Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner expands online monitoring for process critical refiners

Smurfit Kappa now expands its online condition monitoring system at the liner mill in Piteå, Sweden to include a number of process critical refiners.

At Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner in Piteå, online condition monitoring with SPM HD is already in use on four wash presses. The kraftliner mill has also replaced select parts of an older vibration monitoring system on the paper machine PM1 with the multifunctional Intellinova online system from SPM.

With the Intellinova Compact system, online monitoring is now expanded to include three of the seven refiners, using a combination of the SPM HD measuring technique and vibration analysis. A failure on one of the refiners would cause production stoppage and the application is therefore considered critical.

The refiners are used in stock preparation prior to entering the paper machine. Refiners work with disc segments, one of which is rotating and the other is stationary. The refiners at Smurfit Kappa Kraftliner operate at approximately 600 RPM.

Smurfit Kappa Piteå is Europe's largest kraftliner mill with an annual capacity of 700.000 tons. Kraftliner is a base paper made from virgin fibres and used for manufacturing of high-quality corrugated board. The products have good printability, good strength in humid environments and are chemically and biologically clean.

Maintenance technician Håkan Sirkka on why Smurfit Kappa opts for online monitoring on the refiners: "Installing online condition monitoring on these refiners improves our possibilities to perform the right maintenance at the right time, thus avoiding breakdowns."

Learn more about Smurfit Kappa here.