Get set for tomorrow’s needs. The future might surprise you

The tissue industry is facing new and higher demands from the consumers. New products with various paper properties are desired at the same time as modern consumers are pushing sustainability high on the agenda. This puts pressure on tissue producers to be more flexible, to deliver different grades and develop new products. The hybrid technologies Advantage NTT, QRT and eTAD developed in recent years provides an innovative and more flexible way to produce a wide variation of premium and ultra-premium tissue products at low energy and fiber consumption. A wider range of companies and market segments can now get access to premium and ultra-premium tissue products with high bulk, softness and absorbency at relatively low operational cost.

Rush forward

The receipt to reach the highest bulk and absorbency is normally to avoid pressing and use hot air to dry the sheet. But today it is possible to achieve premium and ultra-premium structured tissue products thanks to three new hybrid technologies. The secret behind Advantage QRT and eTAD, lies in the combination of pressing and so-called Rush Transfer. Simply explained the sheet is first dewatered by pressing to increase dryness and thereby reduce energy consumption. The sheet is then transferred to a structured fabric with the assistance of a nip and speed difference. The speed difference is, along with a following moulding step, the key for creating the sheet structure and bulk.

High absorbency and stretch

Absorbency rate is a key selling point and a differentiator for tissue producers. The product created in the Advantage QRT and eTAD process has high stretch and great absorbency. This feature makes it especially suitable for high grammage products like kitchen rolls and towel but is also perfect for bath tissue. The caliper is created already in the tissue machine and embossing is not needed.

Advantage NTT the most flexible tissue machine in the world?

The NTT machine can be operated in plain mode and textured mode. The key is the changeable belt. Operating with a plain belt provides conventional tissue. A fine belt is generating more bulk and is suitable when softness is demanded. The coarse belt enables production of textured tissue with high bulk and improved water absorbency compared to dry crepe tissue. And it is remarkably easy to swing between the production modes by a belt change which can be done in a few hours. Another unique feature is the possibility to create own belt patterns and imprint the desired design already in the tissue machine. This opens for endless potential of product differentiation and to operate within a wide range of basis weight and products from facial to towel.

Valmet’s technology provides sustainable production of all types of grades from plain to textured and structured tissue products

Plain mode and remarkable production capacity

The NTT technology has a powerful dewatering system which enables not only energy savings but also very high production volumes. At high basis  weight the drying capacity is normally the bottleneck for increased production in other tissue making processes. However, the NTT machine enables very high press dryness which can augment production capacity with about 30%. Continuous production of 180-185 tons per day on a 100-inch-wide machine is now a reality.

Textured mode for high bulk and softness

In textured mode, the NTT technology can achieve a bulk increase of about 50-80% compared to conventionally produced paper, depending somewhat on basis weight and belt design.
Most of the European conventional products provide softness in the range of 85-90 TSA. With the NTT technology softness values between 90 and 97 can be achieved. Highest softness can be found in 2-ply products with low tensile strength.

Hybrid technologies a combine sustainability, flexibility and high tissue quality

For more than 40 years there has been two tissue making concepts on the market: conventional dry crepe and through air drying machines. Valmet’s new hybrid technologies fill the gap and bring a new dimension to tissue making. Thanks to its flexibility, it is possible to produce several grades and qualities in the same machine ranging from premium to high premium and ultra-premium tissue. The capability to produce different grades in the same process will give a competitive advantage and make you prepared for any changing market demands. It also makes it possible to enter new market segments and opens for product differentiation. Compared to other processes making the same quality, hybrid concepts can be operated at significantly lower energy and fiber consumption as well as low operation cost.