- Press felt measurements are highly relevant for the operation of a paper machine. However, the health and safety of the employees must not be subordinated for the measurement.
- With the help of the self-driving ProTect NG, important criteria of press felt performance – such as water content, water absorption capacity and felt tension – are measured and shown in a 3D diagnosis.
- The measurements can be used for fault diagnosis, prediction of remaining running time and optimization of the felt design.
HEIDENHEIM, Germany. When measuring press felts manually, there is often a risk of jamming, tripping and slipping. At some positions, the employee is additionally exposed to enormous heat and the constant danger of a felt break also represents a significant, permanent safety risk. Yet, the measurement of felts is an important component in the papermaking process. The automated measurement with Voith´s ProTect NG (Next Generation) therefore offers an excellent alternative to determine the important felt data without risk.
The ProTect system consists of an autonomous carriage and one or more fixed rails (traverses). The user waits on the runway during the measurement and thus no longer remains in the hazardous area. A carriage can be used in different paper machines. It does not matter how wide the machines are, and whether the carriage has to run to the left or to the right. The new generation of the ProTect NG carriage also offers programmable measuring cycles, self-diagnosis and remote service access. Furthermore, the carriage speed can be reduced to the point where 3D mapping travel is possible. The traverses can be installed in almost any position, even those that are difficult to access. No water, electricity or compressed air connection is required at the actual measuring points, as the ProTect NG carriage is a “self-supplier”. Only the charging station needs a 110/220V power connection – and in the best case a water connection to fill the tank.
Optimized diagnostic options with the new ProTect NG
The new ProTect NG continues the global success of ProTect and offers several new benefits for customers. “With the experience of much more than 200 installed positions, ProTect has become the standard for semi-automatic press felt measurements. ProTect NG is the consistent further development of the original ProTect system with improvements in all areas. In addition to weight reduction and optimized serviceability, functionality has been improved above all,” explains Torben Beckmann, Global Product Manager at Voith Paper. “Besides the ability to program individual macros for more customized measurements, ProTect NG has a number of pre-programmed procedures, including detailed edge analysis, automatic CD and MD measurements and variable speed measurements. ProTect NG offers the service expert the flexibility for individual measurements while making standard measurements as easy as possible,” says Beckmann.
ProTect NG provides an optimized diagnostic option, which can be combined with all available measuring instruments. The integrated display shows the most important carriage parameters as well as the pre-installed measuring run programs. The intuitive operability provides even inexperienced operators with quick access to the various analysis options. ProTect NG also convinces with its further reduced weight, which is achieved by using carbon and 3D-printed parts. The lower weight is important for more comfortable handling combined with increased safety for the staff.
Work safety at the highest level the ProTect NG enables automated press felt measurements without exposing service personnel to any danger 
Lightweight The weight of the individual components is constantly optimized for example the rear cover is made of carbon The lower weight of the ProTect NG facilitates handling 
Low effort: ProTect is a carriage and rail system that picks up the felt measuring device brought along and moves it across the machine. Supply and data lines are redundant. The 
The 3D felt mapping enables precise measurements of the felt parameters for optimization and fault elimination Depending on the measuring device used water permeability moisture tension and temperature can be measured
3D diagnosis of the press felts in CMD
In combination with suitable felt measuring devices, the very low speed of the ProTect NG enables three-dimensional scanning of felt surface temperatures, moisture and water permeability profiles of the press felts. Depending on the machine width, a 3D scan can take several minutes, during which time the service technician now no longer needs to be in the dangerous area. Voith offers a tensiometer specially developed for felt tension measurements that saves the values on a USB stick during the measurement. After the measurement, the measured values are read out in the PC.
About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 20,000 employees, sales of € 4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.
The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.
Contact
Naomi Keitel
Jr. Global Communication Manager Voith Paper
Tel. +49 7321 37 2209
Naomi.Keitel@Voith.com
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