Case Study: MM Board & Paper’s Gernsbach Mill
How MM Board & Paper Used Aurelia’s PSM-Q to Improve Quality Monitoring and Identify Opportunities for Production Savings
Aurelia Group installed its PSM-Q sensor at MM Board & Paper’s Gernsbach Mill on a carton board machine producing multiply carton board grades between 250 and 500 gsm. The sensor was installed during a regular machine shut and began measuring soon after board was reintroduced to the machine. The PSM-Q provided real-time, non-destructive measurement of Tensile Stiffness Index and estimated key strength properties including Tensile Strength, Burst, CD Ring Crush, CMT and SCT, reporting data every two seconds during production. For this installation, the key focus was MD and CD bending stiffness, including bending stiffness after two hours.
The installation demonstrated strong operational performance, measuring more than 75,000 km of board with uptime above 99%. Despite using a rolling, contacting sensor, the PSM-Q caused no marking, scuffing or damage to the board surface. The sensor showed excellent correlation with laboratory results, with reported r² values above 0.97, and statistical analysis suggested the PSM-Q estimates were around twice as accurate as laboratory testing. The trial also identified opportunities to improve performance through MD/CD ratio control, optimised machine inputs, potential CTMP savings, lower basis weight, reduced use of expensive fibre and reduced quality variation.
“The sensor showed a very good correlation with the laboratory values, enabling reliable online monitoring of bending stiffness for all our basis weight ranges and grades with the aim of the installation to measure the bending stiffness of the carton board directly within the production process instead of relying solely on laboratory test property values taken after the parent reel.”
- Matthieu Boisson, Production Manager, MM Board & Paper’s Gernsbach Mill
Key Benefits:
Real-time quality monitoring: Continuous, on-line measurement of carton board quality every two seconds, allowing operators to track bending stiffness during manufacture rather than relying only on delayed laboratory testing.
Operational reliability: Smooth installation during a regular machine shut, maintenance-free operation during the trial and no visible marking or damage to the carton board surface.
Production optimisation: Identified opportunities to improve MD/CD ratio control, optimise machine inputs, support CTMP savings, lower basis weight, reduce expensive fibre use and improve quality consistency.
