Internal relocation of a machine: Precise calibration during reinstallation

A precisely executed job: The Leipzig SCHOLPP team was commissioned by TFT – Thüringer Fiber-Trommel GmbH in Rositz to relocate a 25-metric-ton parallel winder at the company premises. This machine is part of a production line for special paper, and placed high demands on the installation team’s mechanical and electrical expertise.

The company TFT in Rositz, in eastern Thuringia, near the town of Altenburg, is a medium-sized family company. The company has been producing special paper products since 1965, and delivers packaging materials such as fiber drums, mailing tubes and edge protectors all over the world. The products are used in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food industries, as well as in the agrochemicals industry, the metalworking industry and the dyes industry.

Machinery relocation within the company

The SCHOLPP team from the nearby Leipzig site coordinated the entire relocation of a parallel winder to another production area within the factory grounds. This was the second project that TFT had placed in the capable hands of the SCHOLPP fitters, who have comprehensive expertise in the paper industry. The parallel winder, which weighed 25 metric tons and measured 20 x 5 meters, couldn’t be transported intact for space reasons, and instead had to be dismantled into five separate components. Measuring 4 x 3 meters and weighing eight metric tons, the largest component was the unwinder, which is responsible for unwinding the raw material and preparing it for further processing.

Before starting work on the dismantling, the SCHOLPP fitters documented the condition of the machine and labeled all of the components using color codes in order to ensure that the machine could be put back together again without too much difficulty. The electrical and mechanical dismantling of the machine also included the complete dismantling of the hydraulic supply. The four machine components and system peripherals were then gradually transported laterally to the new installation position. Driving out of the arched roller door required millimeter precision as a result of the restricted height. The plant components were lifted onto the factory yard from a 3.5-meter-high ramp in front of the door using a 60-metric-ton mobile crane. A forklift and a machine transport cart for loads of up to 60 metric tons then maneuvered the plant around 100 meters along the factory site to the second hall.

High-quality measurement technology used for reinstallation

The new site wasn’t free from obstacles either, as the roller door to the second hall was also only accessible via a truck loading ramp. This ramp was just one meter high, but the crane couldn’t put the machine directly onto it due to a protruding overhanging roof. An additional platform measuring 5 meters in length and 2 meters in width needed to be built in front of the ramp. Once in the hall itself, there were just around 25 meters to go to reach the final installation position. Thanks to high-quality measurement technology, the SCHOLPP fitters were able to carry out the electrical, mechanical and hydraulic reinstallation to exactly the x-y coordinates specified by the client, including the alignment of the components. This required a particularly high level of precision since the most important function of the machine, the paper flow, needed to be exactly right. The only way to ensure perfect production quality is if the paper retains its dimensions when passing through the machine thanks to being drawn in completely evenly.

Handover to the client in operation-ready condition

The plant was handed over to the client in operation-ready condition in no time at all. The functional test was carried out by the TFT technicians in collaboration with a technician from Siemens, since the plant relocation was also used to overhaul the control system. The machine was put back into operation on the agreed date as planned. From both a mechanical and an electrical perspective, this relocation project required not just professional expertise but also above all precision, which was something that the team was able to reliably demonstrate under the leadership of an experienced supervisor.