Demag cranes for the world leader

Top quality and high-speed handling

Since March 2010, the PM2 in Eisenhüttenstadt, Germany, has been producing corrugated base paper that has a width of 10.2 m and is the highest-performing paper machine in the world. Testliner and Wellenstoff weighing between 70 and 130 g/m2 are produced on the basis of fully recycled paper. The prime objective is for the installation to reach maximum performance as quickly as possible. The reels will then be filled with 1,800 m of base paper every minute.

High performance at world-class level

Only eight months after it was first put into operation, the PM2 achieved a world record for the production of paper with a weight of 90 g/m² in continuous 24-hour operation. In April 2011, the factory set another world record: Wellenstoff paper weighing 80 g/m² continuously ran off the machine at a speed of 1,650 m/min for 30 hours.

Cranes for efficient logistics

The high production output requires reliable flow of material, which demands smooth logistics and efficient handling up to and including the shipping operation. To satisfy these requirements, Demag Cranes & Components supplied the entire crane equipment for the paper factory and the paper roll store and networked the production and logistics operations with a warehouse management system.

Demag cranes play a leading role wherever parts of the installation have to be safely transported, reels have to be picked up in cycles to match the paper machine operating cycle and rolls of paper have to be carefully stored.

PM2 Propapier

Demag cranes in operation from the start

Three Demag process cranes were already used for the safe, reliable and fast transport of loads when the paper machine was assembled. Thanks to the cranes, which are equipped with up to five hoist units, the various parts of the installation were precisely and reliably positioned for assembly of the PM2 machine.

Reliable handling above the paper machine

Hoist units with load capacities of 130/65/65 t are available for duty at the wet end of the machine. This arrangement allows the rollers and all elements of the machine to be precisely lifted and transported for maintenance and repair purposes.

In normal daily operation, quality only pays off at the corresponding speed. In time with the machine operating cycle, the crane installation above the dry end of the PM2 ensures that empty reels are swiftly returned from the rewinder to the reel store. Master/slave mode provides for absolute synchronised operation of the two 130 and 90 t hoist units – and, therefore, for a high level of safety and reliability.

Rotating spreader for heavy loads

If required, this crane can also temporarily retrieve the full reels. To do this, it employs a rotating spreader which is used to lift the full reels, which weigh up to 160 t, and deposit them parallel to the paper machine.

Integrated flexibility

Additional flexibility of these three crane installations is provided by two further hoist units, which enable all maintenance and repair work to be carried out. Two DR-Pro rope hoists travel along the crane girders of each crane in the form of cantilever crabs. Thanks to their compact design and fast lifting speeds, they are used for installing and removing machine parts that weigh up to 10 tonnes.

Paper-roll shipping store

Efficiently stored – retrieved on time

The entire annual production of 650,000 t is transported to the paper-roll shipping store by conveying systems. Here, three fully automated process cranes that are equipped with vacuum lifting devices are responsible for gently storing the unpacked rolls of paper, which weigh up to 5,300 kg. The cranes stack the rolls up to a height of 17.5 m in two bays.

In each bay, two variable-sized blocks have been created for storing reels with diameters of between 1,400 and 1,600 mm. At a theoretical fill capacity of 80%, the store can accommodate 42,000 t of paper.

• Optimum utilisation of the available space by storing rolls in a honeycomb grid with vertical load pick-up
• High safety standards thanks to automated operating sequences
• Careful handling of the rolls
• Efficient utilisation of the entire roll
• Rapid access for just-in-time staging
• No operating costs for forklifts in the store
• Reduced personnel costs
• Fast return on investment

Technical data

Cranes for paper production and storage

^*) ZKKW: Process crane with winch units
   ZKKE: Double-girder standard overhead travelling crane
   EKKE: Single-girder standard overhead travelling crane