From the Sector

 PHP Fibers will open a state of the art airbag fabric weaving and finishing plant in its German production site Obernburg, near Aschaffenburg. The new facility will be embedded into the Nylon high-tenacity spinning plant and is based on technology provided by Toyobo Co., Ltd. Toyobo has airbag fabric weaving operations in Asia and the technology is currently used in the USA at PHP Fibers Inc. with great success.
The German weaving operation will have 47 water jet weaving machines and will use Polyamide 6.6 yarn from its own spinning facility. “This strategic investment will drive PHP Fibers closer to the automotive producers in Germany and Europe,” said Jochen Boos, Managing Director of PHP Fibers. “This investment is a clear commitment on the part of our owners to the site in Germany.”

The Business Director Volker Siejak added, “PHP Fibers was the pioneer in the development and production of airbag yarns. With this investment, PHP will be able to complete its portfolio and can offer yarns and fabrics for airbag application which our customers need. By this we will continue to be successful and we can strengthen the position of PHP Fibers as a market leader in the Airbag segment.”

An exciting new development, resulting from a Swiss collaboration between textile manufacturer Schoeller and auxiliaries and dyes specialists at Textilcolor. ecodye is a new auxiliary concept used, in particular, in polyester dyeing processes. The technology accelerates the dyeing process and contributes to cutting costs, while at the same time helping to preserve the environment with a low level of demand on resources.
Less time, less water, less energy – the new ecodye auxiliary concept allows eco-friendly and cost-saving dyeing processes for polyester yarns and piece goods. It shortens the heating phase, thus accelerating process time by more than 30 percent. At the same time, it reduces energy consumption by 20 percent and the water requirement by 25 percent, as the goods can be cleaned in the cooling dye bath.
In addition, ecodye improves the dyeing levelness in polyester textiles. Spots and dye agglomeration are almost completely avoided, and the precipitation on the goods that arises as a result of polyester oligomers are no longer evident. ecodye provides good shade stability and avoids reproduction problems from batch to batch, thus reducing the rate of double staining and increasing the capacity utilization and productivity of the dyeing mill on a long-term basis.

Following a successful launch phase, ecodye has already been able to provide numerous positive test results. The technology is being used by polyester-processing customers in categories including outdoor, sportswear and technical knitted fabrics, primarily in Europe, South and Middle America, Turkey, Bangladesh and China.