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Arctic Paper Grycksbo closes the inspection

loop with Papertech’s TotalVision


A cost-effective upgrade and integration of web inspection and web monitoring
systems improves diagnosis and solution to paper defects and web breaks.

By Sören Back and Mark Williamson


The technology of web break analysis (WMS) and web
inspection systems (WIS) has leaped forward over the past
decade and suppliers now offer fully integrated solutions. It
means that previously installed non-integrated systems can
become obsolete or provide only a partial results solution. To
protect their initial investments, and to improve the diagnostics
capabilities to state-of the-art, papermakers must look for cost-
effective migration paths that upgrades, but doesn’t throw away
existing infrastructure without reason. Arctic Paper Grycksbo, in
Sweden has found such an economically viable
integrated solution with Papertech
(www.papertech.ca).
Arctic Paper Grycksbo is Papertech’s oldest
customer in Europe (since 2001) and recently
upgraded to the TotalVision system that integrates
Papertech’s WebInspector web inspection system
(WIS), with the previously installed WebVision web
monitoring system (WMS) on PM 10. WebVision has been helping the papermakers
to analyze the root causes of web breaks. The inspection loop between web defects
and related web breaks is now closed into a
TotalVision WMS+WIS solution.
The first Papertech system on PM10, started
up in 2001, was the WebVision monitoring
system (WMS), comprised of eight (8)
cameras placed in critical positions in press
and drying sections as well as before and after
the coating. The system visualises where and
what has caused web breaks, making it
possible to correct and eliminate the root
causes for breaks quicker. This helped to
reduce the average number of breaks per day
from 6.5 down to 1.7 ten months after the
installation, resulting in a higher productivity
and a more stable quality level of the finished
paper, and a rapid less than 6 month payback.
Following the results obtained on PM 10, similar systems were installed on PM 7 and
PM 9, achieving efficiency and quality gains on these machines as well. All systems
have been upgraded at various intervals after operating between five and ten years.
The latest upgrading took place on PM 10 during 2013, extending the number of web
monitoring cameras to twelve.
The dilemma on PM10 was that they also had an older web
inspection from a different supplier. “We were in a situation
when we had two systems for optical web monitoring; one
modern web monitoring system and one old web inspection
system with no integration between them,” explains Björn
Jansson, Automation Engineer and Arctic Paper’s project
leader for the web inspection project. “With twelve web
monitoring cameras in critical positions in the paper machine
we could visualise the web break history, but not automatically
having it synchronised with information from the web inspection
system.”
“Secondly, the maintenance of our two old Cognex web
inspection systems before and after the coating unit was getting
very costly. Each spare line-scan camera was very expensive
and the system had become
unreliable.”
Integrated, up-to-date
technology
“What we wanted from a new
system was the integration
possibility and an up-to-date
technical solution, all at an
affordable cost. Having evaluated different solutions, we decided to go for the one
offered by Papertech with their WebInspector WIS to be integrated with the existing
WMS system. Obviously it makes sense to work with one supplier for both systems,
as any problem will be handled by one supplier instead of two.”
“However, buyer convenience mustn’t be the main reason for choosing a technical
solution,” Björn Jansson continues. “When investing in a new system aiming at
improving efficiency, quality and costs, one has to be sure that the money is
efficiently spent on a better technology than the one you have. What is also important
is that your supplier has a service level that you can rely on. When summing up all
factors, we decided to go for the web inspection system being integrated and
synchronized with their web into the TotalVision solution from Papertech. The order
also includes an option for a web inspection system for PM 7.”
The rebuild was done during two weeks in November,
2014, starting with a short production stop when the
existing beams were taken out and placed next to the
paper machine. The beams were upgraded in the aisle
between machines while production continued.
The Cognex line-scan cameras were replaced by
Papertech with off-the-shelf GigE high definition digital
matrix cameras. The camera beam was modified with
round camera openings. The existing cleaning nozzles
were replaced by CleanJet air nozzles through which
airfrom a ventilation fan keeps the lenses clean. This is particularly important for the
cameras in the beam before the coater as they are mounted under the paper web.
The Cognex sheet illumination beam was replaced by WebInspector WebLED light
beam physically placed on top of the Cognex light box. The new light beam is made
up of LED modules each being 610 mm wide, which makes for easy installation,
removal and maintenance. It is a high intensity pulsed linear system that provides
uniform lighting through the sheet. The cameras take hundreds of pictures per
second so the LED beams operate in a strobe mode to match camera image
frequency. This strobe technique results in no heat generation, a lower power usage
and longer LED life.
After two weeks with no machine downtime the refitted beams were installed. The
beam placed before the coater has five cameras covering the paper web and they
are placed under the paper web. The second camera beam is placed above the
paper web after the coater and has ten cameras.

By attaching the new WebLED beam on top of the existing Cognex light box
the space requirements are less and costs are saved. This measurement frame
is after the coater. (Papertech’s photo on the right could be used instead. Your
choice)
Björn Jansson shows the cabinet in which the upgraded WIS system and
servers are installed along with the WMS system.

The camera beam before the coater is located under the paper web.(Either of
Papertech’s photos on the right could be used instead. Your choice)

Lower costs
When changing supplier of a web inspection system normally the old complete
assembly has to be removed and a new one is installed, which is rather costly. In
addition, there might be a need to modify the sheet path or threading due new
physical conditions caused by the size of the new assembly. The Papertech way is
unique as existing frames that were still in a good condition are re-used, which
means that the system costs as well as the installation costs are reduced as no re-
engineering of the structure is
needed. This was an
important reason why Arctic
Paper Grycksbo chose
Papertech as the supplier.
The operator can
continuously see pictures
from all twelve web
monitoring cameras on one
screen and the results from
the web inspection beams
before and after the coater is
displayed side by side on the
same monitor. Each defect is
shown by a coloured dot
showing its position as well
as the type of defect. By
clicking on a certain dot, its appearance and history can be seen on a separate
monitor. Defects that repeat themselves can easily be related to a particular roll
diameter or length of a wire or a felt. Such a repeating defect is marked by a line on
the screen to attract operator attention and hence a quicker solution to the problem.

More fault details and problem analysis


So, what has the Papertech integrated solution given to Arctic Paper? “Following a
higher resolution the picture quality is much better so that we can see many more
details than before,” Björn Jansson continues. “The possibilities for analysis have
therefore been considerably improved. The fact that both systems are integrated in a
synchronised way means that as soon as there is a web break we can follow its
history backwards through the machine and see where and what caused the break.
This is obviously a great advantage,” he adds.
Björn Jansson and Hanna Stenback view the combined web break event and
web inspection analyses. By clicking on a specific defect dot on the screen to
the right, the defect is displayed on the screen to the left.
“Each pixel in the pictures from the cameras is analyzed by the system in order to
spot different defects,” says Hanna Stenback, Production Engineer for PM 10. “In
order not to be drowned by information from the system, we have set certain
minimum size limits for different defects. Otherwise the important defects wouldn’t be
recognised in a flood of spotted defects of all kinds and sizes. By setting the criteria
for when defects like wrinkles, holes, spots, black spots in light areas, streaks etc. are
critical, it is possible to highlight them and take action. TotalVision is used by our
operators to control the production and to detect the cause for web breaks. All data is
saved by the system and can be used to investigate quality complaints afterwards.”

The integrated system monitors are in PM 10’s control room. The upper screen
shows break events captured by the machine cameras.
“As can be expected with any brand new system, we have had some teething
problems, but most have been overcome by now,” Björn Jansson explains. I must
say that the Papertech people are really down to earth people, actually like we mill
people are. That is why they are easy to work with and they are really keen to solve
any problem and give us support so that we can achieve the high goals we set for the
project. We do appreciate the fact that they take the effort to make sure that
everything works as it should. All in all, we are satisfied with this system and we even
recently had a visit from another Swedish paper mill interested in the TotalVision
system,” he adds.

Sidebar: Arctic Paper Grycksbo in summary


Arctic Paper Grycksbo is one of Sweden’s oldest paper mills still running and with a
history dating back to 1740. The first paper machine was installed in 1836 and today
the mill has three paper machines; PM 7, PM 9 and PM 10, all producing woodfree
coated fine paper and packaging papers with a unique coating technology. The
coating units are integrated in the paper machines so the whole process is done
online. The mill’s products are branded G-Print, Arctic and AP-Tech.
PM 10 started in 1958 and was, with a trim width of 3.9 meter, the biggest fine paper
machine in Europe at that time. The machine has since been rebuilt a couple of times
and has today a machine speed of up to 1,200 m/min, a basis weight of 70 to 130
g/m2 and a production capacity of 160,000 tonnes of coated paper. The total
production capacity of all three paper machines is 265,000 tonnes of coated paper,
85 % of which is exported. The mill employs 400 people.

PM 10, on the left, has been upgraded with new WMS and WIS systems into
TotalVision from Papertech. Photo: Arctic Paper.
The main part of the production of coated fine paper is sheeted.

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