Energy efficiency is strongly dependent on the careful choice of the installed solutions, i.e. devices small and big that do not necessarily influence the paper mill production process and yet make it possible for it to achieve major energy savings. Officine Airaghi S.r.l. concentrated all its efforts exactly on this and focused on energy saving with the aim of presenting its customers with tangible results obtained thanks to innovative technologies.

Efficiency in the front line

As Michele Ghibellini of Officine Airaghi explains: “After times of crisis new opportunities are discovered and what one already has is used in a more rational way. It is therefore necessary to understand what variables within a paper mill are often not considered, which can immediately help optimize the paper mill work and production system. Only then is it possible to further rationalize energy savings and productivity”.

The «hot» points of the process

The first step towards energy efficiency lies in identifying those steps in the paper making process that can be improved; one of them is stock preparation. “Energy consumption in this area makes up for about 30% of the total energy consumed in the paper mill”, says Mr. Ghibellini.

“A minor modification at this stage of production can lead to major changes at the level of the final product, that is why there has always been some hesitation in changing the machines working parameters. However, an increasingly strong interest is currently being shown for refiners and deflakers.

As far as we are concerned we have shown how it is possible to optimize, through the use of our non conventional products like EFP® and CNConic®, those machines and installations that are oversize compared to actual needs or conversely up to their use limit with traditional spare parts.

We therefore aim at providing technical support in the stock preparation to plan and produce tailor-made fillings enabling our customers to reach the ideal value, which perfectly combines refining results with the energy and maintenance costs”.

Advantages worth considering

Officine Airaghi aims at the extreme and differentiated customization of its products. As Mr. Ghibellini explains,  “this allows the paper mill not to incur in any special costs”.

This also means that the paper mill can “benefit from the energy savings and the savings related to the refining process from the very beginning, without having to allocate higher costs compared to traditional spare parts. Furthermore, thanks to our milling production process we can rework the same Airaghi product used by the customer and process it with our new solutions with a 30% economical saving on the price of the new filling”.

The process of production optimization is strictly connected with an increasingly accentuated customization of spare partsMichele Ghibellini, Export Manager at Officine Airaghi

Acting on the global market

The real challenge today is competing on a market that has now become international. As Mr. Ghibellini points out, the answer lies in a strong sector-specific specialization; “technological innovation and totally Made-in-Italy products are the answer we should give to the national and international paper-making industry, thereby levering ourselves on the creativity and adaptability that are typical of our culture and can serve as a guarantee to design and produce first-quality items. R&D lies at the core of any course of growth; yet, at the same time this development should be sustainable and not only consider variables of mere economic profit”.

Suggested technologies

Officine Airaghi has developed new products, which obtained international patents and combine two fundamental aspects in the stock preparation: customization and energy saving. EFP^® – for disc refiners has been designed to improve refining parameters, thereby guaranteeing a lower and more calibrated use of energy.

These fittings can always be modified. Furthermore, thanks to its manufacturing and milling methods the company is able to produce high-precision mechanical parts in their sizes and with constant performance over their entire lifecycle.