Paper mill relies on condition monitoring systems
A
SKF UK product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Oct 5, 2009
SKF is helping Sappi Fine Paper Europe in Germany to improve efficiency in paper production through a condition monitoring programme.
The Sappi mill at Ehingen produces around 250,000 tonnes of paper per year, with the company as a whole having an annual output of more than 2.7 million tonnes.
The SKF condition monitoring systems at Sappi incorporate 385 sensors situated throughout the line so maintenance staff can retrieve data at any time
Its wood-free coated paper is mainly used for the preparation of high-gloss brochures for industrial advertising, artistic print calendars and art portfolios.
Sappi first implemented condition monitoring in the early 1990s and soon realised the importance of equipment monitoring.
Burkhard Kohn, technical manager at Sappi Fine Paper Europe, said: 'The paper line is 200m long and makes exclusive use of advanced control and drive systems, with a large number of bearings and gears.
'Therefore, there is a risk of a component failure almost everywhere.
'We realised early on that condition monitoring of all key moving parts was crucial to reliable operation, as downtime can cost in excess of EUR10,000 [GBP9,100] per hour.
'Initially, we used offline measuring systems, but we gradually changed over to SKF online systems,' added Kohn.
The SKF condition monitoring systems incorporate 385 sensors situated throughout the line so that maintenance staff can retrieve data at any time.
Automatic alarms identify changes in the operating conditions, with real-time measurements allowing the company to determine the speed and nature of the fluctuation in bearing conditions.
This allows Sappi to calculate when to change bearings or if a unit can be operated safely until the next scheduled maintenance date.
SKF has also supplied Microlog data collectors for staff to take manual measurements at various points on the line, as well as vibration sensors fitted to the measuring positions and evaluation software, which allows Sappi to view the data in detail and analyse it.
'In the time since we started our offline and online measurements, we have successfully identified more than 1,000 potential problems before they became serious,' said Kohn.
'Whereas in 1991 we had to stop the plant every other week, today the interval between maintenance stoppages is six weeks.
'The SKF tools allow us to thoroughly analyse all bearings in our manufacturing facilities,' he added.
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