OnQ FormingSens from Voith has a long track record of benefitting paper manufacturers of different grades, with more than 100 systems are already in use in the forming section worldwide.
Thanks to microwave technology, the leading solution measures fluctuations in water weight precisely, reliably and in real time. Based on this information, papermakers can systematically improve their settings, achieve a stable dry content at the end of the forming section, and utilise the maximum dewatering capacity in the press section. At the same time, the optimised settings ensure less wear on the forming fabrics and ceramics. In addition, vacuum and drive energy usage can be reduced, which was confirmed, among others, by a Central European packaging papers manufacturer. Here, OnQ FormingSens reduces energy costs by around €130,000 per year and pays for itself in well under a year. For maximum user-friendliness and reliability, Voith experts have now further optimised the design of the solution.
“Compared to the previous OnQ FormingSens, the new generation has a significantly longer service life, flexible connection options to existing process control systems, and improved mechanical stability, thus enabling extremely reliable measurement results,” says Jörg Spindler, Manager Actuator Development, Voith Paper.
The new design focuses on a solid, low-vibration construction, as well as a simplified electrical design. Among other things, Voith’s experts reworked the mechanical mount so that the operator can now fine-tune the penetration depth from outside the machine via waterproof mechanical gear. The sensor holder can be flexibly positioned on various existing dewatering elements in the former. Compared to hand-held measuring devices, the permanently installed application is characterised by higher safety, as no direct contact of the operator with the forming fabrics is necessary. An improved sensor housing ensures higher long-term stability. The new generation OnQ FormingSens is installed to a nearby terminal box, which can be serviced by Voith experts via a service connection. This allows the optimised solution to be better connected to customers’ existing infrastructures, such as the process control system.
Based on the measurements of OnQ FormingSens, the control loop can be closed with the fully automatic dewatering control OnC.Dewatering. The control system defines and stabilises the dry content of each layer produced and thus significantly increases ply bond on multi-ply machines.
