Displaying items by tag: Voith Group

LEIPA is the world’s first paper mill to employ virtual reality (VR) from Voith as a modern and immersive training method. At the Schwedt location, the company trains its employees extremely effectively using the VR system. To perform the installation in spite of the contact restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Voith and LEIPA drew on a new tool for remote video support: OnCall.Video. LEIPA has been using this audiovisual communication system with wireless data glasses since January 2020.

With the VR application, LEIPA employees can complete hands-on training in the computer-generated environment at any time and without any danger. From simple exploration of a paper machine for newbies to the complex process of changing the press sleeve on a modern shoe press, the system offers every employee a completely new training experience. This is made possible by 3D visualization in a headset combined with control devices for the interaction. The employee can move freely in the virtual reality setting and is guided through various tasks step by step.

Specifically for the VR training from the Voith PaperSchool, LEIPA set up a futuristically designed room, the "LEIPA Virtual Reality Center," at the Schwedt location. A special design and lighting concept underscores the modernity of the VR technology. Voith also supplied a touchscreen and wireless VR equipment to meet the special customer request for a cable-free studio.

How the OnCall.Video remote video support tool can increase efficiency and thereby give customers traceable added value became clear with this start-up. "The room was already prepared and the sensors attached," recalls Patrick Dengel, Digital Tools Manager at Voith. "We handled the details via OnCall.Video. To accomplish this, the glasses were integrated into the LEIPA WLAN, via which a video and audio connection to the Voith experts in Heidenheim was established." Without the remote connection, the VR system would not have been functional as quickly.

OnCall.Video offers LEIPA clear advantages especially for problems in the production flow, because the papermaker can draw on know-how outside the company to find solutions with virtually no delay and with cost savings. "Required expert knowledge is not always available on site, so integration of external know-how is that much more important," stresses Patrick Dengel.

"In principle, I can guide everything with the tool," adds his colleague Stefan Endras, Product Manager, OnCall.Video. "Our main emphasis is on quickly connecting the customer with the experts. In this way, we can also partially compensate for the lack of skilled workers." However, added value is also offered to the customer through the fact that various locations can easily be connected to each other and, as a result, internal exchange of specialized information and knowledge transfer are promoted.

With the virtual reality solution and OnCall.Video, LEIPA underscores its digital competence. "Which papermaker can claim to have the most modern media in use before anyone else?" argues Steffen Deszpot, Senior Manager Maintenance at LEIPA. "Industry 4.0 has already arrived here – and we are happy to show it."

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport and automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of €4.3 billion and locations in more than 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services, components and products on the market, and offers paper manufacturers solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations takes papermaking to the next level and facilitates resource-conserving production. With its Servolution concept, Voith offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process. Voith Papermaking 4.0 ensures that equipment is optimally connected, while the secure use of generated data enables paper manufacturers to improve plant availability and efficiency.

Voith introduces a new screen plate design for pulpers used in recovered paper pulping. The CurvedBar screen plate extends service life in Voith's IntensaPulper IP-R by more than 50 percent and improves the quality of fiber suspension. The results are less maintenance effort and material use, as well as fewer downtimes, leading to a more efficient overall process and lower costs. Chinese paper manufacturer Shanying International Holding Co. LTD., has tested the CurvedBar screen plate on its PM 5 in Maanshan and is now equipping other pulping systems with the innovative solution.

"With the new CurvedBar technology, we substantially reduced downtime and extended maintenance intervals at the pulper with consistently high operating quality," says Wan Tao, Vice President Production at Shanying International Holding Co. LTD. "We also achieved very positive results from the coarse screening."

• Innovative screen plate geometry with more than 50 percent longer service life
• Optimal interaction of pulper, rotor and screen plate for a higher quality fiber suspension
• Reduced costs for operation and maintenance

To reduce the high mechanical loads on the screen plate, Voith developed an innovative curved bar design and optimally matched to the geometries of pulper, rotor and screen plate. "This results in a much longer service life compared to conventional screen plates," explains Oliver Lüdtke, Global Service and Product Manager at Voith Paper. The lower friction also reduces energy consumption. "Combined with savings in material and maintenance, significant cost-saving potential can be realized, and the customer’s carbon footprint is reduced due to greater sustainability," says Lüdtke.

Lower shearing forces, higher quality fiber suspension and problem-free ragger formation
Thanks to the lower shearing forces on the screen plate, far fewer contaminants are shredded. This improves the quality of the fiber suspension, reduces the amount of small rejects that need to be laboriously removed in the downstream process steps, and allows trouble-free ragger formation. Furthermore, the risk of bar breakage and deformation of the screen plate is significantly reduced. The CurvedBar screen plate has proven its effectiveness at Shanying in Maanshan, China, and other locations.

"With the new curved technology and premium W material, we optimized and reduced the flake content and are maintaining high-efficiency pulping performance in the long term," says Song Jie, Manager of the Technical Department at Shanying International Holding Co. LTD. "The flake content is about 15 percent, the lifetime of high-efficiency pulping performance is extended from two months to five months."

"We still keep very good collaborating relation with Voith for the OCC stock preparation and paper machine, especially for testing the performance of the screen plate with CurvedBar and premium W material," Jie adds. "We value the excellent and professional support provided by Voith during installation and commissioning of the screen plates. At all times, Voith was in close contact with us to continually optimize the equipment. We are very satisfied with the results and happy to have Voith as a strong partner by our side."

Following the successful pilot phase, the company has already awarded Voith several follow-up orders to successively retrofit other pulpers with the new components. Other customers have also placed repeat orders for the innovative screen plate design following successful testing.

For more information about CurvedBar please visit: http://voith.com/corp-en/papermaking/pulping-solutions.html

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport and automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.3 billion and locations in more than 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services, components and products on the market, and offers paper manufacturers solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations takes papermaking to the next level and facilitates resource-conserving production. With its Servolution concept, Voith offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process. Voith Papermaking 4.0 ensures that equipment is optimally connected, while the secure use of generated data enables paper manufacturers to improve plant availability and efficiency.

Voith has added a new tool for remote video support to its service portfolio, offering customers access to expert support at any time and from any location. OnCall.Video enables fast problem-solving and cuts downtimes, resulting in improved machine availability and productivity. With this tool, Voith is playing an important role in making processes even more efficient and sustainable through the use of digital solutions.

Video-assisted communication tool for access to expertise at any time and from any location
Thanks to the audio-visual communication system OnCall.Video, customers worldwide can draw on Voith expertise via an internet-based video collaboration platform at any time and from any location. Using OnCall.Video, the Voith specialist can see in real time exactly what the customer or operator is seeing at the production facility. In addition to recommending action and documentation, important information can be quickly conveyed to staff on site to provide an optimum level of support.

The digital solution is device-independent, so any device can be used for communication purposes. To perform servicing work with the machine still running, the technician can also wear industrial-grade smart data glasses that allow optimum communication with the Voith expert thanks to integrated voice control and active noise cancellation. Moreover, the smart glasses allow operators to keep their hands free, are splash-proof and dust-tight, and are compatible with the necessary PPE.

Wide-ranging applications for improved machine availability and productivity
“With the help of OnCall.Video, we can quickly analyze mechanical or technological problems and then recommend specific courses of action,” says Patrick Dengel, Manager Remote Solutions at Voith. “In addition to problem analyses, inspections and general service support, the system can also be used to assist with factory acceptance tests and commissioning.”

“Following an emergency in the wet end of our PM 1, the local Voith service team was able to carry out the necessary repairs quickly and professionally with expert support via OnCall.Video,” says Franz Gstettenhofer, Authorized Signatory and Member of the Management Board at Lenzing Papier GmbH in Austria. “This reduced the machine downtime and we were able to restart production shortly afterwards.”

Knowledge transfer across locations
Apart from providing a way to connect quickly with Voith experts, OnCall.Video can also improve knowledge transfer within a company. “This is an option both for our customers, who can then optimally connect their various sites with each other, and for Voith,” says Stefan Endras, Product Manager OnCall.Video at Voith. “Using OnCall.Video, collaboration between specialists across all distances can be accomplished quickly and easily. We have already been able to use the solution successfully for service assignments without the expert in charge having to travel to the relevant site.”

Even when travel options are limited, OnCall.Video provides fast and reliable support to ensure on-time delivery and commissioning.

For more information on OnCall.Video please visit: www.voith.com/OnCallVideo

German paper manufacturer Progroup AG has successfully commissioned the PM 3, one of the most modern packaging paper machines in the world, at the company’s Sandersdorf-Brehna facility in Saxony-Anhalt. The PM 3 is set to produce 750,000 tons of testliner and corrugated medium annually. A comprehensive sustainability concept ensures the least possible consumption of resources.

• New production line at Progroup AG is setting benchmarks for efficiency and sustainability
• Voith realized the project as a full-line supplier and developed customer-specific solutions
• Timely startup despite pandemic

Thanks to its exceptional flexibility and the close consultation between all project participants, the companies managed to complete the PM 3 within the original schedule despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. “The successful startup within the planned schedule represents an important milestone in our growth strategy,” explains Maximilian Heindl, Member of the Board and Chief Development Officer at Progroup AG. “By deploying extra personnel and working additional day and night shifts, we were able to accelerate the work in such a way as to enable us to meet the commissioning date,” says René Bauer, Project Manager at Voith.

The PM 3 in Sandersdorf-Brehna is setting new benchmarks for efficiency and sustainability.

As a full-line supplier, Voith delivered the entire production line including a BlueLine stock preparation with the new IntensaDrum Duo drum pulper, which can process almost 3,000 tons of recovered paper a day. The XcelLine paper machine has a wire width of 10,000 mm and an operating speed of 1,600 m/min. The TwinDrive double unwind also included in the scope of supply increases winder capacity by up to 20 percent and allows automated full reel changes. It is complemented by the high-performance winder VariFlex Performance. The scope of supply also includes the process air and hall ventilation systems. Based on a long and successful cooperation, Voith also received a comprehensive startup clothing package for all sections of the paper machine.

Other key innovations include the closed water loop that Voith developed in collaboration with Progroup. In this system, all water used in the paper production process is cleaned in the company’s own water treatment facility using anaerobic and aerobic biological treatments and is then returned to the production process in a resource-conserving manner. This allows a wastewater-free paper production process.

Closed water loop: All water used in production is cleaned in the company’s own water treatment plant and then returned to the production process.

“Thanks to the integrated water treatment plant, we save about 3.75 million liters of fresh water annually. This is equivalent to the water consumption of more than 80,000 people,” explains Maximilian Heindl. “The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) certification of the European Union verifies the sustainability of our facility.” For the new facility, Progroup is additionally investing around €100 million in resource-saving technologies and environmental protection. 

Apart from its particularly efficient and resource-conserving operation, the paper machine is also a cutting-edge solution thanks to the components from the new XcelLine machine and equipment design. Streamlined structures and exceptional materials ensure a professional structured impression and calm overall effect. The optimization of functional elements, such as the improved walkway design of PM 3, has simplified operation. Moreover, the headbox foundation, VariFlex Performance winder and Sirius winding system have been integrated into the new design of the entire paper machine. These changes simplify maintenance work and at the same time improve occupational safety

From left to right: René Bauer, Project Manager at Voith Paper; Peter Resvanis, Project Manager at Progroup AG; Maximilian Heindl, Member of the Board and Chief Development Officer at Progroup AG; and Dr. Michael Trefz, President Projects at Voith Paper.

Voith’s new refurbishment service for screw presses enables the full restoration of screw performance and reduces downtimes by up to 20 percent compared to conventional repair methods. With SmartGrinder, the new refurbishment service, customers can restore original screw performance and achieve an optimum balance between operating costs and technological performance – a decisive factor for paper quality and cost efficiency in paper production.

• Full restoration of original screw performance with SmartGrinder
• Reduction of downtimes by up to 20 percent
• No need to dismantle the screw or to use spare screws

SmartGrinder: restoration of original screw performance and reduced downtimes
SmartGrinder is a modular system that can be set up during operation according to the size and requirements of the screw press to be serviced in order to minimize downtime and production losses. Before proceeding with the repair, a detailed digitized condition measurement is carried out for the screw stem and flights. This allows a professional analysis of the existing wear pattern, indicating the areas that require additional attention.

Smartgrinder

The design of the SmartGrinder allows a fast and highly precise restoration of the press screw diameter. "It can thus follow the flight geometry exactly, reducing downtimes by up to 20 percent compared to conventional repairs," says Geert Tichler, Senior Product Management & Global Expert Refurbishment Technologies, Voith Paper. "As our service provides the flights with the required sharp edges, this results in an optimum removal from the fibermat."

No need to dismantle the screw or to use spare screws
After the first service, the SmartGrinder can be replaced even faster because the assembly plates remain on the screw press. In addition, all new Voith screw presses are already equipped with designated assembly plates, allowing fast and specialized Voith on-site services. When repaired using the SmartGrinder, there is no need to dismantle the screw or to use spare screws, and costly screw transport is eliminated.

Expansion of Servolution portfolio with refurbishment services
The SmartGrinder ideally complements Voith’s Servolution portfolio. Similar systems for the reconditioning of product geometries are already in use not only for screw presses but also, for example, for disc filter centershaft repairs.

For further information about our optimization services for screw presses please visit: http://voith.com/corp-en/screw-press-optimization.html

About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport and automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.3 billion and locations in more than 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.

The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services, components and products on the market, and offers paper manufacturers solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations takes papermaking to the next level and facilitates resource-conserving production. With its Servolution concept, Voith offers its customers tailored service solutions for all sections of the production process. Voith Papermaking 4.0 ensures that equipment is optimally connected, while the secure use of generated data enables paper manufacturers to improve plant availability and efficiency.

Toscotec is pleased to announce that, following the obtainment of all required regulatory approvals, Voith has successfully completed its acquisition of Toscotec. Toscotec is now part of the Voith Group.

Andreas Endters, President and CEO of Voith Paper, says: “Toscotec’s acquisition matches Voith’s targets of strategic growth in a perfect way. Toscotec’s range of products and services effectively supports our portfolio and further strengthens our position as a full-line supplier in important areas of the paper industry.”

Toscotec will continue to offer its portfolio as established. The company will remain entrepreneurial in nature and will operate under the established Toscotec brand. In the area of tissue, Toscotec will carry out the business with new lines and major rebuilds for the whole Voith Group in the future. Voith Paper will continue to serve its delivered tissue machines. All other business activities will remain unaffected, and Voith and Toscotec customers will be able to purchase via their existing sales channels as usual.

Alessandro Mennucci, CEO of Toscotec, says: “This acquisition is a landmark in the history of our company. By joining forces with Voith, we plan to pursue new ambitious goals. We will build on our expertise and strong reference base in the paper industry and will be able to offer added value to our customers.”

Established in 1948, Toscotec specializes in the design and manufacture of machinery and equipment for the production of tissue, paper, and board. Headquartered in Lucca, Italy, and with subsidiaries in China and the USA, Toscotec provides its customers with state-of-the-art technologies and customized solutions from complete production lines to rebuilds and single components. Technology Group Voith acquired 90 percent of the shares.

The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 19,000 employees, sales of € 4.3 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.