Wear of vital machine components is a significant issue for the pulp and paper industry. It results in added costs for repairs, replacement, and ongoing maintenance, as well as the cost of lost production.

Pulp and paper machinery is subject to various different types of wear such as abrasion, impact, erosion, fatigue, corrosion, heat, and combinations of these. Since 1906, Castolin Eutectic has been developing and applying innovative wear solutions that can boost productivity and can also help improve energy efficiency and reduce their CO2 footprint.

This article outlines the practical advantages of wear protection in key processes throughout the pulp and paper production process.

Woodyard conveyor system

The conveyor chain sprocket is a key element in the woodyard conveyor system. The teeth on the sprocket are subjected to high levels of wear. Building up the teeth with two different layers of welding wire will reduce wear significantly. This solution can extend the wear life of the chain sprocket by 200%.

The links of the chain itself wear smooth on top from abrasion which causes log slippage on the conveyor. It is much worse in the winter. This can be addressed by coating each link with a fusible alloy that blends coarsely-sized tungsten carbide and nickel-base alloy powder. This solution is known to last for over five years with no sign of wear or lack of traction.

Mulching

The lumber and paper industries use the bark and wood waste from debarking in several ways. Bark preparation uses hammer mills, conveyors, feed screws, and fans. All of this equipment is subject to wear from the abrasive action of the bark and wood waste.

Some sites use hog shredders, where the hammer tips take most of the wear from shredding bark and wood. Foreign materials like nails, wires, etc. cause additional wear. Rebuilding the tips with welding and coating with powder can increase tip life by over 100%

Other installations with bark crushing machines experience rapid wear on the ejection strip installed at the exit. It wears quickly due to the high abrasion and erosion. In one case, replacing the original plate manufactured from wear-resistant steel with a CDP® (CastoDur Diamond Plate) solution based on composite bi-metallic materials has increased the service life by 200%.