Toscotec accomplishes a dryer section rebuild at Cartiera di Ferrara, Italy

Toscotec modified the entire dryer section, without changing its overall length and therefore leaving the positions of the press and the pope reel unchanged. This allowed for a very short shutdowntime because civil works were not necessary to achieve the planned production increase. The paper machine achieved stable production immediately after start-up.

Toscotec refurbished the first dryer section with the supply of new felt rolls, guide and stretchers, and a modification of the frame structure. The second section was completely rebuilt with 16 new TT SteelDryers of 1,829 mm diameter designed for an operating steam pressure of 10 barg. Toscotec supplied new silent drives for the transmission of the entire dryer section that significantly improved PM1’s conditions for operation and maintenance. The scope comprised a full set of services, including mechanical erection, supervision, commissioning, and start-up assistance.

Alessandro Castelletti, Mill Manager of Cartiera di Ferrara, says: “Toscotec executed the rebuild with competence and according to the agreed time plan. We boosted PM1’s operating speed because of the increased drying capacity of our new dryer section. We will progressively continue to raise the speed as we still have margin. The production is stable, and we are happy with the results we achieved so far.”

Stefano Baldi, Toscotec Project Manager, says: “We lived up to the double challenge of a tight project schedule that began right before Italy enforced nationwide Covid-19 restrictions. We managed to complete on time the pre-assembly phases during lockdown, and then finalized the installation according to schedule. We are happy to see that Cartiera di Ferrara is already increasing their production capacity as a result of this rebuild.”