'It is just not possible' pushes mechanical engineering researchers towards more ambitious goals

Mechanical engineering researchers need to think outside the box when looking for solutions for paper & board industry. Aalto University researchers strongly believe that paper machines can be made more energy efficient by finding new innovations and applications for air bearings, seals and vibration control.

Energy efficiency and the quality of production capacity are major paper industry themes familiar to Finns. The paper industry is currently in the grip of a changing production environment, as the consumption of graphic paper is decreasing while the use of packaging cardboard and household tissue paper is increasing. In addition, the substitution of plastic packaging materials with paper or bio-based products is dramatically increasing. The research group is also looking for answers to this challenge in two Business Finland funded projects.

'For us, the sentence ‘it is just not possible’ just means a more meaningful challenge. Taking an unconventional and unexpected angle of attack is part of our everyday work,' states Assistant Professor Raine Viitala of Aalto University, explaining the team’s core idea.

While the air bearing has traditionally been used in precision engineered applications, it could always be used in new applications on a case-by-case basis. 

Doctoral researcher Mikael Miettinen has specifically studied the performance of air bearings and seals. 

'We have already achieved significant breakthroughs in the ability to reduce friction by getting an air bearing with a whole new design to work in the laboratory test equipment. The measurement results are promising,' says Miettinen.

Thanks to close dissertation cooperation, the POWER Beyond project is making rapid progress. Air bearings and seals based on them may already be used in paper machines and for other heavy industry needs in the near future.

Production process efficiency and productivity improved by proper maintenance procedures

The BETTER project, which deals with the maintenance and maintenance of paper machine rolls, is also a key project that aims to increase the competitiveness of Finnish industry. Researchers believe that the quality control systems used in production plants could be used more extensively to measure machine direction variations in quality. 

'The paper produced by production machines is like magnetic tape, which records traces made by the rolls that carry and manipulate the paper. We have already found that, using modern signal processing, the condition of approximately 100 rolls in a paper machine can be determined from a single measurement, while reducing the number of sensors required and the related investment costs,' explains Viitala says.

The technology developed helps to target maintenance measures on the right components in a timely manner and, in turn, leads to an improvement in the quality of the end product, because maintenance can be planned more effectively.

The project output will soon be tested at UPM’s Kymi paper mill.

'Our best collaborations are definitely always on the Business Finland projects, along with the fact that our discoveries help our project partners to increase their competitiveness,' says Viitala.

Further information about the project: research.aalto.fi:
research.aalto.fi/en/projects/kumppanuusmalli-power-beyond-process-optimization-with-friction-a  
research.aalto.fi/en/projects/beyond-traditional-roll-service