FPInnovations pulp, paper, and bioproducts experts work closely with their clients to help them improve their performance as well as create a significant impact for their business, regardless of their size.
Building on our knowledge of the sector, expertise in a wide range of topics and successes in mill problem solving, we offer proven solutions and technologies that can be quickly implemented in your mills.
Thanks to our objective recommendations, our advanced facilities and ISO accredited laboratories, and our exclusive diagnostic tools developed in-house, you will have the solutions you need to reduce production costs, improve productivity, and enhance the quality and performance of finished products.
Our services
This list is not exhaustive; contact us or visit this page regularly to learn about our other services.
From paper linerboard and tissue to aluminum foil and plastic films, FPInnovations’ Roll Testing Facility (RTF) can test any flexible web materials and can troubleshoot roll performance and web handling issues. In 2002, FPInnovations opened the doors to its RTF in Montreal, Quebec to investigate and fix issues such as baggy edge and wrinkles that often the producers themselves were unable to identify the root causes. Almost 20 years and 4,000 rolls later, RTF’s goal remains the same: help producers improve product performance and efficiency in converting and printing operations.
The final D stage in pulp mill bleach plants is often run at a pH setting that are years old and often sub-optimal, mainly benchmarked to pre-or post-final D stage operational and control strategies and, sometimes, could be inefficient resulting in higher chemical consumption and significant brightness variability. FPInnovations’ patented technology, referred to as “near-neutral chlorine dioxide brightening”, or “NNB”, i.e., by operating at a final pH close to neutral, is an effective way to decrease bleaching costs by maximizing chlorine dioxide bleaching efficiency. This can be most consistently achieved by generating sodium bicarbonate in situ by adding carbon dioxide (CO2) to alkaline pulp.
Some common paper quality problems arise from non-uniform property profiles in the cross-direction (CD) or in the machine direction (MD), including corrugations, crepe wrinkles, streaks, barring and burst. Left unsolved, these problems can increase costs for customer rebates and returned rolls or, in extreme cases, lead to loss of a customer. Online scanners or manual paper testing lack the temporal resolution and precision to be able to diagnose the root of these problems in the papermaking process. In its suite of measurement tools, FPInnovations has a Tapio Paper Machine Analyzer (PMA) that can fill this need.
FPInnovations has developed techniques to detect the high-frequency variations in caliper and gloss that result from calender barring using Tapio analysis. One of the main causes of barring is poor grinding quality and it can be difficult for mills to verify that no residual barring remains after grinding. Often mills are not equipped to do this measurement. FPInnovations has developed a tool using a very precise LVDT sensor (linear variable differential transformer) to determine whether barring has been eliminated after grinding. With this tool, a mill can verify the quality of grinding and ensure the rolls are ready to be installed. Where grinding quality is inadequate, FPInnovations can support mills to improve or modify grinding techniques to eliminate residual barring. Many mills have used FPInnovations’ services to successfully solve their calender barring problem.
The tissue dust and lint tester developed by FPInnovations is now available to tissue makers as a testing service for product quality monitoring and performance benchmarking. The dust and lint tester can also be used for measuring surface strength on paper towel and wipes. This testing service, combined with other tissue testing capabilities at FPInnovations can help tissue makers identify the causes of high tissue
dusting and linting tendency.
FPInnovations offers a general course – the Pulp, Paper & Bioproducts course – to cover a wide range of topics from fibre supply all the way to end products. FPInnovations also offer customized training courses to meet the specific needs of each company. In addition, the training course can be delivered either on-site (at FPInnovations or at the mill) or in an online format, providing significant flexibility to mill staff.
FPInnovations has developed the use of the Weibull modulus, or m-factor, to quantify the tensile strength uniformity of paper or tissue webs. FPInnovations’ proprietary PapTune™ software allows mills to calculate m-factor from Autoline data or lab testing of tensile strength over a certain length of paper web. We can use our expertise and knowledge to link m-factor to variability in pulp furnish and paper machine operations, thus find ways of improving runnability in pressrooms and/or converting operations. Web breaks often occur when a momentary spike in draw tension in printing or converting operation exceeds local tensile strength of the web. Thus, excessive variability in draw tension also contributes to high break rates. FPInnovations has also developed the use of laser-Doppler techniques to measure high-frequency draw variation and can work with pressroom to reduce draw variability. The combination of m-factor and draw analysis can help mills achieve next level of runnability and efficiency. More details on laser-Doppler can be obtained by contacting FPInnovations.
Biomass and chemical recovery boilers are a large, once- or twice- in-a-lifetime, capital investment for a mill. Consequently, most of the boilers in Canada have been in service for many decades. Just like an old sports car, they require regular tuning and maintenance to ensure optimal performance.
FPInnovations’ boiler optimization services can help maximize efficient and sustainable operation of boilers, leading to significant savings as well as an important reduction of GHG emissions.
FPInnovations can work with customers to carry out pilot trials at ton scale to produce various pulps and biomaterials and evaluate their properties and performance.
FPInnovations also has the in-depth expertise to help customers on process development and optimization, product development, and process troubleshooting; its testing services include complete evaluation of pulp properties, wood composition, and fibre morphology as well as assessment of the papermaking potential with Dynamic Sheet Former.
FPInnovations offers microscopic analysis to support product development and performance enhancement.
This includes characterization of papier, packaging, wood, nanomaterials, polymers, metals, etc.; customized approach and non-routine testing; surface and/or cross-section examination; light microscopy and/or scanning electron microscopy (SEM); as well as qualitative and/or quantitative information.
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Benefits of working with us
In-depth knowledge across the forest industry value chain
Exclusive in-house equipment and evaluation tools
Highly skilled engineers, scientists, and researchers
Solutions tailored to your specific needs
Established best practices and innovative applications
How can we help?
We are here to help forest products manufacturers improve their productivity.
Contact us to find out more about our services and how our solutions can be implemented in your business.