HEIDENHEIM, Germany, June 2, 2008 (Press Release) - In 2008, Voith achieved a milestone by having at least one composite calender cover running in every MultiNip Calender in North America.
The Safir S cover was designed to operate in extreme calendering applications like those used in MultiNip calenders for finishing SC, LWC and specialty grades. These covers maintained the high compressive stress in the nip, even at elevated temperatures. They have excellent thermal properties and provide stability when exposed to high mating roll temperatures. Due to their construction, these covers also provide unsurpassed resistance to barring. Safir S covers also provided economic benefits due to the significant increase in grinding intervals and reduced grind losses compared to conventional calender covers.
For example, one mill was limited in run times in certain positions on a calender due to barring. Typically, only 20-24 days of run time were achieved. With the introduction of the Voith Safir cover, run times were increased to an average of 75 days! This allowed the mill to run two complete maintenance cycles between roll changes and eliminated unplanned shutdowns to change barred rolls.
A second mill was experiencing frequent cover replacements due to the non-repairable nature of the existing covers. Since all Voith covers can be band patched or spot repaired, these damages can now be repaired and the cover returned to service at a fraction of the cost of a new cover. To date, none of the 6 Voith covers supplied to this mill have been damaged.
Voith has now surpassed the successful Safir S technology with the introduction of the NeoSilk and NanoPearl covers to North America. The NeoSilk cover builds on the experience of over 700 calender applications worldwide and offers an optimized filler system and enhancements in impact resistance, wear resistance and thermal stability. NeoSilk is an excellent choice for use in all conventional and modern calender applications.
The NanoPearl cover is equipped with a nanoparticle filler system that is unique in particle size distribution and homogeneity. The average particle size measures only 10-20 nm which is a break through for calendering applications. The nanoparticle filler technology allows significant improvement in wear resistance, thermal expansion, tan delta, glass transition and surface smoothness characteristics. This allows the NanoPearl to be run in the most demanding MultiNip, SoftNip and Supercalender conditions and develop the highest quality sheet qualities. NanoPearl covers also provide further improvement in impact resistance and can be run at the highest speeds, loads and temperatures. NanoPearl covers are currently running in many demanding applications and providing real benefits in run time and sheet quality.
Voith Paper is a division of Voith and is one of the leading partners to the paper industry. Voith Paper optimizes the paper production process through constant innovations. More than a third of worldwide paper production is produced on Voith Paper machines.
Voith sets standards in paper, energy, mobility and service markets. Founded on January 1, 1867, Voith has a current workforce of 37,000, sales of EUR 4 billion and over 270 locations worldwide. It is one of the largest family-owned enterprises in Europe.
Voith is an official partner to the initiative "Germany - Land of Ideas".
