A state of the art in winding

The art of winding tissue 

The culmination of the tissue making process is a complex combination of machinery and the personnel’s expertise where the reel doesn’t just finish the process; it is the start of the final tissue product.

Winding technology is all about preserving sheet properties and creating a reel with excellent unwinding and handling properties. These two areas don’t need to be in conflict.

Valmet's Advantage SoftReel portfolio

Valmet’s SoftReel portfolio includes reels suitable for all tissue grades. Before deciding for a reel ask yourself:

• How sensitive to pressure are the tissue grades that you will produce?
  
  
• How sensitive are your downstream processes for sheet property variations?
  
  
• What is the skill set of your personnel?
  
  
• For a hybrid machine, what flexibility do you want to have?

Since its development in 2005, Valmet’s family of reels has given tissue producers a competitive edge. The equipment is one of the most innovative winding systems on the market. Over the last two decades, tissue production has certainly evolved. Today, safety awareness among our customers and in the overall industry is higher and more mills are moving toward autonomous production. 

With more than 200 improvements the new generation of Valmet Advantage Softreel P & L is a better, safer and more reliable product – with fewer disturbances and higher productivity.

Further improve the quality in winding

The winding quality is crucial, it defines the start of the final tissue product. The reel can sometimes be complex to understand: what load should be applied or when to use the CWA?
A very common issue in the industry, as a consequence of incorrect settings, is caliper variation in parent rolls with low caliper in the beginning and high in the end.
Valmet is taking on a new approach to further improve the quality and usability. Valmet has developed the new control mode InWoundCaliper (IWC). 

The IWC gives:

• An increased caliper preservation, fiber and bulk saving
  
  
• Increased yield in converting
  
  
• Less need of embossing to compensate for large caliper variation
  
  
• Less adjustments in converting due to diameter differences of parent rolls
  
  
• No need to find linear load curves and CWA settings for different grades
  
  
• Easier to understand how to set up the winding
  
  
• Less dependent of friction over time

Questions and answers

Q: How has Valmet improved safety for the new SoftReel P & L?

A: We are proud to present the sheet transfer and reel with the (by far) highest safety standard in the industry. ​At Valmet, we prioritize the safety of mill personnel above all else. Therefore, we put a lot of effort in the development to increase the ability to change settings on the run, reduce areas of dust built up and ease housekeeping. A key for safe working in the dry end is how and where to access the machine, the new SoftReel and updated sheet transfer area has smart SOA zones, which means smart and safe access with minimal interfering of production.

Q: Why is the new Advantage SoftReel more efficient?​

A: When developing the new safe SoftReel a top priority has also been to enhance the production efficiency. We are proud to say that our new SoftReel enables higher productivity, less sheet break and better turn up efficiency. ​

This has been achieved by our 200 improvements in the reel and sheet transfer. ​For example, improvements of the tail threading system, glue system, smaller spools, reduced roll handling time, faster and more accurate weighing system, etc.​

Q: How is the winding precision improved?​

A: We have developed a spool tracking system with the capability to keep track on all spools and thereby increase winding precision in the primary arm, give a more accurate weight of the jumbo rolls and alert if any fault is detected in the spool.​

The reel is designed for handling a large variation of tissue grades, at high speed and to minimize sheet breaks and need of operator involvement. It should be relaxing to be equipped with Valmets new SoftReel!​

​Q: What has Valmet done to make it easier to control and monitor the production?​

A: The new Softreel is operated with the new Valmet DNA User Interface giving an extension possibility to analyze and get feedback on the reel performance. There is also an additional support for Valmet to help you through our Valmet Performance Center to speed up trouble shooting and keep up the long-term efficiency.​

This reel is prepared for the future and it supports a selection of add-on functionalities, equipping you for the advancements of tomorrow. ​

Opportunities for new projects or rebuilds 

Advantage SoftReel winding systems present an alternative to the problems of conventional winding that tissue makers have traditionally accepted as part of the process. The technology is available as an option for all new and existing Valmet tissue machines as well as for installation on tissue lines from other suppliers as an upgrade or rebuild.