ABB Upgrades Japanese Pulp And Paper Mill With New Automated Paper Testing System

• Next-generation Autoline delivers accurate and repeatable quality reports in minutes for more consistent performance and higher profits
• Customer to benefit from rapid access to measurement data for reduced workload and better production and quality control
• ABB lab management system (LMS) ensures effective communication between new compact Autoline solution and existing network

ABB is upgrading a pulp and paper mill for a Japanese customer in Kyushu area with the latest version of its L&W Autoline automated paper testing system. Automated systems reduce measurement uncertainty, test variability, and manual gathering and testing of paper samples, which is time-consuming and can produce inaccuracies.

The ABB L&W Autoline delivers rapid, accurate and repeatable quality reports, enabling mills to make more informed decisions and take quicker corrective action to shift production targets, and achieve more consistent performance and higher profits.

The customer has used ABB’s L&W Autoline 300 for paper quality assurance for nearly 30 years, and L&W Autoline 400 for mill optimization since 2006, at its mill, which uses virgin pulp, used paper and bamboo to produce paper and board.

ABB is supplying a L&W Autoline with modules to measure Air Permeance, Thickness, Tensile , Burst P Lower and Grammage. The team is also providing two standalone instruments for tensile and tear, and a lab management system (LMS). The L&W LMS will collect measurement data from all the machines and send it via the client’s existing communication network, making it quicker and easier for staff to analyze and use it to optimize mill operations.

“We chose to upgrade to ABB’s next-generation Autoline for its many new features,” shared the customer. “One of the many benefits of the upgrade is that the ABB LMS allows us to keep the existing communication network. The mill reports that it has been more than satisfied with L&W Autoline product reliability and local support, and looks forward to enjoying the many benefits of the new, upgraded system.”

“The L&W Autoline provides quicker measurement and minimized paper jam due to new functionality, crip paper feeding and removing the curl function, maximizing the customer’s quality control speed,” said Hiromichi Yoda, Local Division Manager, Process Industries at ABB in Japan. “All of this is backed up with ABB’s Preventive Maintenance package, meaning that the customer can look forward to sustainable and reliable paper quality control for decades to come.”

“Automated paper testing is growing in both importance and popularity in Asia,” he added. “Looking at the market and competition, ABB’s L&W Autoline stands out for its speed, modern data management system and ease of integration at the mill.”

Measuring multiple paper properties in both directions, including cross-directionally (CD), is very important for pulp and paper operators in terms of quality control. Measuring the same position for different properties is difficult and requires multiple standalone instruments, which increases the manual workload for employees and can lead to measurement errors.

L&W Autoline measures multiple properties simultaneously, precisely and quickly (one property in less than four seconds) at the same positions for efficient and accurate reporting of the most important paper properties. The system is designed to support several paper machines, improving efficiency and giving staff more time to focus on quality optimization.