Honeywell-Measurex Installs First Da Vinci Quality Control System

Aylesford Newsprint Limited, a producer of premium quality newsprint in the United Kingdom, has installed the industry's first Honeywell-Measurex Da Vinci Quality Control System on their Paper Machine 13 (PM13).

The Da Vinci system was installed as part of a program to modernize the PM13 operations. According to John Fox, Production Manager, "Producing premium quality recycled newsprint requires state of the art measurement and control. Da Vinci allowed us to upgrade our PM13 quality controls to include leading edge technology, such as the world's first non-contacting, scanning caliper measurement for newsprint."

Initial results of the Da Vinci system are extremely positive. Rob Newton, PM13 Superintendent reports, "We noticed an immediate improvement in reel uniformity and winder runnability from the CD controls. Additionally, the multi-variable MD controls have enhanced the stability of our machine."

Aylesford Newsprint Limited is a joint venture between SCA Graphic Paper and Mondi Minorco Paper producing over 380,000 tons of premium quality newsprint for domestic and export markets each year. The company uses 480,000 tons p.a. of recovered newsprint and magazines to produce 100% recycled newsprint.

Honeywell-Measurex, headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., is a supplier of measurement and industrial automation systems that unify business and control information throughout a plant or mill. As part of Honeywell's Industrial Control business, the company serves the paper, plastics, metals, rubber, non-wovens and printing industries worldwide.

According to Honeywell-Measurex, the Da Vinci Quality Measurement and Control System -- named after renaissance engineer and artist Leonardo Da Vinci -- brings science to the art of papermaking.

Designed to address the specific needs of the paper industry, Honeywell-Measurex's Da Vinci features a comprehensive portfolio of scanning and non-scanning measurements anchored in proven technology, allowing for increased scanning and processing speed, and higher resolution, for improved product quality and control performance. Features include:

Non-contacting, Laser Caliper Measurements

The Laser-based non-contacting caliper measurement guarantees 1 um accuracy with 0.1 um precision, providing all the advantages of contacting caliper measurement without contacting the sheet. Advantages include absolute caliper measurement without damage to sheet and precision measurements on grades with soft coatings or exhibiting high levels of pitch and stickies.

Precision Basis Weight

The Precision Basis Weight Measurement delivers beta flux levels 4 to 5 times higher than other basis weight sensors. The sensor uses a 2 curie Pm 147 "line" source to provide 5 mm profile resolution with total insensitivity to sheet composition. The result is three times better repeatability and two to three times better streak resolution than the best conventional sensors.

"Reliable Accuracy"

The key to reliable accuracy is a stable high-precision measurement platform. The Da Vinci Platform is designed, built and tested to provide the precision and reliability necessary to optimize the papermaking operation - even in the harshest conditions. The Precision Platform is engineered for rigidity and thermal stability. A re-engineered drive system and a patented Thermal Equalization System improve reliability and maintain precise head alignment under dynamic mill conditions. The Da Vinci Precision Platform uses dynamic X,Y and Z alignment sensors to provide for continuous online alignment verification and scanner health monitoring.

The intelligent Precision Platform incorporates a redundant digital powertrack with a dedicated Precision Measurement Processor located in a sealed enclosure in the end-column. Inside the Precision Measurement Processor, each signal is read 2000 times per second and digitized using 16-bit resolution. Signal processing power is coupled with new high-resolution sensors to provide superior cross-direction (CD) measurement precision and control performance. Sensitive profile measurement in zones as small as 2 mm and full edge visibility at scan rates of 600 mm/sec are just some of the benefits of Da Vinci Precision Measurement.

Advanced Color Change Control

Performance Color Control features a multivariable control kernal, with control gains calculation using Kubelka-Munk dye and target spectrum characterization. Performance Color Control also includes the industry's first fully automatic color change control.

Proven to reduce shade change times by 40 percent and off-color rejects by 80 percent, Performance Color Control can have an enormous impact on the productivity of shade-critical products.

Performance MD Control

Honeywell has applied its expertise in multivariable control to launch the space shuttle and safely land commercial aircraft. Now Da Vinci applies that same technology to paper machine control in Performance MD.

Key to the success of Da Vinci's multivariable approach is that it treats the paper machine as a single interactive process, not as a collection of individual loops. The technology can then optimize the behavior of the entire process, particularly during upset conditions and grade changes, when control is most critical. The results are improved machine runability, increased downstream converting efficiency with minimal grade-change and product losses.

Performance CD Actuators and Control

Da Vinci combines the industry's most advanced CD controls with the world's leading CD actuator systems to create Performance CD. More precise, higher resolution CD actuators have been engineered for faster profile control response and unparalleled reliability.

At the core of this unique scanner is the Performance Predictive Control algorithm, generating control actions with every scan. The predictive controller enables control through upsets, start-ups and break recoveries. Combined with an online IntelliMap dynamic alignment tool, this advanced predictive controller provides precise profile alignment and non-linear shrinkage determination based on Da Vinci's high-resolution profiles. Multi-Dimension Actuator Control (MDAC) then allows the actuator mapped profiles to be "blended" to optimize interactive quality variables or used to control multiple actuators on the machine. Performance CD's control functions have proven to reduce CD variations by 50 to 90 percent, reduce break recovery and start-up times by 50 to 75 percent and improve productivity by five to ten percent.

Wet-end Optimization with SpectraFoil

The patented Da Vinci SpectraFoil is a non-scanning sensor array, positioned under the forming fabric to deliver an instantaneous, full sheet weight profile. This unique tool allows both the MD average weight and CD weight profiles to be leveled even before the sheet is threaded to the reel. SpectraFoil has proven to reduce start-up times by over 10 minutes as well as reduce break losses by more than 50 percent.

Platform for the Future

From online scanning measurements to information management, Da Vinci takes advantage of the best of open, commercial standards for system networking and high-reliability, server-quality processors. The Da Vinci Application Server incorporates dual processors, a redundant RAID disk array, and redundant power supplies to ensure uninterrupted performance. Conformance to Window NT open standards, from the ground up, enables Da Vinci to offer true platform independence. Benefits include:

• Open database connectivity (ODBC) ensures access to process and quality data
• Open communications standards (OPC) provide seamless integration between process control systems and information systems throughout the mill.
• Open I/O platform allows independent use of existing and future I/O platforms without changing current application software.
• Integrated User Interface based on emerging Web standards (ActiveX) allows a single, configurable view on the process supported from multiple network-based servers supporting Quality Control, Web Inspection, Process Control, and Information management.

Da Vinci's NT application servers are distributed on a high-performance network in a real-time application software environment. This ensures that distributed applications function as an integrated control system to provide transparent operation across the network, a common set of services, simplified configurations and upgrades and fast, reliable communication between applications and external systems.

Additionally, all Da Vinci applications are based on the widely used and recognized LabVIEW graphical applications development language. Featuring drag-and-drop programming, an extensive algorithm library, powerful, easy-to-use application development tools, and online visibility to graphical code for troubleshooting and simulation, this intuitive graphical programming language allows rapid design and testing with minimal training investment.