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Laakirchen PM 11 –State-of-the-art production line for SCA-Plusgrades; a challenge for LWC paper

In September 2000 SCA Graphic Laakirchen ordered a new

paper machine from Voith Paper, complete with offline Janus MK 2

calender, to produce high-grade SC-papers for offset and rotogravure

printing. The commissioning of this new line in May 2002 was particu-

larly successful – numerous quality parameters very soon exceeded

all expectations.

Karl-Heinz Bühner

Paper Machines Graphickarl-heinz.buehner@voith.com

Ewald Budweiser

Paper Machines Graphicewald.budweiser@voith.com

After forty years of excellent service, theold Laakirchen SCA PM 3, delivered byVoith in 1962, was ready for its well-earned retirement, and duly replaced byPM 11 after commissioning.

This new Voith paper machine 11 wasstarted up well before the deadline. Itwent on line five weeks earlier thanplanned, and very soon proved its poten-tial for meeting the required quality stan-dards. Due to limited availability of stock,its operating speed is restricted to 1,300m/min during the initial phase.

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The great success of this project is at-tributable to the intensive cooperationbetween SCA and Voith, with clearlydefined responsibilities down to the lastdetail, and precise control thanks to in-terface protocol reporting.

Thanks to primary target-setting by Voithfor the key mechanical and plant engi-neering partners, the paper machine wasrapidly integrated into the overall processon a systematic and well-proven basis.

Professional project management en-sured full compliance with the erectionand installation schedule.

Special attention was paid to acceptancetesting of individual prefabricated com-ponents at the various production loca-tions. Functional trials were done in ad-vance on the units and control systems.

A comprehensive test schedule wasdrawn up to ensure compliance of all thePM 11 components with specific require-ments.

The production line commissioning wassystematically organized right down tothe last detail. As shown by the results,this guaranteed smooth and trouble-freestartup of the entire line.

Technical data of PM 11

Wire width 9,650 mm

Finished sheet width 8,700 mm

Design speed 2,000 m/min

Planned annual output Phase 1 240,000 tonsPhase 2 360,000 tons

Basis weight 38-65 g/m2

Paper grades: SCA-Plus, offset and rotogravure printing papers

Production start-up May 2002

Fig. 1: Laakirchen PM 11.

Fig. 2: Schematic layout of Laakirchen PM 11.

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Based on the One Platform Concept, thisproduction line includes the followingcomponents:

● ModuleJet headbox● DuoFormer TQv● Tandem NipcoFlex press● TopDuoRun dryer section● Sirius winder● Offline Janus MK 2 calender● VariTop slitter-winder● Roll transport system● Twister roll packaging machine.

Concept

Sheet formation and subsequent drainagein the press section of this new papermachine take place under fully controlledconditions. The result is uniform productquality in every respect.

“The unprecedented profile uniformityboth in the machine and cross-machine

● Production capacity increase to484,000 tons p.a.

● Paper product quality as least as goodas with Laakirchen PM 10, and sig-nificantly better than with LaakirchenPM 3.

● Project completion time 21 months.● State-of-the-art but well proven

technology.

Development target

The future-oriented key concept for thisnew paper machine was “convertible”,since the current quality gaps betweenSCA and LWC grades will probably ceaseto exist before long. This assumptiondecisively influenced the entire papermachine concept.

Production tonnage increase and thepaper machine operating speed of1,800 m/min apply both to the SCA andthe LWC alternatives. The question as to

Fig. 3: Stock preparation.

Fig. 4: Wet end: tandem NipcoFlex press.

Fig. 5: Dry end: TopDuoRun and Sirius reel.

Fig. 6: Paper machine efficiency development.

Fig. 7: Janus MK 2.

Fig. 8: VariTop slitter-winder.

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directions, and absolute surface equalityon both sides of the sheet, ensuresmooth running in the printing presswithout any folding – which also helps toenhance printing efficiency”, says Wolf-gang Kühnel, manager technical cus-tomer service at SCA Graphic Laakirchen.“Thanks to close teamwork with PM 11manufacturer Voith Paper and our SCAGraphic Research department in Sweden,we arrived at an intelligent combinationof numerous production factors rangingfrom the design concept and furnishcomposition to the finished product”.

Goals set for SCA Laakirchen

The construction permit for this projectwas already applied for in 1991. Primaryobjective was to replace the old PM 3,dating back to 1962, setting the followingimplementation goals:● Investment costs not to exceed Euro

225 million.

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Effic

ienc

y %

90

80

70

60May June July Aug Sept

Production monthOct Nov

2002

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the final concept was to be answeredduring the development of PM 11, forwhich intensive research work startedprior to commissioning and will continuefor some time to come.

The PM 11 concept embodies the devel-opment potential for producing SCA-Pluspaper of the highest quality. If LWC qual-ity standards can than be reached closingthe gap between the two grades, a quan-tum leap will have been reached with asingle machine concept at the highest op-erating speed.

Partnership type cooperation between thepaper machine operator and supplier

throughout the entire project makes thisdevelopment possible. All concerned arewell aware of the great challenge in-volved, and even the most difficult prob-lems are being tackled systematicallywith a view to long-term solutions.

At the present time, six months afterstart-up, the success of this approachhas been confirmed. The new Voith Paperline with EcoCell flotation, paper ma-chine, Janus calender, slitter-winder, rolltransport and Twister packaging ma-chines not only produces outstandinglyhigh quality rotogravure and offset print-ing grades, but also sets a milestone withthe specially developed Grapho Nova

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grade for high quality printing presspapers.

Voith Paper congratulates SCA GraphicLaakirchen on this impressive new pro-duction line, and shares their pride inwhat has been achieved so far. The en-thusiastic feedback from our customers,after viewing this new line following therecent symposium in Salzburg, impres-sively confirms again Voith Paper’s com-petence in comprehensive customer andproduct-oriented solutions.

Company overview

SCA Graphic Laakirchen is one of Aus-tria’s longest-established paper mills.Founded in 1867, the company was takenover in 1963 by Wilfried Heinzel andexpanded. In 1988 it was acquired bySvenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA) ofSweden. With 550 employees, SCAGraphic Laakirchen turnover for 2001 to-talled 233 million Euro. Production inLaakirchen exclusively consists of super-calendered (SC) rotogravure and offsetprinting papers.

Not even a year after startup, we canalready report extremely successfuloperating results. Our ambitious pro-duction targets have been exceeded,and from the quality point of view,PM 11 represents a new epoch. This success has certainly not beenachieved by chance, and is not onlyattributable to the joint know-how ofboth partners in this project: VoithPaper in paper machinery and SCA inprinting papers. Decisive in my opinionfor these outstanding results is theexemplary teamwork and open coopera-tion between our two companies.

MarkLunabba

Chairman ofthe BoardSCA GraphicLaakirchen

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Fig. 9: SCA Graphic Laakirchen.

Fig. 10: PM 11 inauguration with the SCA team.