduced 1 to 5 percent depending on
FCFORMER load and furnish.
5. Improved formation and smoothness has
essentially stopped mottle on highly calendered
grades.
6. Winder losses at the dry end due to basis weight
/ caliper variation causing ribbons to interweave
has been reduced to nil.
7. Plybond values have not decreased as might be
expected with other forming devices.
8. First pass retention runs between 85 and 90
percent without the use of retention aids.
9. Loading capabilities are at least twice that of a
conventional vat.
In addition to the quality improvements, the machine
operators “love its ease of operation when compared
to a vat”.
.__________________________________________
MILL #3 RESULTS TO DATE
Two FCFORMERS replaced five counterflow vats
in the filler positions on this machine that makes
clay-coated boxboard from 0.016 to 0.040
calipers.
1. Sheet density decreased by 7%
2. Remaining counterflow vats shut off except
on heavy weights.
3. Sheet squareness can be controlled to less
than 2:1 stiffness ratio.
4. Cross machine profile improved.
5. Loadings on a single FCFORMER can
substantially exceed the load carried by the
vats replaced.
In summary, the installation of FCFORMERS at all
current locations have achieved the goals of
increased quality and productivity that were
established for the rebuilds, and continue to push
the envelope out further each day as operators
capitalize on the flexibility and ply forming
capabilities of the FCFORMER.
________________________________________