Case Study
Press Fabric Upgrade Reduced Downtime by 40%
Kraft Paper Mill — Turkey
Turkey
Bellmer
750 m/min
6 weeks
Project Snapshot
Country
Turkey
Paper Type
Kraft Paper (90–150 gsm)
Machine Brand
Bellmer — 4,200 mm
Machine Speed
750 m/min
Project Duration
6 weeks
Products Used
—
Customer Background
An established Turkish kraft paper producer serving the packaging and construction materials sectors across Europe and the Middle East. The mill operates a wide-format paper machine with an annual output of 180,000 tons.
The Challenge
Average monthly press section downtime of 18 hours was the primary production bottleneck. The existing composite press fabric exhibited rapid surface wear and inconsistent dewatering performance, leading to frequent unplanned shutdowns for fabric inspection and replacement.
Key Issues Identified
- The press fabric's batt-on-mesh surface layer was too coarse for the paper grade range, causing sheet marking under higher nip loads.
- Suboptimal void volume distribution — the base fabric compacted prematurely under sustained loading.
- The press loading operating window was too narrow, making it impossible to adjust production speed without risking sheet crushing.
The Solution
PAPTEX supplied a custom composite press fabric featuring a finer batt-on-mesh surface layer for improved sheet release and a reinforced base structure for dimensional stability under high nip loads. Optimized void volume distribution enhanced dewatering capacity while preventing sheet rewet.
Root Cause Analysis
Root cause analysis identified:
1. The press fabric's batt-on-mesh surface layer was too coarse for the paper grade range, causing sheet marking under higher nip loads.
2. Suboptimal void volume distribution — the base fabric compacted prematurely under sustained loading.
3. The press loading operating window was too narrow, making it impossible to adjust production speed without risking sheet crushing.
Implementation Timeline
1
Site Audit
Week 1Comprehensive press section survey, nip profile analysis, used felt forensics
2
Engineering
Weeks 2–3Custom felt design, batt blend optimization, needling density tuning
3
Manufacturing
Weeks 4–6Needle-punch production, chemical treatment, QC & dimensional verification
4
Installation
Week 7On-site supervision, tension & guiding calibration, break-in protocol
5
Post-Audit
Week 12KPI verification, ROI analysis, maintenance interval optimization
Results — Verified KPIs
Downtime reduced 40% (7 hours saved per month), production output increased 8%, and sheet moisture entering the dryer section dropped by 3 percentage points. The drier sheet reduced downstream steam demand, contributing an additional $50,000 in annual energy savings.
| KPI Metric | Before | After | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press Downtime | 18 hrs/month | 11 hrs/month | -39% |
| Production Output | 100% (baseline) | 108% | 8% |
| Sheet Moisture | 52% | 49% | -6% |
| Fabric Life | 60 days | 75 days | 25% |
Return on Investment
$165,000 annual savings through reduced downtime, extended fabric service life, and lower steam consumption. ROI achieved within 4 months.
“PAPTEX's press fabric enabled us to achieve an 8% production increase with zero capital investment. Their technical team's analysis of our nip configuration was the key differentiator.”
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