PAPER MACHINE OPTIMIZATION WITH THE LED BEACON

A guru of paper machine technicians once stated that if he had to make a choice of a single tool he could carry into a paper machine to optimize it, it would be a strobe because of all the places it is needed. Built to withstand water and pulp from the papermaking process, the IP65-rated LED Beacon is the ideal tool for complete paper machine optimization. In this series, we’ll explore the potential uses for an inspection strobe, 39 points in all, from pulp to finishing.

Part I: Wet End Inspection

A strobe can ‘freeze’ activity for the evaluation of formation and vibration on the wet end; a continuous wire loop is used to form the wet paper web by dewatering a slurry of fibers.

1. Flock from Head Box to Fourdrinear

2. Stock Jump – too little or too much?

3. Dewatering

4. Foils – build up between wire and foil

5. Trim Spray Nozzle

6. Formation of stock

7. Dandy Roll – watermark: is it clean or is there pickup on it?

8. Couch Roll – is it plugging up?

9. Transfer to First Felt

10. Drive Roll – is it at the same speed as the wire?

11. Spray Nozzles – are they plugged, spraying at the right angle?

12. Wire Clean – is pulp washed off wire or is it building up?

13. Wire Wear – is there wear, are the edges frayed, is the seam solid?

14. Rimming on Rolls – causing rooster tail

15. Detect Wire Slippage

16. Detect Re-wetting in the Suction Couch

17. Check Power Couplings