Valmet IQ - The smart way forward in quality management

A new product family for quality control and monitoring in pulp and paper manufacturing

The latest generation Valmet IQ is a scalable on-line quality management solution that offers all the devices and controls needed to monitor and optimize both process stability and end-product quality. For the first time, the QCS system, CD profilers, Web Monitoring, and Web Inspection Systems are available on a common platform designed to work seamlessly together. Valmet’s first QCS system was introduced already decades ago, and with over 1000 delivered intensive product development has been continuous ever since. With a completely renewed product portfolio, Valmet IQ marks a new milestone in the era of quality management solutions in the paper industry.

New system or smart upgrade

Today’s paper making machines are aging, and not very many completely new production lines are built. Instead, old machines are modernized or even re-located to places where it is more economical to continue production. In such cases, the smartest way forward is to replace the intelligence in the machine with the latest technology instead of trying to maintain obsolete components and struggle to preserve availability. The completely renewed, more integrated yet scalable Valmet IQ Quality management system offers a customer benefit driven solution by replacing individual pieces of existing equipment that improve performance or provide an easy path to building up an entirely new quality management solution from the ground up. Easy connectivity with third-party systems and applications for all paper machinery regardless of their manufacturer makes it easy to replace aging or obsolete equipment with the latest Valmet IQ technology. Guaranteed compatibility between different generation IQ products helps to future-proof the investment and provides true scalability with room to grow.

New Innovations

The new Valmet IQ solution features a lot of new innovations. During the design phase, elements of earlier systems were totally reassessed and improved where needed, with well working and proven features retained. Valmet’s unique expertise with the process, machinery, and automation plays a great part, as effective quality control is not only confined to the paper machine but stretches all the way from stock preparation to converting. The new IQ MD Process Optimizer is a multivariable controller bringing all processes and QCS measurements into one control solution for best process stability. It provides the smartest way to achieve the desired machine directional quality for all grades.

A better scanner

The heart of any QCS is the scanner. The latest generation IQ Scanner is a stable platform of slim dimensions, dust-proofed with a more enclosed shroud for installation on any machine. Incorporating a combination of new technology with proven scanning innovations developed by Valmet, IQ scanners connect to existing systems is via an Ethernet cable with all signal and measurement handling in the scanner. Additional hardware in the cross-connection room or control room is eliminated, simplifying installation, maintenance and operation. Scanning speed, acceleration, and deceleration rates can be adjusted and controlled to suit the CD and MD control requirements with edge to edge scanning controlled by precise sheet edge detectors. With upsets like start-ups, paper web breaks or grade changes, scan speed and scan width can be automatically adjusted to suit the situation. This allows better control over the process with minimum waste and the highest possible machine efficiency. For fixed-point measurements such as moisture, color and fiber/moisture measurements in tissue machines the IQ Fixed Point C-frame is an effective solution. The scanner family is complete with the IQ Single-sided scanner, used commonly for moisture measurement after a size press and at the coater for coat-weight measurement.

New measurements

Valmet IQ also introduces several new quality measurements. An industry first is the on-line IQ Softness sensor for tissue. With a good correlation to the handfeel measurement as well as laboratory softness analyzer, the sensor also measures tissue surface properties on-line. The non-nuclear sensor portfolio for basis weight and moisture measurement has also been extended to pulp drying, providing accurate measurement without the need for special certification or radiation safety issues. Valmet’s new topography measurement for fiber orientation- and surface measurements with printability prediction capability has already met with market success.

Moisture measurement is now more accurate for recycled grades with residual ink following the introduction of a new microwave moisture measurement. A new single-sided standalone moisture measurement for pulp and paper applications, such as press, web edge or tail moisture is also now available. Coater operations will greatly benefit from a patented and unique direct coat weight sensor for CaCO3, Clay or Latex based coatings.

Situation based interface

Intelligent technology refines and structures complex data to provide the operator with the relevant information in an easy to understand and interpret format. The new situation based operator interface enables operators to easily see the existing status under one navigation bar and provides comprehensive visibility to the past through integrated IQ Reporting. Easy to assimilate information means situations can be assessed rapidly and the right path to production targets taken the smartest way.

Situation based interface refiners and structures complex data for the operator.

Ready-made Valmet IQ standard quality reports include: Daily, Shift, Grade Run and Reel summaries. As well as future production planning reports help highlight potential bottlenecks with production tonnage, production rate, length and averages of online measurements by machine reels. Lost time analysis keeps track of sheet breaks, shutdown time and periods of off-spec quality and grade changes, helping users to improve efficiency and increase production. Several profile windows can be opened at the same time to evaluate quality property differences between machine reels.

Profilers

To get the best out of CD control requires the best of profilers and the IQ profiler family is even more comprehensive than before with solutions for all locations and for all grades. State of the art actuators, comprehensive diagnostics and application knowhow ensure optimal operation from the headbox to the finished product. The benefits of effective profile management are many, extending from improved production and runnability through to better paper quality and printing properties. Valmet IQ profilers feature advanced self-diagnostics and compact designs for easy maintenance and installation.

Renewed IQ Profiler family is capable of providing considerable energy savings as well as conserving raw material and chemicals. The replacement of a 12-year-old steam box on a North American newsprint machine with an IQ Steam profiler reduced steam consumption by 3.2 tons per hour while still improving the CD moisture profile by 25%. On the other hand replacement of 5 years old competitor spray booms by IQ Moisturizer gave 4-5 % fiber savings and 5% more production capacity for liquid packaging board machine only because of more even spray coverage.

Web inspection and monitoring

The integration of the Web Inspection System to the IQ quality map opens many possibilities from improving machine runnability and speed to base sheet and coating quality evaluations. The higher resolution cameras and high-speed capture technology employed by Valmet have improved web monitoring for runnability and web inspection for defect detection. Defects reduce the paper value, market price and machine efficiency, with IQ’s unique tools supported by detection specific camera and light angles, fast identification of defects and quality flaws is a reality. WIS functionality is integrated with IQ Web Monitoring to enable operators and process specialists to find the reasons for breaks, tail feed problems and backtracking of defects detected by the Web Inspection System.

WIS defect data visualized in the Quality Map

The smart way forward

The completely renewed, more integrated yet scalable Valmet IQ product portfolio offers all the technologies and solutions needed to monitor and optimize process stability and end-product quality. Providing a new level of user experience and a clear view into the process and product quality at all times, IQ also features a remote connection to make Valmet expertise available with on-line help when needed. The road to optimized production performance and quality has never been smoother.