rollers (there are approximately 180 on
the line) must all guarantee the same
travel speed for the paper to prevent it
tearing.
MAINTAINING CONTROL OVER YOUR
PRODUCTION FACILITIES
The Ahlstrom Specialties plant has
chosen to design and manufacture its
machines itself, and to draw on local
players in this endeavour. “We take great
care with the quality of our products
and with controlling our costs,” explains
Gérard Giry, Maintenance and Engineering
Manager at Ahlstrom Specialties. He adds:
“We need to have complete control over
our production line.”
As is the case in so many extremely
specialised or sensitive fields,
developing your machines on site is
an efficient way of maintaining control
over your production facilities, so as
to ensure effective management of
their maintenance, or for developing
innovation, not to forget the ability to
ensure that your manufacturing secrets
are kept under wraps.
And this is where Nidec Leroy-Somer
comes in. It brings to the table, of
course, the technical performance of
its electromechanical drive solutions
(in particular the CB3000 range of
geared motors on the new, recently
commissioned production line). Yet
the engineers of Ahlstrom-Munksjö
also selected this manufacturer for its
reactivity.
Of course, the reputation of its local
partner, SEFI, the French distributor
specialised in the field of power
transmission, weighed significantly
in its favour, with its well-established
reputation in the factory environment, in
dealings with new works & maintenance
managers, and with production managers.
It should also be pointed out that the
efficiency of the Nidec Leroy-Somer
Assembly Centre is recognised in the
profession. The service proposed – which
incidentally has no equivalent on the
market – allows this manufacturer of
electric motors and alternators to support
its clients, partners and distributors with
the service that the latter themselves
provide daily to users.
“To guarantee the care and attention that
we wish to offer our clients,” says Mr Giry,
“we need to be able to count fully on our
suppliers.” He adds: “Since becoming a
part of Nidec, Leroy-Somer has been able
to demonstrate even more attentiveness
to the express needs of its clients.”
Gérard Giry, Maintenance and Engineering
Manager at Ahlstrom Specialties
“The manufacturing of high-quality,
hi-tech paper requires us being able
to guarantee high precision in the
automation systems, on the scale of our
machines, combined with great finesse.”
The paper manufacturing principles
are well known. In the course of its
production, a 2.5 m-wide strip of paper
passes through four broad stages: coating,
drying, finishing, rolling. This strip of
paper goes through the various stages
on its production line over a distance of
around 100 meters. The paper sheet (200
meters long) enters this line at one end.
An enormous roll of paper (weighing
some 3 tonnes) is wound in at the other
end (35 km of paper per drum). In all, it
takes dozens of rotation axes that need
to be controlled with the highest degree
of finesse and synchronisation. The drive
About the technical solution Compabloc
3000 geared motors with parallel gears
from Nidec Leroy-Somer are used to
adapt the speed of the electric motor to
that of the driven machine. The full range
comprises 10 different sizes. Among
the technical characteristics of this
family of geared motors, the following
in particular stand out: a rated output
torque of between 10 N.m and 14,500
N.m, a power output ranging from 0.06 to
110 kW, reduction ratios of between 1.16
and 252, and high efficiency of between
95 and 98%. It should also be noted that
these geared motors are reversible. This
equipment is also appreciated for its
quiet running.
For more than a century, the
manufacturer’s solutions have been
present in every industry where energy
needs to be produced and movement
transmitted. Backed by this wealth of
experience, the engineers and technicians
of this French company provide
innovative and reliable solutions for the
most varied of applications. What is more,
thanks to its design offices, it is able to
work alongside its customers in the heart
of their business from the earliest design
stages of the applications and products.
In this way, Nidec Leroy-Somer can adapt
and customise its product ranges by
incorporating the requirements of the
customer specifications or processes
(control, self-diagnostic, communication,
automation, monitoring, etc.), the
requirements of the working environment
(humidity, corrosion, high temperature,
explosive atmospheres, etc.), the
machine function constraints (handling,
pumping, compression, ventilation, etc.),
and the industrial standards and norms
(chemicals, automotive, food, paper, naval
industries, etc.). Nidec Leroy-Somer has
developed new technologies for machine
cooling, high speeds, electromagnetic
compatibility, reduced noise and
vibrations, surface treatment, mechanical
resistance of materials, and the coating
and insulation of windings, to constitute
an incomparable wealth of solutions.
www.leroy-somer.com
www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com
www.sefitransmission.fr
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