Heidenheim, Germany 30 November 2017 -- When upgrading its PM 2, Koehler Kehl opted for products from Voith's AdvancedPRODUCTS range that enable the company to reduce the machine's water consumption, achieve a faster starting curve and at the same time improve paper quality.

One of Koehler's major strengths is its willingness to constantly improve. This is why for the upgrade of the press section on the PM 2 the focus was on achieving more stable operation, reliable planning of shutdowns and improved safety in the production process. On the PM 2, the company produces just short of 130,000 metric tons of thermal paper per year with basis weights of between 35 and 47 g/m².

In the course of various improvement measures, Voith fitted the press section with products from PressMax range of its AdvancedPRODUCTS. The prime objective was to continually improve the quality of the paper grades and reduce its operational costs.

The latter was especially achieved by using of the QualiFlex press sleeves for the shoe press. Refinements were made to the sleeves and their abrasion behavior was improved. On the PM 2 this led to a doubled runtime. This reduced the maintenance work for replacing the shoe press covers. Previously, the press sleeves had needed to be changed after 180 days on average.

An increase in productivity was also the reason for introducing press felts with PeakElement which allow a faster start and better nip dewatering than standard felts. As a result, the start-up curve of the machine could be shortened considerably following the felt change. "With the installation of the Voith products, we were able to clearly improve the start-up curve after felt change on the PM 2. The machine can be brought to its maximum speed faster and with fewer problems, resulting in greater availability and lower operating costs," states Joachim Fuchs Productionmanager PM 2 / CM 2 at Koehler Kehl Germany.

In addition, the measurements taken by the FeltView system delivered important moisture and permeability data for targeted conditioning of the pick-up felts. Koehler can use this data to continually optimize machine settings and improve efficiency. Critical felt conditions can be identified before they impair the process and the felts are run in optimum operating condition. FeltView also makes manual measurements redundant, which ultimately improves the safety of the production process.

Voith Paper is a Group Division of Voith and the leading partner and pioneer in the paper industry. Through constant innovations, Voith Paper is optimizing the paper manufacturing process, focusing on developing resource-conserving products to reduce the use of energy, water and fibers. Furthermore, Voith Paper offers a broad service portfolio for all sections of the paper manufacturing process.

For 150 years, Voith technologies have been inspiring its customers, business partners and employees all over the world. Founded in 1867, Voith today has around 19,000 employees and earns 4.3 billion euros in sales. It has locations in more than 60 countries and is one of the largest family-owned companies in Europe. As a technology leader, Voith sets standards in the energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive markets.