From the Sector

• Increasing demand for graphite-based automotive solutions
• Strengthening SGL Carbon’s site in Bonn

Over the past three years, SGL Carbon has invested a total of around 25 million euros in the modernization and expansion of its production capacities for specialty graphite automotive components at the Bonn site. The expansion project was completed at the end of last year and was inaugurated today at the site in an official ceremony. Besides the installation of partly new production facilities and a modernized production set-up, construction of a new, 2,000 m2 large hall for the production of the parts was implemented in the course of the expansion.

The background of the expansion is the continuously increasing demand for advanced solutions and products made from graphite in the automotive sector. Due to its durability, high strength, low friction behavior, and high conductivity, the material is suitable for many different automotive applications. Examples include rotors and vanes in vacuum pumps for brake boosters, bearings for exhaust gas management, and sealing rings and bearings for seals in coolant pumps. These solutions include applications for vehicles with conventional combustion engines as well as for e-mobility, thereby making an important contribution to clean driving, higher energy efficiency, and lower emissions.

“Automotive components made from specialty graphite are increasingly becoming the standard in many different applications in the automotive industry. Due to their special properties, they are more and more frequently replacing the materials previously used in pumps and seals, such as plastic and metal. By investing in the modernization and expansion of production in Bonn, we are consolidating our leading position in this market and offering our customers real added value in the close partnership with each other. Through the expansion, we are also strengthening our site in Bonn,” explains Burkhard Straube, President of the business unit Graphite Materials & Systems.

Peruvian print business delivering DTG capabilities for prestigious apparel brands worldwide

Kornit Digital announced that Textil del Valle South America, a vertically integrated garment manufacturing company based in Peru, has chosen to implement Kornit’s digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing technology at its 1.1 million-square-foot facility in Lima, Peru.

Textil del Valle services many of the world’s most prominent apparel brands, including global leaders in sports and athleisurewear.

“Kornit’s sustainable print technology provides the last piece of the puzzle, so we have the ‘full package’ for manufacturing the garment itself, imprinting it on demand based on the customer need, and shipping it ourselves, all from a single location,” said Juan Jose Cordova, General Manager at Textil del Valle. “Our market has been veering away from stocking shelves with inventory that may or may not sell, and the Kornit solution helps our business and customers eliminate that uncertainty and risk. We are the most sustainable textile plant in the world, and Kornit enables us to continue answering market demands in an efficient, responsible manner.”

Paris Companies Inc. recently achieved Clean Green re-certification. This re-certification reflects their continued dedication to operational efficiency and sustainability.

Paris Companies Inc. first earned the Clean Green Certification in 2012. Companies that have earned this certification adhere to TRSA-designated water and energy use thresholds and deploy best management practices (BMPs) consistent with the ASTM International environmental laundering standard. Paris Companies’ customers can be assured their uniforms, towels and other reusable linens are washed, dried and finished with processes that maximize sustainability and reduce greenhouse emissions. Clean Green certified operations demonstrate significant commitment to conservation and green operations through these BMPs:

• Recovering heat from drained hot water and heat dispersed from the process of warming water
• Recapturing drained water from rinses for reuse
• Using environmentally friendly detergents
• Removing solids and liquids from wastewater
• Solar energy and energy-efficient lighting
• Recycling programs
• Re-routing trucks to save vehicle fuel
• Spill prevention plans

The Clean Green certification is valid for three years at a time. TRSA inspects laundry facilities seeking certification and approves documentation of their water and energy use and BMP deployment through production reports they submit to auditors during the inspections. TRSA’s certification management protocol includes auditor training by the association’s inspection program administrator.

At the Shanghaitex trade fair Mayer & Cie. China (MCN) exhibited its new machine for manufacturing three-thread fleece. The MFC 3.2 is the first in-house development by the German circular knitting machine manufacturer’s Chinese subsidiary. It produces light to heavy linings and is specially geared to processing polyester yarn. The MFC 3.2 will be available from spring 2020; the material it produces is used in sports- and leisurewear.

“Three-thread fleece linings are popular all over the world,” says Marcus Mayer, Mayer & Cie.’s technical director, “albeit with important regional differences. In Europe and America customers appreciate heavier, warm cotton fabrics, whereas in Asia light, fluffy fabrics made of mixed synthetic fibres are preferred. That is why the MFC 3.2 is a major addition to our Chinese portfolio.“

MFC 3.2: Tried and trusted basis, market-specific alignment
The new Chinese three-thread fleece machine is based on the established Mayer & Cie. MBF 3.2, the qualities of which deliver the goods in the MFC 3.2. They include the high quality of material on both sides of the fabric and the production of challenging weaves. At the same time, the Chinese Mayer & Cie. team attached importance to catering for local requirements, first and foremost processing polyester yarns. Thanks to cam parts developed in-house the new machine performs these tasks reliably and efficiently. At up to 30 rpm on a 30-inch diameter cylinder the MFC 3.2 produces three-thread fleece for sports- and leisurewear.

The MFC 3.2 is more than a three-thread fleece machine, however. A conversion kit transforms it into the MSC 3.2 II, the most popular machine in Mayer & Cie. China’s portfolio. The conversion works in both directions, which further upgrades the single jersey machine because “in the highly saturated Chinese single jersey market the fact that the MSC 3.2 II can be converted into a threethread fleece machine is an important selling point,” Managing Director Mayer notes.

“100 % NATURE” collection by Calida reflects a shared vision for sustainable fashion. A mission and a strong commitment combining comfort with technology, style and a responsible attitude.

Manufactured in a closed, particularly energy-efficient cycle and sourced from sustainably managed forests, the man/woman underwear and loungewear collection by leading fashion brand Calida reaches the 100% of sustainability thanks to the premium stretch fiber  ROICA™ delivers ultimate hyper-performance in both stretch and sustainability.

Cellulose-based premium materials are blended with ROICA™ V550; the non-toxic-release* innovation in sustainable elastic fibers, matching the need for elasticity , quality , comfort with the request for sustainability and respect for the environment.

ROICA™ V550 is part of ROICA Eco-Smart™ family, the latest and cutting edge range of ROICA™, the premium stretch fiber for the modern wardrobe by leading innovator Asahi Kasei.

“100% NATURE” is certified CRADLE TO CRADLE™, which means that raw materials can be used time and again in an ongoing biological cycle. CALIDA is also the first clothing brand worldwide to be awarded the ‘MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®’ label, which is based on compliance with strict social responsibility and ecological criteria and certifies that the textiles carrying the label have been tested for harmful substances.

• Focus on Productivity and Efficiency

MS Printing Solutions at the next Heimtextil will focus on presenting textile printing solutions to boost cost-effective and high-quality productions, answering to Industry leaders in home and contract textile who need: productivity, quality and beneficial production process.

Attendees will see a JP4 EVO 3200 printer at work, with Bellagio reactive ink made by JK Group. This is one of MS' solutions which streamlines printing processes, reduces production times and maintenance costs, improving efficiency by:

• making the best use of production buildings, minimizing the space occupied by printers: JP4 EVO is compact and functional.
• taking full advantage of manufacturing-process, reducing downtime therefore improving productivity-performances: JP4 EVO can be fed by external roll unwinder ensuring timing optimization.
• using inks with a custom-made waveform, lowering the most common defects due to the interaction between ink and printheads, improving your productivity and competitiveness

The show will be the occasion for the Technical and Sales Teams to illustrate all details which characterize Minilario.  The printing machine, launched at the last ITMA, is the ideal choice for those searching for: flexibility, quality, speed, energy efficiency and sustainability, all in one.

The 64 print heads installed on the innovative printing carriage allow Minilario to reach the shocking but real printing speed of 18m/min, fitting the Home and contract textile demand of productivity and quality, applying a cost-effective production process.

The show will offer the opportunity to remark MS's sustainability commitment, started with #transparentaswater project based on the 100/90/10 paradigm aimed to engage the whole Textile Printing Industry in a big change. The commitment continued with MS’s adhesion to the “Sustainable Technologies” project launched by ACIMIT which selects textile machinery and systems manufacturers whose production specifications ensure a low environmental impact, combining sustainability and innovation. MS' printing machines may boast “Green Label” as “Suppliers of Sustainable Technologies” (come and visit us to go deeply inside our sustainability commitment).

Global fashion brand Weekday decided to show initiative in circular fashion on White Monday and is now the world’s first global fashion brand who has published a garment from IFC fabric.

Weekday wanted to raise awareness of IFC by contacting Maisie Williams who’s known to speak about causes she cares about. Maisie co-designed a two-piece outfit which is made entirely from IFC fabric.

IFC’s technology enables the millions of kilos of textile waste that is currently burned or landfilled, to be turned into a cost efficient, high quality cotton-like fiber.

”Infinited Fiber Company has a really interesting new recycling technique that has potential to help Weekday in our goal towards 100% recycled or sustainably sourced materials. For us, this material is extra interesting because of its cotton-like appearance and durability,” says Ulrika Jakobsson, Sustainability and Material Responsible at Weekday.

IFC provided Weekday with a few meters of newly processed denim fiber to test and they are now the first in the world to use this fabric.

At the moment this garment is not a collection that can be purchased. Weekday is testing the material and they are hoping to create a full collection soon.
IFC‘s technology is operating in Finland and is patented, proven and ready for global up-scaling and licensing. Its investors include global fashion corporation H&M Group and Singapore based global biomaterials company RGE Pte Ltd.

• Glass fiber textiles for helicopter type H145
• First ever material supply for primary structural components in the aerospace segment

Since August of this year, SGL Carbon delivers two special glass fiber textiles, so-called non-crimped fabrics, for the new version of helicopter model H145 from Airbus Helicopters. These materials are used in the new, especially efficient five-blade rotor. Developed in close collaboration with Airbus Helicopters, the material has been qualified for the application for the next years to come.  

Thanks to their unidirectional fiber orientation, the fabrics are extremely resistant, providing optimal support for the new geometry of the especially long H145 rotor blades. The fabrics are manufactured at the SGL Carbon site in Willich near Düsseldorf in a multi-stage process and delivered to Airbus Helicopters in Paris.  

“The order emphasizes our growing presence in the aerospace business. With the fabrics for Airbus Helicopters, we have realized, qualified, and started serial production for a material concept for primary structural components for the first time,” underscores Dr. Andreas Erber, Head of the Aerospace segment in the business unit Composites – Fibers & Materials at SGL Carbon.

The current deliveries are part of a framework contract with Airbus Helicopters, intended to gradually intensify collaboration. Besides the current development of materials for helicopter components, Airbus Helicopters and SGL Carbon have worked together in the area of component material processing for Airbus group aircraft doors for years. In addition, Airbus and SGL Carbon are jointly involved in various associations and research projects in the area of components, such as Carbon Composites e.V.

• R-TWO™ plays a major role in ISKO™’s SS21 fabrics collection, featuring throughout all of ISKO™’s inspirational and forward-looking denim offer.

ISKO denim mill has recently welcomed to its family of innovations its most revolutionarily responsible yet: R-TWO™. This concept was essential to the development of the SS21 fabrics collection featuring an across-the-board employment of the “reused and recycled” program throughout ISKO™’s denim offer, confirming once again the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

Preventing over-sourcing, avoiding waste.

In keeping with ISKO’s Responsible Innovation™ approach, this concept deals with the most critical matter that apparel supply chains are currently faced with: using more than what actually needed. ISKO R-TWO™ reduces the amount of raw material sourced by relying on a blend of reused cotton and recycled polyester, improving sourcing efficiency throughout the entire field-tofabric production. This cutting-edge program effectively tackles over-sourcing – the leading issue when it comes to waste hierarchy.

Processing resources

During the processing of raw cotton into yarn, for every 100 kilos of cotton approximately 10% is lost. ISKO collects it and prevents it from becoming waste, adding it back into the spinning process obtaining cotton that is fully traced, documented and audited. This verification process has been invented by ISKO in partnership with its yarn supplier Sanko, offering full clarity into the traceability of reused cotton from field to fabric. It is also certified with the Content Claim Standard – or CCS – of the Textile Exchange.

On the other hand, recycled polyester comes from clear plastic bottles or, alternatively, it can come from other certified waste: in either case the source material is collected, sorted, stripped of labels and caps, and cleaned. This material is then ground into plastic pellets that can then be re-spun into new fiber filaments, which are then blended with the reused cotton to create R-TWO™ fabrics. A major asset of employing recycled polyester is the energy required to produce it, which is less than that required to manufacture virgin polyester. By using more recycled polyester, ISKO effectively reduces its dependence on petroleum as a raw material, ultimately reducing the overall carbon footprint of ISKO™ fabrics.

Depending on the content percentages, for the recycled polyester ISKO can provide either the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certifications, both of which track the recycled raw material through the supply chain from input to final product to verify its integrity.

Rethinking innovation

The R-TWO™ program was developed to keep on delivering a futuristic and innovative sustainable approach, one where ISKO rethinks its sourcing strategies and refuses to source more raw materials than what actually needed. The objective? Improving, more than ever before, the environmental performance impact of yarn to fabric production, to do better for the planet and its people. Note for pictures: R-TWO™ fabrics played a key role in the development of “Light on the Land”, the new ISKO™ x Miles Johnson collection incorporating fashion and responsibility.

For contacts and information:

Margherita Verlicchi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: margherita.verlicchi@menabo.com
Chiara Bearzi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: chiara.bearzi@menabo.com

Chomarat Group, expert in composite reinforcements for the marine market developed a high performing C-PLYTM reinforcement for the hull and deck of Arcona 435 and 465. Both cruiser-racer are a unique combination of comfort onboard and performances, for fast family cruising and high-level races thanks to their specific design, and the use of C-PLY™. The carbon NCF reinforcement allows structural design benefits, premium surface quality and overall parts cost saving.

“With 45 years of expertise, Chomarat is a pioneer in developing solutions to achieve weight reduction, improved surface appearance and stronger structure.

C-PLY™ makes it possible to meet these specifications, while ensuring stable quality and cost-effectiveness” explains Vincent Cholvy, Marine market Manager at Chomarat.

THE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY FOR SERIAL PRODUCTION OF CARBON BOATS
A study was led to determine the optimal construction to develop a high performing C-PLY™ range for a better permeability in infusion process. The result is a carbon NCF that achieves high mechanical performances, multi resins compatibility and cost efficiency. “Chomarat is the best choice for supplying the product our factory prefers to work with: stable quality and cost effectiveness are the key benefits” explains Nicolas Broberg, Managing Director Arcona Yacht.

Infusion technology for hull and deck with up to 70% level of carbon in the laminate gives the greatest possible strength.