Analysis of manufacturing processes and product variations for paper a

Local variations in material homogeneity and structure in the paper or board web are often associated with quality variations both in the product and in the conversion processes that follows. With different working methods, this connection can be clarified and then remedied.

Maps of variations produced with IR high-speed camera

The variation of the material homogeneity is reflected e.g., in the local heat radiation of the surface when the product comes out of the dryer. Our mobile IR camera system can be placed in a suitable measuring position to image the paper path in detail during many minutes of production. Variations over the surface can be detected without motion blur by high frame rate and short exposure times. Together with a description of the process, analysis of periodic variations and temporary patterns can lead to a better understanding of how the origin is linked to material flow and machine condition, respectively.

Maps of IR variations may also be synchronized with permanently installed measurement systems to model property variations for the areas that are not characterized by the measurement systems of the mill. In the long run, this improves the ability to find and understand the occurrence of temporary deviations online. This enables an earlier and more reliable performance classification of the various process sections at the mill. Another application may be faster start-ups and change of grades.

Detailed characterization of reels with automated testing and specialized analyses

As an alternative or complement, narrow product reels can be characterized in detail for a desired combination of product properties. By using automated paper testing equipped with automatic winding, hundreds of meters long test rolls can be characterized several times. In this way, you can get thousands of measurements for different properties measured in coincident positions and with step lengths down to the centimetre level.

In addition to standardized measurements, RISE can perform specialized analyses to identify problem factors in the product. Examples are local formation, anisotropy in the thickness direction or chemical analysis with a hyperspectral NIR camera.

Connection to extracted and structured process data

RISE platform for analysis of large amounts of data makes it possible to combine high resolution variability maps of the entire production with selected process data from the mill in a secure and controllable way. In this environment, different methods of advanced data analysis can be used on the common dataset for different purposes. These may range from simpler comparisons to the development of predictive models to use for causal analysis, anomaly detection or as a tool for operator support.