Röchling Industrial Oepping

1. How are modern paper machines being re-engineered to balance maximum operating speed with long-term mechanical reliability, especially in high-capacity mills?

Digitalization and artificial intelligence are incredibly important. Ideally, plant operators would have a constantly updated digital twin of their equipment, allowing them to create virtual representations that serve as the basis for optimization. However, this is a very complex process, and for some aspects, the necessary information simply isn't available yet.

In this area, we at Röchling Industrial Oepping are pioneers in the paper industry and already offer a wide range of smart solutions. By integrating various sensors, we create intelligent products that enable the transition to data-driven, efficient production.

2. What role do predictive maintenance and condition monitoring play in improving paper machine reliability, and how mature are mills in adopting these technologies?

Predictive maintenance is becoming a cornerstone of reliability strategies. Condition monitoring, for example, of bearings or drives, is already a well-established method for condition-based, predictive maintenance.

But there are still products and applications, where there is no information available. An example is the suction roll. As soon as the roll is installed in the machine, there is no information about the condition of its wear parts. The roll is exchanged based on experience values. We have developed sealing strips with integrated sensors, providing continuous information about wear, temperature and vibrations, allowing to increase the running times and increase runabilty.

3. What challenges arise when retrofitting legacy paper machines with next-generation digital and automation solutions, and how can mills mitigate integration risks?

Limited space with existing machinery always presents a major challenge. This necessitates customized solutions; a standard solution cannot be used. We have a big engineering department and can adapt our solutions to every machine. 3D measurements are not always, but very often, part of our scope.

Another risk for the mill is handling the interfaces. Especially when more components are coming together, there is a high risk for mistakes. At Röchling Industrial Oepping, we handle our projects as a general contractor. We are the primary contact for our clients, and we take care of all coordination. 

4. How are sustainability pressures influencing engineering decisions related to water usage, fiber efficiency, and waste reduction in modern paper machines?

The greatest potential for savings always depends on the specific factory. The key principle is the polluter pays principle: Every company must analyze which consumers have the greatest resource demands – and then, together with operators, plant engineers, and partners, develop concepts to sustainably reduce these demands. 

The main cost drivers in paper production are energy, water, and raw material input. This is precisely where our solutions come into play – in our core competency: wire and press technology.

I want to explain our efforts in two examples:

• We have developed a unique paper machine clothing cleaning device. With this solution, the water amount, for example, for cleaning a forming fabric can be reduced to 97 percent compared to high-pressure shower pipes while simultaneously offering significant energy savings.  

Savings of up to 500.000m³ of fresh water and 2 MWh are possible. 

• Our SmartTable family offers specialized products that not only improve paper quality but also optimize raw material input. Strength property increases of up to +22% are possible. Due to that, significant starch savings can be realized.

With SmartTable AI we go one step further: We automate this process, relieve papermakers of manual interventions, and ensure that quality, energy, and resource usage are always optimally controlled. 

5. With increasing production complexity, how do paper mills ensure consistent quality across varying grades and rapid grade changes?

The key to efficient production and short product changeover times lies in the quality of information. Only if the mill immediately knows the condition on the machine, they can react and optimize. Online sensors are a possible solution.

We are offering a variety of different sensors for the paper machine. Dryness sensors in the wire section and the press/drying section are detecting deviations in the dewatering. Changes and optimizations can be done immediately, significantly improving the efficiency of the machine by reducing the steam consumption.

Our new online force sensor opens up entirely new possibilities for optimizing quality and performance. Instead of waiting for lab results, this sensor enables a real-time response to changing production conditions.

6. How important are operator skills compared to technology upgrades in maximizing paper machine performance?

In my opinion, the operator remains the indispensable factor for optimal production. The autonomous paper machine doesn't yet exist.

However, due to the decreasing number of employees, production departments have to handle an increasing number of tasks. Therefore, it is becoming ever more important to provide operators with the best possible support in these tasks. 

This is achieved, firstly, by providing information, such as that supplied by the aforementioned sensors. 

Secondly, our products allow us to completely automate certain tasks. For example, the optimization of the strength properties. We automate this process, relieving machine operators of manual interventions and ensuring that quality, energy, and resource usage are always optimally controlled.

7. Looking ahead, what engineering breakthroughs do you believe will define the development of paper machines in terms of efficiency, reliability, and adaptability?

Machines will be more and more designed for maximum flexibility, capable of producing a wide range of products efficiently while maintaining high reliability and low environmental impact.

The development of paper machines will be defined by even more digital integration, adaptive machine concepts, and sustainability. Digital twins, AI-guided operation, and self-optimizing systems will become standard.

Our latest product developments are already fully designed with this goal in mind.