Maschinen- und Anlagenbau

ContiRoll®
Forming and Press Lines

Siempelkamp has been
manufacturing presses since
1883 and has played a decisive
role in shaping the technical and
technological development of
continuous pressing.
Know-how
Siempelkamp has an extensive
research and development faci-
lity where the principles of our
ContiRoll® continuous press have
been developed and adapted to
the requirements of the produc-
tion of particleboard (PB), medium
density fibreboard (MDF), oriented
strand board (OSB), laminated
veneer lumber (LVL) and construc-
tion strand lumber (CSL). These
principles have been confirmed
in more than 160 Siempelkamp
ContiRoll® presses in operation
world-wide.
Single source solution
The companies of the Siempel-
kamp Group combine to offer
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some of the most complete lines
of process machinery for your
complete plant requirements, all
from a single source and backed
by the trusted Siempelkamp
name.
Custom designed solutions
Our custom designed solutions
integrate all aspects of project
planning, detailed design, manu-
facture, installation and start-up
as well as technological support,
spare parts and long term service.
Quality
The quality of our concepts,
design and the materials used
guarantees a high level of sys-
tem reliability and ensures the
economic operation of each
plant.
Siempelkamp – the
Full service
Siempelkamp offers expertise in
project planning, research and
development, raw material
testing, and extensive knowledge
of the manufacture of panel pro-
ducts using the ContiRoll® contin-
uous press. Siempelkamp assists
in personnel training and plant
start-up, and provides spare
parts and service.
Superior service has made
Siempelkamp the world market
leader and a partner you can trust.
partner you can trust

3
 The Siempelkamp ContiRoll®

Flexible
The forming and press line is the
most important investment in any
panel production plant. Its selec-
tion is a key factor in ensuring
the capacity of the plant and
quality of the products produced.
F o r m i n g a n d p re s s l i n e f o r P B
Since Siempelkamp is a “single
source” supplier, each compo-
nent of a forming and press line
is designed to interface with the
next to ensure maximum pro-
duction flexibility and efficient
operation.

The Siempelkamp ContiRoll®

system can utilise a variety of
raw materials, including:

• many different species,

densities and forms of wood
(e.g., chips, sawdust,
shavings, etc.)
• agricultural residues (e.g., F o r m i n g a n d p re s s l i n e f o r M D F
bagasse, flax, straw, etc.)

F o r m i n g a n d p re s s l i n e f o r O S B
These materials can be used to
produce a variety of finished pro-
ducts with wide ranging densities
and thickness including:

• particleboard for decorative
laminating and construction
• low and medium density
fibreboard, including un-
sanded thin panels for direct
lacquering
• oriented strand board and
speciality products
The design of the ContiRoll®
press ensures the rapid transfer
of heat and rapid increase of
pressure to the mat, enabling
the production of panels with
optimal density profiles for
board thickness between 1.8
and 40 mm and line speeds up
to 1,500 mm/second.
This flexibility allows the produc-
tion of a product which can be
adapted to suit specific market
requirements with desired pro-
duct properties. Furthermore,
the ContiRoll® system allows
easily adjustable product
widths, enhancing the ability to
produce customised product
sizes for specific markets.

4
system – flexible and efficient
Efficient
The efficient integration of ma-
chinery and control technology
from the various companies
of the Siempelkamp Group pro-
vides a high level of operational
reliability.
The Siempelkamp ContiRoll®
system offers:
• rapid start-up, reducing the
time needed to reach design
capacity
• ease of production changes
from one product to another
• ease of changes in product
specifications (e.g. density,
width, thickness)
• low thickness and density
tolerances
• excellent physical properties
• low consumption of electrical
energy, thermal energy and
lubricants
• minimal downtime and low
maintenance costs
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 Technical features

Mat forming systems

To achieve optimal furnish distri- The second is the newly devel- The great advantage of this
bution, Siempelkamp has devel- oped CrownFormer system system is the low maintenance
oped an individual mat forming consisting of core and face layer cost and its exceptional mat
concept for each type of board. machines equipped with paten- forming precision, which helps
ted mechanical forming rolls. to save material.
Particleboard mat formers
Two systems are available:
The first is the proven combina-
tion of WindFormer for the face
layer and CageFormer for the
core layer. This system results in
the finest face layers for lamina-
ting with thin papers or for direct
lacquering.

Face layer CrownFormer

Partial view of the complete particle mat forming systems

Levelling head produces an uniform MDF mat

MDF mat formers
The StarFormer has been
improved:
The new mat forming head con-
sists of a bed of counter-rotating
toothed rollers, which ensure that
the fibre is distributed uniformly
over the mat forming belt in
transverse and longitudinal direc-
tion. Both the angle of tilt and
height of the forming head are
adjustable. Downstream from the
mat forming head is a levelling
head (patents pending). Its func-
tion is to produce a uniform mat
with constant weight per unit
area independent of the mat
height and bulk density. High
mat forming precision and opti-
mal distribution of weight in
transverse and longitudinal direc-
tion are the result.
MDF matforming machine

6
OSB mat formers
This simple but highly effective
system consists of a DiscFormer,
which orientates the strands
in the face layer in longitudinal
direction, combined with a
FinFormer, which orientates the
strands for the core layer trans-
verse to the direction of produc-
tion. The resulting strand orienta-
tion is very good. Furthermore,
the DiscFormer promotes sepa-
ration and brings the biggest
strands to the surface. The
mechanical loads acting on the
furnish are thus kept low.

OSB mat forming system

OSB face layer orienter discs

The forming line

Pre-press
Particleboard and MDF mats are
traditionally compacted by a
pre-press before transfer to the
ContiRoll® press. This is accom-
plished by using high pressure
rollers to evacuate the air from
the mat and make it easier to
handle.
In addition, the overall quality of
the OSB board is improved.
For MDF production, a different
concept based on heated sifter
systems is used to stabilise the
temperature of the fibres at an
optimal level for the subsequent
process. Material re-cycled from
the forming line is also heated
before being returned to the pro-
duction process.
OSB forming line

Pre-heating
For OSB production, Siempel-
kamp has developed a system
which evenly increases the inter-
nal temperature of the mat prior
to entering the ContiRoll® press.

The ContiTherm® pre-heater,

which is installed immediately
before the ContiRoll® press, uses
a mixture of warm air and steam
to heat the mat to approximately
60 - 80º C. The increased tem-
perature of the mat as it enters
the ContiRoll® press results in
faster resin cure times and in-
creased capacity of up to 30 %.

7
 ContiRoll® – the Siempelkamp principle
The first ContiRoll® press started
production in 1984. Since then,
the ContiRoll® has proven its
capabilities and become well
accepted by wood-based panel
manufacturers.
The Siempelkamp principle is
protected by a number of
patents. Over the years the
Roller rod carpet
8
machine technology has been
enhanced to improve reliability,
product quality and operational
efficiency.
The roller rod carpet
A “carpet” of calibrated roller
rods runs between the steel belt
and the hot platen. The equally
spaced rods span the full width
of the hot platen. They roll freely,
transmitting the pressure and
heat to the steel belt with opti-
mal efficiency.
Advantages:
• low lubricant consumption
• minimal power requirement
• simple board width variation
Heat transfer
Heat is transferred to the pro-
duct directly and evenly from
the hot platen through the roller
rods and steel belt. Precise
manufacturing of these compo-
nents ensures optimal heat
transfer. The rapid rate of heat
transfer results in reduced resin
cure times.
Advantage:
• increased capacity
Hydraulic cylinder arrangement
Pressure is applied to the pro-
duct by hydraulic cylinders.
These are independently con-
trolled across the width and
along the length of the press.
Advantage:
• flexible pressure distribution
Drive technology
All critical variable speed drives
are equipped with digital controls
and/or load sensing circuitry.
This ensures accurate speed
synchronisation between press
steel belts, roller rod carrier
chains, pre-press and forming
belt drive motors.
Advantages:
• uniform belt speed
• no disturbance of the mat
surfaces
Hydraulics
Proportional valves control the
pressure applied to the product.
Advantage:
• optimal density profile control
Press foundation
The steel belt tensioning forces
are absorbed by the four long-
itudinal beams, which run along
the length of the press and are
attached above and below the
press frames. The press founda-
tion therefore supports only the
static weight of the press and
does not absorb any of the belt
tensioning forces.
Installation
The main components of a
ContiRoll® press line, including
parts of the mat formers, side
trim saws, pre-press, ContiRoll®
press infeed and discharge sec-
tion and major portions of the
hydraulic system, are supplied
pre-assembled, pre-wired and
tested.
Advantage: ContiRoll®
• short installation time

Advantage:
• low foundation costs

Hydraulic controls on top

of the ContiRoll® press
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 The ContiRoll® infeed
Continuous development of the
ContiRoll® press has resulted in
a new infeed design, which incor-
porates many new Siempel-
kamp patents. This new infeed
design improves on the already
excellent technological flexibility
and efficiency of the ContiRoll®
concept.
The innovative design consists
of a curved, lower hot platen
with a fixed radius and a varia-
ble upper hot platen. The radius
of the upper hot platen can be
The new ContiRoll® infeed section
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adjusted (concave through con- As the mat enters the infeed of
vex) to suit the technological the ContiRoll® it can be com-
requirements of the product. pressed quickly due to the short
time lapse from the point of mat
Advantages: contact until the mat is subjec-
• the product surface layer ted to full pressure at the first
thickness and density can frame section. The mat pressure
be altered during the remaining time in the
• ability to produce light boards press can be easily adjusted
with high surface density with the hydraulic control
• press operating speeds up to system.
1500 mm/second
The aim is to transfer the maxi-
mum amount of thermal energy
and pressure to the board to
quickly cure the surface and
achieve a stable, high density
surface.
The curvature of the hot platens
in the ContiRoll® infeed can be
accurately adjusted, even during
production, so that the evacua-
tion of air from the mat can be
controlled relative to density
increase.
Advantages:
• low risk of mat “blowouts”
• low sand-off requirements
• low thickness tolerance
• ability to reduce raw
material input for de-
fined board properties
• higher capacities
due to higher press
line speeds up
to 1500 mm/second
1200
Examples for press setting, infeed section: the density profiles
1100 can be varied according to a wide range of applications.
1000
Profile A
900 A slow pressure build-up and
density in (kg/m3)
reduction results in higher
800 sand-off
700
600
Profile B
B fast pressure build-up and reduction
500 results in lower sand-off
400
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

The ContiRoll® control system
The ContiRoll® control system
consists of a combination of pro-
grammable logic controllers for
the discrete logic functions and
an industry standard VME bus
system for “real time” position
control of the press. Standard
HMI systems are used for pro-
cess visualisation. To ensure an
optimal production process the
control system measures and
controls all process parameters
from raw material processing to
the finishing line. The production
data is displayed on control
room monitors enabling the
operators to easily identify
changes in production and
make appropriate adjustments.
The functions which are monito-
red and controlled include:
• entire press line overview
• raw material preparation
parameters
• forming line operation data
• product parameters
• ContiRoll® operating para-
meters, including hydraulic
system, pressing forces and
compression curves
Controls for the forming line and
ContiRoll® press
• ex-press product thickness,
dimensions and weight
All process data can be collected
and recorded in a database. The
Siempelkamp software PROMACS
(Production Management and
Control System) facilitates the
management of raw material
consumption, production volumes
and costs, downtimes, and other
important parameters of a modern
production plant.
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SPP.4723.KT-Prospekt E RZ 15.04.2005 15:20 Uhr Seite 16

G. Siempelkamp GmbH & Co. KG

Machinery and Plants

Maschinen- und Anlagenbau

Trocknungs- und Umwelttechnik

Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Büttner Gesellschaft für Trocknungs-

Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG und Umwelttechnik mbH

*
Industrieplanung

CMC S.r.I.
Zweigniederlassung Maschinen- und Anlagenbau
GmbH & Co. KG
*

PAL S.r.I.

Handling Systeme
*
Siempelkamp Handling Systeme GmbH & Co. KG
IMAL S.r.I.

ATR Industrie-Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG

Representatives

Italy
Siempelkamp S.r.I.

Pressen Systeme
France
Siempelkamp Pressen Systeme GmbH & Co. KG Siempelkamp France SARL

Australia
Siempelkamp Pty Ltd.

Singapore
Siempelkamp (Wuxi) Machinery Manufacturing Ltd.,
China Siempelkamp Pte Ltd.

China
Siempelkamp (Tianjin) International Trade Ltd.

Brazil
Siempelkamp L.P., Marietta, USA
Siempelkamp do Brasil Ltda.

Russia
Siempelkamp Moscow

Siempelkamp Canada, Cambridge/Ont.

Engineering

Sicoplan N.V. * Minority Shareholding

Siempelkamp Maschinen- und Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG Siempelkampstrasse 75 47803 Krefeld Germany Phone: +49 (0) 21 51/92-30 Fax: +49 (0) 21 51/92-56 04 www.siempelkamp.com