Internally developed by its R&D department, DJM delivered an induction heated calender to Omnia Advanced Materials, achieving a market significant boost in the material processing technology.
Omnia Advanced Materials, a company renowned for its bespoke product range, specializes in producing absorbent media, industrial filters for various sectors including food & beverage, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and automotive, as well as being a leader in gasket materials. They manufacture over fifty different sealing materials catering to a wide array of industrial and commercial needs.
Calendering, a critical final stage in paper and paper-based production, involves refining the paper through a nip to achieve the desired density, thickness, shine, and smoothness. Traditionally, this part of the process, particularly in the heating system, is energy-intensive, using rolls heated by steam or diathermic oil from inside the rolls, resulting in using high energy to heat the inside of the rolls at higher temperature, to achieve a lower but desired surface temperature.
The introduction of induction heating offers a more efficient and controlled heating method. The technology heats the outer skins of the rolls, that are the ones in contact with the paper, allowing localized heating thanks to a sophisticated control system that can dynamically adjust temperature distribution across the calender rolls, achieving high thermal dynamic and energy efficiency. This technology grants a constant and accurate heat transfer, giving the material the right surface temperature to achieve the desired material properties in terms of thickness, density, polymerization, stiffness, and permeability.
The innovative calender provided by DJM is remarkable not only for its induction heating capability, but also for the maximum linear pressure, exceeding the project goal of 2000 kN/m. This value has been achieved thanks to a high level tailored metallurgic design, together with a plc controlled nip load system, by means of tailored hydraulic loading devices. Heating, combined with a very high nip linear load, ensured exceeding the density of the worked materials above the market desired values
This technological leap, represented by the Very High Nip Load Induction Heated Calender from DJM, signifies a major step forward for Omnia Advanced Materials in enhancing the efficiency and quality of its production processes, by reducing the time and increasing the characteristics of the calendered materials.