Before any paper was wound on the roller, the foundation first had to be laid. After all, there was nothing at the current machine location, not even a building. Sun Paper and Voith began laying the foundation rails in November 2010 and then started the main installation on schedule in January 2011. “This was a superb achievement on the part of all those involved,” says Gerhard Buhmann, Senior Project Manager at Voith Paper. “Plan, erect the building, produce or RUBRIKprocure all the necessary products at the various sites worldwide, transport them to Qingdao and from there overland to Yanzhou – and all of that without any delay whatsoever in the overall project.”

Coating without interruption. The PM 24 in Yanzhou is Sun Paper’s first machine to use online coating technology, where the paper is coated twice on each side within the paper machine process directly after the drying section and then wound. In a separate step, two offline calenders smooth the paper to produce the finished product. Voith Paper supplied all technical components from paper machine to the two calenders and two winders, as well as the entire system of electronics and control elements. Given this large scope of supply, the project time of just 17 months was extremely short.

Directly after startup in summer 2011 the paper machine impressed with its very high efficiency, attributable not just to the machine but also to the professional work undertaken by Sun Paper’s production management. Just four days after its startup, the machine was producing paper of saleable quality, testimony to the success of the project. At a wire width of 8,100 mm and maximum operating speed of 1,800 m/min, the machine will produce up to 420,000 t/a wood-free coated paper in the basis weight range 52–105 g/m². This makes the PM 24 in Yanzhou the fastest and widest machine for graphic papers within the Sun Paper Group. At a capacity of up to 420,000 t/a, it is also the most productive.

As well as supplying the machine, Voith also signed an on-site service agreement with Sun Paper, which will significantly simplify optimization and maintenance.

Sun Paper
Sun Paper is one of the largest private companies in China and the biggest producer of coated board and food-grade folding cartons. The company, which employs 10,000 people, produces 3.5 million metric tons of pulp and paper every year. Yanzhou is where the company has its headquarters and operates six board and seven graphic paper machines. Sun Paper has another 15 facilities in China and other regions of Southeast Asia as well as in the USA. //

Facts & Figures: Yanzhou PM 24

• Startup: July 2011
• Products: LWC and wood-free coated papers
• Maximum operating speed: 1,800 m/min
• Capacity: 420,000 t/a
• Wire width: 8,100 mm
• Length: 296 m (plus parallel offline calenders and winder 78 m)
• Raw material: Long and short fiber pulp, BCTMP