Experience and trust win contract for Voith in major rebuild project at Oji Papéis Especiais

Oji's portfolio currently serves various segments of the specialty paper market. The thermal papers segment includes applications ranging from sales receipts, bank statements and credit card vouchers all the way to parking, theater, cinema and lottery tickets. Using a similar technological principle, thermal labels are widely used by the e-commerce industry, among others. Lastly, carbonless copy papers and sublimation papers are respectively used for printing multiple sheets without carbon paper and fabric printing. 

The rebuild carried out by Voith will promote changes in the mill’s internal production flow, making it more automated and modern. The technological solutions presented by Voith will also contribute to increasing the plant’s energy efficiency while reducing its gas emissions. Additionally, the lower specific consumption of the mill will help Oji to maximize its overall output in Piracicaba.

PM 2 rebuild will yield increased mill output

As the supplier responsible for the PM 2 rebuild at the Piracicaba unit, Voith will implement a major upgrade on the machine and install a new press section including the NipcoFlex shoe press. It will also replace the existing coat applicator with its Voith SpeedSizer application technology, a solution capable of applying various coating and sizing formulations (with different properties and functions) on both sides of the paper. With this, Oji will be able to adjust the surface characteristics of each paper grade to meet its quality requirements while optimizing operating costs thanks to high-precision coat and size applications. 

The new SpeedSizer will also contribute to higher machine output thanks to increased operational speed – which translates into lower energy consumption, as well. Finally, the new sizing system will provide significant improvements in paper coating quality. The drying section will be retrofitted with innovative sheet stabilization technologies that will not only increase its operating speed, but also widen the range of basis weights that the machine can produce. 

The PM 2 modernization project will also replace the machine’s existing control system with a new, virtualized solution. By fully integrating the machine to the papermaking processes, this solution will provide increased reliability and security to the system, and will adhere to the latest cyber security concepts that are becoming increasingly important worldwide. Additionally, the solution will feature cloud data storage on the Voith OnCumulus platform, which will be instrumental for implementing future Industry 4.0 solutions.  

Modernization of coater PC 3

Also with the aim of expanding the mill’s overall production capacity, coater PC 3 will be extensively modernized with new drying hoods and a calender for improved paper finishing quality. With these new systems, the line will be capable of applying up to three layers of coating in a single pass of the paper web through the coater. Thanks to its deep knowledge of coater PC 3 (where it had already carried out other rebuilds), Voith also helped to increase the efficiency of the system's hoods, and consequently, the system’s efficiency as a whole.

Because thermal paper is a very sensitive paper grade, Oji opted to install the VariPlus winder – which is based on the concept of a single support roll, better known as “single-drum concept”. This type of winder reduces frictional forces during jumbo roll winding, which helps minimize unwanted markings on the paper. The Oji Group also commissioned Voith to transfer an existing VariPlus winder from its Tomioka plant, in Japan. Voith Paper will be responsible for rebuilding and supervising the winder installation at the Piracicaba plant.   

Oji Papéis and Voith have a long history of successful partnerships. The machine installed in Piracicaba was originally supplied by Voith, and combines its experience in the paper market with its in-depth knowledge of the paper industry. The support offered by Voith, with its global and local specialist teams in Brazil, was also decisive in winning the contract. Being able to rely on the company’s support all the way from project conception until implementation proved decisive.