In March 2021, Papresa, one of the leading southern European manufacturers of newsprint, commissioned Voith with the conversion of PM 5 from newsprint to testliner and fluting at its Rentería mill in Spain. In March 2022, one year after the order was placed, PM 5 successfully went into operation and will enable significantly more efficient and sustainable production of packaging papers. The production of newsprint will be maintained on the mill’s PM 6 machine.
The capacity of the PM 5 is around 205,000 tons of testliner and fluting per year at a design speed of 1,200 m/min. The production focus is on lightweight packaging grades between 65 and 140 gsm, the wire width is 5.9m, and the web width at the reel is 5.4m.
In addition to modifications in the approach flow system, the forming section was upgraded with a DuoFormer D including new dewatering elements. Voith also supplied the DuoShake shaking unit and a MasterJetPro F/B headbox with ModuleJet I dilution water technology. To ensure the capacity increase of the paper machine, the existing press section was extended with a NipcoFlex shoe press and thus converted to a DuoCentri NipcoFlex press. New EvoSteel steel cylinders with higher steam pressure in the last two dryer groups of the pre-dryer section are also part of the scope of supply. A film press with a subsequent new after-dryer section also increases the quality of the final paper. Furthermore, the existing reel for more efficient reel spool changes has been expanded with the EcoChange W turn-up system. Finally, the scope of delivery also includes a comprehensive fabrics package for the PM 5.
“With Voith, we had a long-standing technology partner on our side for the conversion of PM 5, one that knows our plant and requirements inside out and has extensive experience in sustainable paper machine rebuilds,” says Miguel Sánchez, President and CEO, Papresa. “Voith’s expertise and many years of close cooperation have paid off – both the conversion and the start-up went smoothly and to our full satisfaction.”
