Paper Machine

Named "Wild Rose", after our Provincial flower, Alberta's first (and still only) paper machine, produces more than 10,000 square metres of premium newsprint PER MINUTE

An upgrade in Summer 2001, enables "Rosie" to run at speeds up to and over 1,500 metres per minute, making her the fastest newsprint machine in Canada, and second in North America (#1 for Single Winder Machines).

A mixture of Pulp from our TMP Mill and broke/trim from the Paper Machine are mixed with water and fed into the forming section of the Paper Machine.

At the start, the mixture is more than 98% water. By the time it has gone through the former, press sections, dryers and calendar stack, and becomes paper, it will be about 8% water.

Most of the removed water is reused in the paper making process. Steam, a by-product of our TMP refining process, is used at the Paper Machine to help dry the paper.

The 8.5 metre sheet is put onto "Jumbo" reels of paper, measuring up to 60 kilometres long and weighing more than 25 Metric Tonnes.(photo courtesy, © Edmonton Journal)

Paper Reels are tested for strength, caliper, opacity, brightness, and other properties both in our lab and via an on-machine scanner.

A high speed digital camera system inspects the 1500 metres/minute sheet for defects, and alerts operators, providing a still picture of the area of concern.

The jumbo reels are then taken to our winder, where they are wound into rolls destined for our customers.

A state-of-the-art computer based control system matches customer orders (grade, size, width, core type, number) to reels. A jumbo reel as above can make more than 30 separate rolls of different diameters, widths and core types for many different customers.

ANC continues to invest in new technology. To help keep up with the faster paper machine, ANC invested in upgraded Winder controls, moving away from push buttons to LCD touch screens.

The winder, running at speeds up to 2,500 metres/minute, is now able to keep up with the increased paper machine production.