BJELOVAR, Croatia - The first plant with a CPS+ press has been successfully put into operation. After a seven-month assembly period, the first board was produced according to plan on October 1, 2016 at Kronospan's new particleboard plant in Bjelovar, Croatia.
The initial run comes 17 months after Dieffenbacher unveiled the new continuous CPS+ press at Ligna 2015.
Bernd Bielfeldt, head of Dieffenbacher's Wood Business Unit, called the commissioning "absolutely seamless," with Koronospan increasing production to three shifts two weeks after start-up.
Dieffenbacher began development of the new generation of presses in 2014, with a goal was to improve the thickness tolerances of manufactured boards. Using a modular frame with a new arrangement of press cylinders, the CPS+ is said to ensure perfectly even distribution of pressure when pressing the board. This provides consistent product quality and low raw material consumption.
Other new thermoactive roll plates ensure that the mats can be heated at an earlier stage. The CPS+ Press also offers improved accessibility for servicing. Its clear distinction between the supply side and the maintenance side enables faster and more convenient press maintenance.
The CPS+ has all the advantages of the original CPS model, proven over decades of service. These advantages include the variable double joint press infeed, thermal expansion of the frames—which allow product changeover on the fly without interruptions—and the Parallel Press Gap System (PPS), which stops the mat "breathing out" between the cylinder banks.
Two CPS+ project commissions in Thailand will take place in the first half of 2017. Dieffenbacher has sold eleven plants featuring the new CPS+ press.