IN Brief:
- Ahlstrom plans to install a Bellmer TurboJetter headbox on its T14 line in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, in June 2027.
- The machine produces lightweight speciality papers for food packaging with basis weights from 15 to 49 g/m².
- The project is designed to improve sheet quality, wet-end stability and maintenance access, with no published output or cost target.
Ahlstrom plans to modernise its T14 speciality paper machine at Kaukauna, Wisconsin, with a new Bellmer TurboJetter headbox scheduled for installation in June 2027. The line manufactures lightweight papers used in food packaging, and the project is intended to improve sheet formation, operating stability and maintenance performance. The company has not published the cost of the installation or a revised production-capacity target.
The machine operates in a basis-weight range of 15 to 49 g/m². Paper in that range requires close control of fibre distribution because relatively small variations in the sheet can affect appearance, strength and subsequent converting. A new headbox is therefore an investment in the wet end of production, where a diluted fibre suspension first reaches the forming section, rather than a replacement of an entire paper machine.
The headbox will be supplied by Bellmer, whose TurboJetter design uses hydraulic stock distribution and turbulence-generating components to control flow into the forming section. A headbox spreads a diluted fibre suspension across the machine width before discharging it through a narrow opening, known as the slice. The distribution established at this stage has a direct influence on fibre orientation and the uniformity of the developing sheet.
Bellmer’s technical range includes step diffusers intended to break up fibre flocs before the suspension enters the slice. Its hydraulic headboxes also use internal lamellas to influence turbulence and formation. These are established functions of the supplier’s technology; the exact configuration, dimensions and automation package specified for Kaukauna have not been made public.
As water drains from the suspension on the forming section, the distribution established at the headbox becomes a significant influence on the resulting paper. Uneven stock flow can create cross-machine differences in grammage or patches of inconsistent fibre distribution. Both characteristics can complicate later operations such as coating, printing, laminating or converting rolls into food packaging. The upgrade is aimed at reducing that variability through a more controllable starting point.
The lighter the grade, the more noticeable some formation differences can become. Low basis-weight papers must still be handled at industrial machine speeds, wound into rolls and supplied to converting operations without damage. An inconsistent sheet can produce weak areas or unpredictable behaviour during downstream handling, even when the nominal grammage meets the product specification. Consistent formation consequently supports repeatable converting as well as the quality of the paper itself.
The TurboJetter family also offers dilution-based control of the cross-machine basis-weight profile and edge-flow arrangements for fibre orientation. Those features illustrate the process adjustments available with hydraulic headbox designs; the configuration selected for Kaukauna has not been specified in the project account. The confirmed investment centres on improved formation, process stability and access for maintenance.
Machine maintenance is another reason for replacing wet-end equipment. A headbox contains surfaces and flow paths that require cleaning and inspection, while control mechanisms must remain repeatable over long operating periods. Improved access and maintainability can reduce the complexity of planned service work. The eventual benefit at Kaukauna will depend on the installation design, operating conditions and the mill’s maintenance programme.
Ahlstrom’s Kaukauna operation has a longstanding role in the production of speciality papers. Its Thilmany manufacturing site produces grades for packaging and other technical uses, combining papermaking expertise with the requirements of converters and end users. Food packaging is a demanding application because paper performance must remain consistent during forming, printing, filling and transport, as well as meet the applicable food-contact specification for each finished product.
Headbox replacement can also involve work beyond removing one mechanical assembly and installing another. The approach-flow system, instruments, process controls and interfaces with the forming section have to support the new equipment. During start-up, operators typically establish stable flow conditions and adjust the sheet profile across the machine width. Those are ordinary requirements of a headbox rebuild, rather than confirmed details of the Kaukauna installation contract.
Bellmer previously supplied a TurboJetter headbox to another Ahlstrom facility, the Billingsfors mill in Sweden, where installation and start-up were reported in 2023. That project also involved approach-flow improvements and demonstrated the companies’ previous working relationship. Kaukauna’s T14 line has different operating conditions and grade requirements, so commissioning will establish the settings for its own lightweight packaging paper range.
The next milestone is the installation during the planned 2027 rebuild. The modernisation will involve fitting the new headbox to an existing machine, with the eventual sheet profile and run stability established during start-up and production trials. The companies have not published a project cost or a quantified capacity target, and the machinery remains in service ahead of the planned rebuild.
The investment concentrates on the wet-end equipment that determines how fibres are delivered to the forming section, before pressing and drying establish the finished sheet. Better flow distribution can support the uniformity needed for lightweight food packaging grades as they move to printing, coating and converting. T14’s operating results after commissioning will determine how those process objectives translate into daily production.
