Voith launches new C-bar Vertecs for superior screening
Voith has introduced the C-bar Vertecs, an innovative screen basket that sets new industry standards in separation efficiency, throughput, energy consumption, and operational reliability in stock preparation. The solution is already proving successful in industrial operation at heinzelpaper in Laakirchen, Austria.
The C-bar Vertecs was installed at heinzelpaper for a comparative trial. After several hours of operation, Oliver Hunstein, responsible for process and plant technology at heinzelpaper, shared his initial evaluation: “Compared to all other screening profiles we’ve used so far, sticky removal has significantly improved on average. Losses in fine screening have been minimized, allowing us to achieve a higher yield.”
Until now, paper producers had to compromise between improved pulp quality, higher throughput, or increased reliability. The C-bar Vertecs eliminates these trade-offs thanks to a newly developed profile geometry. Regardless of production priorities, the C-bar Vertecs consistently delivers top performance across all relevant parameters. Depending on individual production goals, throughput can be increased by at least 20%, while sticky and dirt spot separation can be improved by up to 50%.
“We have expanded the operating window for fine screening and reduced the screens’ sensitivity to plugging. This enables stable screening performance even with more challenging raw materials and higher thickening factors,” Hunstein added.
Moreover, specific energy consumption per ton is significantly reduced. For example, with a 25% increase in throughput, rotor speed remains constant, while differential pressure across the screen with the C-bar Vertecs remains low. As a result, energy savings of over 20% are easily achievable.
The C-bar Vertecs builds on Voith’s proven C-bar technology, which has been a benchmark in slot screen baskets in the paper industry for more than 35 years. It features an overlapping profile with constant and stable slot widths, ensuring highly consistent screening performance throughout its service life.
The C-bar Vertecs screen basket is also in use among other paper manufacturers across the EMEA and North America regions. It is compatible with a wide range of recovered paper grades and is already being used in various process stages, including coarse screening, fractionation, fine screening, and reject screening. “In addition, the C-bar Vertecs can be installed in Voith’s BlueLine screens as well as in older Voith machines and those from third-party suppliers,” explains Axel Dreyer, Global Product Manager Screening Wear Parts at Voith Paper.
About heinzelpaper
The heinzelpaper site includes two facilities in Laakirchen and Steyrermühl in Upper Austria, located just a few kilometers apart. As part of the Heinzel Group, heinzelpaper represents a strong combination of tradition, innovation, and sustainability in the field of paper manufacturing. The Laakirchen mill specializes in the production of environmentally friendly, lightweight corrugated base papers from recycled paper for the European market. These are produced on the paper machine PM10 – and, since April 2025, also on the newly commissioned PM11.
At the Steyrermühl site, the PM6 machine – operated by the group’s sister company heinzelpöls – produces high-quality kraft papers serving a wide spectrum of packaging and specialty applications tailored to diverse customer needs. The two historic plants, founded in 1867 and 1868 respectively, currently employ approximately 700 people at the heinzelpaper site.
