Pulp, Paper, Coatings & Printing Industries

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Pulp, Paper & Printing

Pulp, paper, board and printing operations use electric heating in IR/web dryers, coating lines, ink dryers, adhesive kitchens and supporting utilities. Drying and curing conditions have a direct impact on web quality, print performance and waste levels. Intelligent SCR power control can improve temperature and power stability, help manage energy use and support modernisation of existing lines and equipment.

Web dryers, IR modules & hoods
Coating lines (slot, curtain, gravure)
Ink dryers on presses & converters
Adhesive/resin reactors & size kitchens

Laminators, embossing & finishing lines
Corrugator pre-heaters & glue systems
Duct heaters & make-up air units
Ancillary tank heating & heat-trace

Process Machinery & Applications

Electrically heated systems in pulp, paper, board and printing plants commonly controlled with REVO SCR power controllers.

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Drying Cylinders, Hoods & IR Web Dryers

Electric IR and hot-air web dryers, as well as auxiliary cylinder and hood heating for paper, board and coated products.

Common pain points:

web moisture control
profile uniformity
energy demand

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

REVO C

Coating Lines (Slot, Curtain, Gravure)

Electric IR and convection dryers on slot, curtain and gravure coaters for paper, board and film substrates.

Common pain points:

coat weight stability
marking/defects
line speed changes

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO PN

Ink Dryers (Flexo, Offset, Digital)

Electric IR and hot-air dryers for water-based and UV/EB-compatible ink systems on presses and converters.

Common pain points:

set-off/ghosting
colour consistency
start/stop cycles

Recommended controllers:

Adhesive/Resin Reactors & Size Kitchen

Jacketed vessels and kettles for preparing starch, size, binders and coatings used on paper and board machines.

Common pain points:

temperature bands
batch repeatability
viscosity control

Recommended controllers:

REVO DPU

REVO C

Laminators & Embossing Rolls

Electrically heated rolls and platens for laminating, embossing and finishing paper, board and film products.

Common pain points:

roll temperature balance
surface quality
changeovers

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO C

Corrugator Pre-Heaters & Glue Pots

Pre-heaters, glue roll heating and conditioning systems on corrugators and cartonboard lines.

Common pain points:

bond quality
warp control
speed response

Recommended controllers:

REVO PC

REVO C

Duct Heaters & Make-Up Air

Duct and inline heaters supplying conditioned air to dryers, coaters and pressrooms.

Common pain points:

air temperature stability
interlocks
start-up load

Recommended controllers:

REVO C

REVO PC

Ancillary Heat-Trace & Tanks

Tank heaters and heat-trace circuits for coatings, inks, adhesives and process water.

Common pain points:

viscosity control
freeze protection
mixed loads

Recommended controllers:

Typical Pain Points & How We Solve Them

Web Stability, Curl & Defects

Drying and coating conditions strongly influence curl, cockle, mottle and other web quality issues.

Solution: REVO-based control of IR and hot-air dryers supports more stable temperature and power profiles, helping to maintain consistent moisture and coating conditions across the web.

Energy Use in Drying & Curing

Drying cylinders, hoods, IR dryers and make-up air systems are major energy consumers on paper and converting lines.

Solution: Appropriate firing modes, demand limiting and staggered starts using REVO-PN and REVO-PC help reduce peaks and can contribute to lower overall energy use versus basic on/off control.

Maintenance & Heater Reliability

Element failures or wiring issues in dryers and heaters can cause unplanned downtime on critical lines.

Solution: Diagnostics such as open or partial-load detection and current monitoring from REVO C and REVO-PC support earlier fault identification and planned intervention.

Print & Coating Quality

Ink and coating lines require repeatable drying profiles to control gloss, colour and coat weight.

Solution: Multi-zone control with REVO-PN or REVO-PC + REVO-S enables finer adjustment of individual zones and better tracking of line speed changes.

Grade Changes & Line Speed Variation

Frequent grade and speed changes can challenge dryer settings and increase start-up waste.

Solution: Digitally controlled SCR power with REVO C and REVO-PC allows dryer profiles to be adjusted quickly in response to new setpoints and production speeds.

Efficiency & Modernisation

Mills and converters are under pressure to modernise equipment and improve energy and environmental performance.

Solution: Replacing ageing contactor banks or basic solid-state relays with REVO controllers can improve controllability, support data collection and form part of wider efficiency projects.

Snapshot: Coating Line IR & Hot-Air Dryer Control Upgrade

Problem: a paper coating line with mixed IR and hot-air dryers controlled by contactors and basic SSRs was experiencing variable drying, grade-dependent setup times and limited visibility of dryer load.

Solution: key dryer zones were re-controlled using a REVO-PC master with REVO-S zone controllers on the resistive heaters. The coater PLC now sends zone setpoints and line-speed information to the REVO-PC, which coordinates firing and provides power and current feedback over an industrial fieldbus.

Result: more stable drying profiles, shorter setup times on grade changes, better information on energy use and clearer indication of heater issues for maintenance teams (typical benefits achievable on similar upgrade projects).

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Why CD Automation?

REVO solutions for dryers, coaters, laminators and utilities
REVO-PC with Modbus, Profinet, EtherCAT into mill and converter control systems
Firing modes for resistive and IR heater loads
Support for OEMs, system integrators and site engineering teams
Suitable for retrofit projects and new line designs

Industry Overview - Electric Heating in Pulp, Paper & Printing