The adage, “Work smarter, not harder” applies to all of us. If a simple improvement can save you time, money and resources, it’s well worth the initial investment.
A large paper manufacturer in the Northeast experienced hazing issues on their coated hot calender rolls. Every time they ran a critical grade of paper with a demanding finish, the hazing decreased the quality of the product.


The Mill’s First Solution was Time-Intensive and Costly

After each run, mill engineers had to stop production and clean roll surfaces, buffing and polishing rolls by hand. The process took about three hours. In total, the mill lost up to 6 hours production time per month between grade changes.

The Right Solution Produced Better Results

Unwilling to continue losing time and money, mill management called Precision Roll Grinders (PRG). PRG visited the customer at their mill, inspected the roll and analyzed issues with the product. The roll was sent to PRG and, not unlike a physician, they successfully diagnosed the problem and prescribed a better coating – Roll Armor®.

The Diagnosis

• The coating on the roll had a higher-than-normal porosity. This accounted for the hazing issues.
• RA (Roughness Average) levels were high – 200-300% above spec.
• Variations in the thermal spray coating on the roll face caused quality problems in the final product.
• The profile was out 1.7 thousandths of an inch front to back. Spec was 0.0002”.
• TIR was out 0.0003” on one side, and 0.0004” on the other.

The Results

After a regrind to remove the old coating, and application of PRG’s Roll Armor, the roll was installed and exceeded management expectations! The proprietary coating created a dense, even and strong surface area that made grade changes simple!

• Paper quality improved significantly.
• Time between grade changes decreased from 3 hours to ½ an hour, allowing the mill to run an additional 5 hours/month!
• The proprietary Roll Armor coating is much denser than the competitor’s coating product, eliminating variations in thermal spray coating thickness and TIR issues.
• Roll Armor allowed machinery to run at greater speeds.
• The mill saw a significant reduction in maintenance and downtime.
• Roll Armor significantly increased the life of the roll.
• Customers reported fewer print issues, better runnability, and most importantly, REPEAT ORDERS!

The June, 2017 Smithers Marketing Report, The Future of Specialty Papers to 2022,predicts, “the global market for specialty papers is forecast to grow at an annual average rate of 2.2% over the next five years to 27.0 million tons by 2022.”
Paper mills that work smarter, not harder, understand the value Roll Armor provides. Your mill will not only produce a better quality, defect-free product, but also one made faster with less unplanned downtime.
Is your mill prepared?