From the Sector

Under its Neumag brand, Barmag will present its technologies for the production of nonwovens for filter media at this year’s FILTECH. The main focus is on solutions for producing high-performance filter media at competitive costs. Here, Neumag excels in both the meltblown sector and with its spunbond solutions. 

Meltblown technology for the highest quality requirements 
Neumag’s meltblown technology enables the efficient and straightforward production of high - performance nonwovens for filtration, insulation, and sorption applications. A wide variety of polymers can be processed—from classic polyolefins such as PP and PE, through PET, PLA, PBT, and PA, to specialty plastics like PPS or TPU. All of these and other raw materials can be processed safely and reliably using the Neumag meltblown process. 

The hycuTEC hydrocharging technology, which was honored with the Edana Filtrex Innovation Award, enables the production of particularly high-performance electret filter media. This allows the pressure drop of a typical FFP2 filter medium to be reduced to less than a quarter. “Filtration efficiencies of over 99.99% are easily achievable with standard media weighing around 35 g/m² and a maximum pressure drop of 35 Pa,” explains Andreas Frisch, Regional Sales Director Nonwoven. “Furthermore, the additional drying step is eliminated in most applications—another advantage of this innovative technology,” he adds. 

Spunbond solutions for high-performance filter concepts 
Spunbond nonwovens are becoming increasingly important in filtration—both as carrier materials and as standalone filter media. By tailoring nonwoven structures specifically to the task at hand, customer - specific requirements can be precisely met. It is also possible to combine multiple functions within a single layer. 

In particular, the company’s long-standing expertise in bicomponent spinning processes opens up new possibilities in the design of innovative nonwoven structures. The Neumag Bico spunbond process allows for the combination of different fiber cross-sections as well as the simultaneous production of different fibers from one or more polymers on a single line. The spectrum ranges from classic core-sheath and side-by-side filaments to split fibers and so-called mixed fibers.

With the official kick-off event of the Textilfabrik 7.0 (T7), a major transformation project for the German textile and apparel industry has been launched in the Monforts Quarter in Mönchengladbach. At the “Textile Roundtable,” an event format organized by the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, representatives from industry, research, politics, and the regional economy came together to jointly lay the foundation for CO₂-neutral, circular, and economically viable textile production in Germany.

The textile and fashion industry worldwide faces major challenges: around ten percent of global CO₂ emissions are attributed to it. At the same time, companies in Germany are under considerable competitive pressure. Textilfabrik 7.0 addresses precisely this intersection by bringing together research institutions, industry, and regional stakeholders to accelerate the transfer of innovative technologies and production processes into industrial application.

Silke Krebs, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia emphasizes that the T7 project actively drives the transformation of the Rhenish mining region into a modern industrial hub. It combines innovative, sustainable textile production with research, development, and the use of AI and robotics. At the same time, it strengthens the region’s competitiveness and creates new jobs across all qualification levels. T7 demonstrates that structural change offers concrete opportunities for a future-proof industry.

For Felix Heinrichs, Mayor of the City of Mönchengladbach, it is evident that when thinking of textiles, you cannot overlook Mönchengladbach. Textile production is deeply embedded in the industrial DNA of Mönchengladbach. But it also has the potential to play a key role in the future of the city as a business location. Textilfabrik 7.0 brings industry and academia together for innovation and research. In doing so, it lays the foundation for sustainable and economically viable textile production - and thus for future-proof jobs in Mönchengladbach. Today’s launch of the T7 project marks a major milestone in the city’s structural transformation.

The kick-off event was aimed in particular at companies along the entire textile value chain. In several keynote presentations, participants gained insights into current developments and potential applications of future production models. Brother Internationale Industriemaschinen GmbH and Hch. Kettelhack GmbH & Co. KG demonstrated how on-demand production can be integrated into microfactory concepts, enabling flexible, demand-driven manufacturing processes.

In addition, 3E Smart Solutions presented how intelligent production for smart textiles could look in the future. The industry cluster Cluster Industrial Biotechnology (CLIB) showcased approaches for using biotechnological processes, such as microorganisms, in textile production to improve resource efficiency and close material loops.

At the heart of Textilfabrik 7.0 are four core modules: On-Demand Manufacturing, MicroFactory Engineering, Digital Textiles, and Biosphere. These topics also formed the basis for four workshops in which participants discussed with module leaders what requirements industry has for future production solutions. The goal was to identify concrete needs and incorporate them directly into further project planning.

Through its real-world lab approach, T7 aims to test and optimize new technologies along the entire textile value chain. These include robotics, digital process chains, and biotechnological methods that can help establish a functioning circular economy in practice.

Professor Dr. Susanne Meyer, President of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences states that the Textilfabrik 7.0 exemplifies what applied research must achieve today: bringing together science, industry, and society to develop concrete solutions to the major challenges of our time. Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences contributes their textile expertise specifically to this future-oriented project, from digital production processes and sustainable materials to circular value creation models. In doing so, there is a contribution not only to the transformation of the textile industry but also to the innovative capacity and future viability of the entire region.

At the same time, the project makes an important contribution to structural change in the Rhenish mining region. Under the guiding principle “From Coal to AI,” new perspectives for industrial value creation and skilled employment are emerging in the region. Textilfabrik 7.0 is one of 19 anchor projects in the Rhenish mining region and is considered by the state to be central to the successful, rapid, and visible implementation of structural transformation.

Textilfabrik 7.0 is a joint project of the Research Institute for Textile and Clothing (FTB) at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences (HSNR), the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) at RWTH Aachen University, the Association of the North-West German Textile and Clothing Industry, the Association of the Rhenish Textile and Clothing Industry, the Textile Academy NRW, and WFMG – Mönchengladbach Economic Development Corporation.

In einer zweiten Entwicklungsphase soll über die Textilfabrik 7.0 hinausgehend ein Industriepark der Zukunft entstehen. Hier entwickelt und produziert die Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie unter Zero-Emission-Bedingungen und mit CO₂-neutralen Prozessen. Der Industriepark soll Raum bieten für innovative Produktionsstätten, Unternehmensniederlassungen der Textilbranche sowie nachhaltige Textil-Start-ups. So entsteht ein moderner Industriestandort, der Forschung, Entwicklung und industrielle Produktion miteinander verbindet.

In a second development phase, a future industrial park is planned to be created beyond Textilfabrik 7.0. Here, the textile and apparel industry will develop and produce under zero-emission conditions and with CO₂-neutral processes. The industrial park will provide space for innovative production facilities, company branches in the textile sector, and sustainable textile start-ups. This will create a modern industrial hub that combines research, development, and industrial production.

The project Textilfabrik 7.0 is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE) under the “STARK” funding guideline to strengthen transformation dynamics and promote new beginnings in coal regions and coal-fired power plant locations, by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia through the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy (MWIKE) in accordance with the framework guideline for implementing the Investment Act for Coal Regions (InvKG) NRW, and by the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).