OpTest Equipment Inc from Canada has a new Hi-Op Paperboard PerFect Formation Analyzer (Hi-Op PPF) that revolutionizes product quality optimization and productivity by measuring the sheet uniformity at different “scales of formation”. With the Hi-Op PPF, paperboard makers can optimize formation in ways that are unachievable with traditional Beta-ray single index instruments. The Hi-Op PPF quantifies formation into its component values. Individual component values correlate well with paperboard properties such as strength.
The Hi-Op PPF Formation Values are relative to “perfect paperboard” and to user selected “reference sheets”. Samples are easily compared to selected reference sheets such as a competitor’s paperboard or the “best” sheet produced on a particular paperboard machine. The Relative Formation Values are reported for each size component. If this value is one, then the formation of the tested paperboard and reference paperboard are equal. If the value is greater than one, then the tested paperboard is better than the reference paperboard, and vice versa. Relative Formation measurements save time and money when determining the difference between sheets and when optimizing the paperboard machine forming sections.