The new OptiFlo headbox family brings together our unrivaled expertise and new technology, opening the door to improved quality and increased productivity in all forming applications. Valmet’s high-performance headbox is an ideal solution for single- and two-layer applications, in order to meet today’s high boardmaking demands on containerboard production.
The key elements of the OptiFlo Gap headbox are its completely redesigned headbox turbulence generator and a slice channel built using composite wedge technology. These innovations allow a consistent and disturbance-free slice jet. The key objectives of the OptiFlo Gap headbox are first to achieve optimal fiber suspension fluidization and then to maintain this optimal fluidization without disturbance across the forming section.
Experiences from several production machines show that homogenous slice jet quality yields excellent board properties. This gap forming headbox design maximizes the utilization of raw material strength potential, which enables the use of more cost-effective raw materials.
Top side view of brown (40 gsm) on grey (40 gsm) linerboard sample, total 80 gsm.
The two-layer OptiFlo Gap headbox delivers good layer coverage. All hydraulic components of the headbox have been designed to minimize slice jet and board sheet disturbances to reach this.
Valmet’s high-performance headbox provides a robust hydraulic performance and excellent board properties with uniform basis weight and fiber orientation profiles within an extended operating window. This means increased operating performance and adaptability to varying production conditions.
OptiFlo II and OptiFlo Pro headbox applications are available under the renewed names OptiFlo Layering Gap headbox and OptiFlo Gap headbox.
Valmet's latest innovation, aqua layering technology uses a thin water layer as a headbox wedge to stabilize layers and to form an even film while layers of stratified paper are being joined together. It prevents the mixing of stock layers and also enables the feeding of functional additives between the stock layers.
Aqua technology can be combined together with OptiFlo Layering Gap headbox. Read more about the benefits of aqua layering here.
Having two separate headboxes is a much bigger investment compared to a layering headbox. But the cost savings do not come only from the initial headbox investment. There are possibilities for great operational cost savings as well. With two headboxes you have two wires running with all the water and chemicals. These require cleaning and changing wires, which take a lot of time. All of these create a higher operational cost compared to a layering headbox. So, it is not only about the initial headbox investment, but consider also the cost savings in energy, chemicals and consumables when comparing investing in a layering headbox versus several headboxes.
Explore and learn more about our full-scope offering for the board and paper industries.
