Mechanical Distribution
Measurement of the stiffness and deformation resistance of paper or board across the full width of the paper machine. An elastic modulus profile reveals the variation in the ratio of stress to strain as the material is produced in a continuous web. This data allows operators to understand how the fibres are oriented and how the sheet will behave under tension.
Runnability Impact
Uniformity in the stiffness of the web prevents issues such as wrinkling, bagging, creases and web breaks during high speed converting and printing operations. A consistent elastic modulus profile ensures that the tension remains even across the rollers, which is required for maintaining accurate register in multi colour printing. If one side of the roll is measurably stiffer than the other, the web will tend to track to one side.
This steering effect creates waste and reduces the efficiency of the lamination process.
Fibre Orientation
Advanced ultrasonic sensors measure the velocity of sound waves through the paper to calculate the modulus in real time. Because the elastic modulus profile is sensitive to the jet to wire speed ratio, the headbox settings are adjusted to achieve the desired fibre alignment. A well balanced profile leads to predictable folding and scoring performance in the production of folding cartons.
