Research and Development (R&D) is one of the Group’s important strategic goals.  In 2004, Andritz invested approximately 21.1 MEUR in the development of existing and new products and processes. Approximately 180 people work in the Group’s research centers in the USA, Austria, Finland, and France to develop new processes and equipment and expand Andritz’s technological leadership.

The Divisions of the Pulp and Paper Business Area focus their R&D programs primarily on improving fiber quality, increasing energy efficiency, lowering the investment cost per ton of product manufactured, lowering maintenance costs, and reducing the environmental impact.

Some newly developed products of the Pulp and Paper Divisions include:  

• Wood Processing: Chip Sampler/Analyzer and RotaBarker™ for frozen wood and tropical hardwoods
  
• Fiberline: ModuScreen™ A for combined coarse and fine screening of pulp
  
• Recovery: High Energy Recovery Boilers (HERB) which considerably increase electrical generation capacity
  
• Chemical Systems: LMD-Filter™ for lime mud dewatering
  
• Mechanical Pulping: optimization of the Preconditioning-Refiner Chemical (P-RC™) Alkaline Peroxide Mechanical Pulping (APMP) process for alternative raw materials; Bleach Commander™ process control system
  
• Pulp Drying: world’s largest single-line systems; slab press for flash drying
  
• Fiber Preparation: LC/HC pulpers with reduced energy consumption; ShortFlow™ paper machine approach; RotoWash™ for ash washing and fiber recovery
  
• Tissue: Machine Direction (MD) flexibility for TissueFlex™ shoe press; PrimeReel™ Centerwind for crease-free winding at very low nip loads to secure highest softness and volume of tissue paper; PrimeRun™ for utmost sheet stability in the dry end; enter the TAD technology and start up of first TAD machine
  
• Services:  Bar-Tec™ wedgewire screen baskets; conical refiner plates; digester screen plates; diagnostics and condition monitoring systems; screw press shaft machining device

The trend today is toward large, single-line mills since redundant or repetitive smaller systems increase both capital and operating costs.  This places extreme demands on the equipment in terms of scale, reliability, and availability.  All Andritz Divisions are actively developing larger scale equipment.  UPM-Kymmene’s Pietarsaari mill demonstrates Andritz’s capabilities in engineering and producing one of the world’s largest and most efficient chemical recovery systems.  Recent orders from Veracel in Brazil, Hainan in China, and CMPC in Chile will showcase large-scale Andritz fiberline and pulp drying systems.  The chemi-mechanical pulp mill being built in Kunda, Estonia, will have a large twin wire pulp dewatering press, and the installation at UPM’s Shotton (UK) showcases a nearly 1,000 t/d large single-line screw press and disperser from Andritz for recycled fiber processes.

The patented TurboFeed™ system is now generally accepted to be the most advanced, but also the simplest and most reliable solution for chip feeding to a continuous digester.  It has been included on the most recent orders Andritz has received for continuous cooking systems, including very large (3,000 t/d) digesters.

In the pulp bleaching area, chemical consumption has been decreased to record low levels with Andritz technology.  The key elements to achieving this are the fractional washing capabilities of the DD Washer and selective removal of hexenuronic acids (A-Stage Bleaching).

Andritz has done considerable development work to minimize emissions from the recovery boiler (particularly NOx) and to improve the reliability and safety of the boiler while maximizing energy production of the boiler at the same time.

Sophisticated simulation programs (designed in cooperation with IDEAS Simulation within the Andritz Group) are now being utilized for fiberlines, chemical recovery boilers, evaporation plants, pulp drying lines, and tissue production lines.

In the fiber preparation area, Andritz now can perform full-line production trials and testing for recycled fiber applications in its new Graz pilot plant.

In the Rolling Mills and Strip Processing Lines Business Area, R&D focused on further strengthening the competitive advantage of processes offered to customers.  The mixed acid recovery system has been optimized to increase the nitric-acid recovery rate as well as the water balance between stainless steel pickling lines and acid recovery plants.  Work continues on the project to develop alternative corrosion-resistant coatings with special focus on zinc/chromium- and zinc/magnesium-coatings.  This reduces the zinc-layer thickness for improved laser welding in the automotive industry.

In the Environment and Process Business Area, the R&D program for drying technologies focused on further developing the range of belt drying systems.  New sizes were developed and an entire new design based on using a full concrete casing was successfully introduced to the market.  For centrifuges, a newly developed drive system has successfully proven reliability. Marketing of the new drive system began in the Second Half of 2004.

Feed Technology's R&D activities were focused on further developing existing products, improving maintainability of equipment, increasing the service intervals for equipment, and standardizing systems and sub-systems in the product range.