The goal of any tissue paper manufacturer is to make their production processes as fast as possible, while preserving the integrity and quality of the sheet of paper obtained. The crescent former is an integral part of this process and its role, which is to ensure that the stock is properly formed and drained, is crucial to achieving the highest quality paper.
From C-wrap former to Crescent Former
Although the crescent former has been in use since the 1960s, many companies are still using the older C-wrap machines. One such company was one of A.Celli’s customer.
As part of A.Celli’s industrial plant retrofits, it was our mission to provide them an upgrade capable of meeting their growing needs. Let’s take a look at their story.
Project’s goals and challenges
The problem with our client, as we mentioned, was the use of the C-wrap former. This solution, also known as twin-wire former, requires the stock to pass between two forming fabrics before going through the press felt.
The crescent former, on the other hand, combines these two steps into one, allowing the stock to pass between the forming fabric and the press felt. This eliminates an entire step in the process, or rather, integrates the formation and drainage phases, offering the following benefits:
- Lower capital equipment and maintenance costs
- Lower energy cost
- Compact footprint
- Better formation
- Improved lightweight sheet appearance
Our customer wanted to accomplish three important goals, namely:
- Increase machine speed from 1.200 mpm to 1.800 mpm
- Increase plant productivity from 40.000 t/y to 55.000 t/y
- Modernize the existing recycle paper plant to DIP
The goal was also to use as much of the existing machine components as possible.
Solution: upgrading the plant and Tissue Machine and providing constant support
First of all, A.Celli conducted dedicated surveys of the customer’s existing setup. Thanks to this, our engineers were able to identify what components could be reused or repositioned and which ones would need to be replaced.
Once the survey was completed and all necessary modifications were highlighted, the documentation was provided to the customer. This was one of the key elements for aligning with the customer’s needs.
The scope of supply, in this specific case, included:
- Modification of tissue machine (wet-end, hood, air system and pope reel section)
- A new approach flow system
- Complete modification of existing paper recycling plant, where A.Celli added elements like pulper, de-inking cell, washer, hot disperger module and clarifier
- Upgrade of the existing equipment, such as the chemical system and reject system
- New components, including the TM drive, motors and MCC for the new equipment
- New pumps, chests, instrumentations, valves, piping, cables, supports and frames for the new equipment
- DCS
- Engineering work
- Customer service, including installation
Results
Once the upgrade to a new Crescent Former and tissue plant was completed, A.Celli’s customer was delighted to experience the following results:
- Tissue machine with a operative speed of 1.800 mpm
- Improvement of product quality
- Improvement of plant productivity
- Achievement of the agreed energy consumption
In other words, the results met all expectations, providing our customer with a more efficient production process to compete in the tissue marketplace.
