From the Sector

• Annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers

• Digitalization and Sustainability Key to Resiliency for Italian Textile Machinery Sector

The objective critical issues faced by Italy as a whole throughout the course of 2021, primarily dictated by a pandemic that upset any and all pre-existing equilibriums, have not slowed or halted the Italian textile machinery sector.

Indeed, data presented during the annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, held on 1 July proved decidedly positive, showing that in 2021 the sector recovered significantly compared to 2020, to the point of returning to pre-Covid levels.

Specifically, Italian textile machinery production amounted to 2.388 billion euros (+35% over 2020 and + 5% over 2019), with total exports amounting to 2.031 billion euros (+37% over 2020 and +9% over 2019).

However, these results do not cancel the obstacles that companies are still facing. Looking to the near future, expectations are for a rather uncertain outlook, as underscored by ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi: “2022 remains a year replete with unknown factors, starting with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, along with the persistence of the pandemic, which seriously risk delaying expected growth consolidation for businesses in the sector. Difficulties in finding raw materials and components negatively affect the completion and fulfilment of orders processed as far back as 2021. To boot, rising energy costs and inflationary trends affecting numerous commodities are depressing overall business confidence. So the outlook for the sector is not so good.”
As such, the two cornerstones through which ACIMIT aims to support the Italian textile machinery sector are digitilization and sustainability.

4.0: The textile machinery sector looks to the future
The road to digital transformation has already led numerous manufacturers to completely rethink their production processes, rendering them more efficient and l ess expensive. The digital world is moving ahead at a decisive rate in the textile machinery sector, where the buzzwords are increasingly, for instance, the Internet of Things connecting to a company’s ecosystem, machine learning algorithms applied to production, predictive maintenance, and the integrated cloud management of various production departments. It is no coincidence that ACIMIT has focused decisively on its Digital Ready project, through which Italian textile machinery that adopt a common set of data are certified, with the aim of facilitating integration with the operating systems of client companies (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.).

A green soul
Combining production efficiency and respect for the environment: a challenge ACIMIT has made its own and which it promotes among its members through the Sustainable Technologies project. Launched by the association as early as 2011, the project highlights the commitment of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in the area of sustainability. At the heart of the project is the Green Label, a form of certification specifically for Italian textile machinery which highlights its energy and environmental performance. An all-Italian seal of approval developed in collaboration with RINA, an international certification body.
The assembly held on 1 July provided an opportunity to take stock of the Sustainable Technologies project, more specifically, with the presentation of the Rina Consulting survey on the Green Label’s evolution and impact in recent years.

The results have confirmed the initiative’s extreme validity. The technological advances implemented by the association’s machinery producers participating in the project have effectively translated into benefits in terms of environmental impact (reduction of CO₂ equivalent emissions for machinery), as well as economic advantages for machinery users.

With reference to the year 2021, a total of 204,598 tons of CO₂ emissions avoided on an annual basis have been quantified, thanks to the implementation of improvements on machinery. This is a truly significant reduction which, for the sake of comparison, corresponds to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by 36,864 automobiles travelling an average of 35,000 km a year. In terms of energy savings, the use of green labeled textile machinery has provided excellent performances in allowing for a reduction of up to 84% in consumption.

A round table discussion on the Green Label’s primary purpose
The environmental and economic impact generated in production processes for Italian textile machinery through the use of Green Label technologies was the focus of the round table which concluded the ACIMIT assembly.

Moderated by Aurora Magni (professor of the Industrial Systems Sustainability course at the LIUC School of Engineering), the debate involved Gianluca Brenna (Lipomo Printing House administrator and Vice President of the Italian Fashion System for Welfare), Pietro Pin (Benetton Group consultant and President of UNI for the textile-clothing area), Giorgio Ravasio (Italy Country Manager for Vivienne Westwood), as well as ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi.

Called on to compare common factors in their experiences relating to environmental transition processes for their respective companies, the participants were unanimous: the future of Italian textile machinery can no longer ignore advanced technology developments capable of offering sustainable solutions with a low environmental impact while also reducing production costs. This philosophy has by now been consolidated, and has proven to lead directly to a circular economy outlook.

The upcoming ITMA 2023 exhibition
Lastly, a word on ITMA 2023, the most important international exhibition for textile machinery, to be held in Italy from 8 to 14 June 2023 at Fiera-Milano Rho. Marking the 19th edition of ITMA, this trade fair is an essential event for the entire industry worldwide, providing a global showcase for numerous innovative operational solutions on display. A marketplace that offers participants extraordinary business opportunities. The participation of Italian companies is managed by ACIMIT.

Monforts is introducing a range of modular upgrades that can be added to existing finishing lines already in production.

The Monforts universal Energy Tower – a flexible, free-standing air/air heat exchanger for recovering the heat from the exhaust air flow of thermal processes – can result in a 30% reduction in the energy consumed by a line, depending on the exhaust air volume and operating temperature.

A Monforts Eco Booster, completely integrated into the chamber design of the Montex stenter, is another retrofitting option. As a single state-of-the-art heat recovery system with automatic cleaning, it can be added to existing ranges. For ranges of up to eight chambers only one module is necessary to achieve significant energy savings.

On an eight-chamber stenter with an operating width of two metres carrying out a fixing process on a 150gsm woven fabric, for example, the energy savings have been calculated to be 35% over an annual schedule of 6,000 operating hours.

In addition, the Eco Booster consumes only minimal amounts of water during the cleaning cycle and the entire process is controlled and monitored automatically.

The Matex Eco Applicator is an alternative to the conventional padding process for energy-conscious finishing and achieving considerable savings in the energy required for drying treated fabrics. The precise amount of chemical can be applied to the fabric and with less residual moisture after application of only approximately 35% so that less drying capacity is required in the stenter, which leads to huge energy savings.

Finishes can be evenly applied on either or both sides of the fabric, and two separate treatments can be applied to front and back. This makes the unit ideal for the production of, for example, double-performance hydrophobic/hydrophilic fabrics for professional clothing, as well as the over dyeing or finishing of denim fabrics.

International textile producers meet again in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 14 – 18, 2022 on the occasion of the ITM + Hightex Exhibition. In Hall 9 (Hightex) the exhibitors will present the complete industry value chain from nonwovens raw materials, production machines and accessories to the endproduct. The related industries covered include hygiene, filtration, fabrics and apparel, medical, automotive, wipes, home furnishings and upholstery. DiloGroup offers tailor-made production systems from one supplier and will inform about its portfolio and the latest equipment developments from fibre opening to the finished felt.

DiloGroup will inform about complete lines as well as high speed needlelooms for spunbonds. A new, simplified elliptical needle beam drive makes Hyperpunch technology also attractive for standard application. Hyperpunch HαV allows a more uniform stitch distribution in the preneedling process especially in combination with the new needle pattern 6000X. In a complete needling line this felt homogenization process can be improved further. The new needle pattern 8000X is a milestone in the needle pattern development process and results in endproduct surfaces with low markings over a wide range of advances/stroke.

Another strong pillar of the sales program over decades has been fibre preparation and high speed webforming equipment for other nonwoven technologies. The further development of the high-speed layering principle “Hyperlayer” made progress for better CD strength through a combination of inline cards and crossline card with crosslapper. Particularly, carding machines in a working width above 3.5 m up to 5.1 m have been supplied by DiloSpinnbau as complete high speed carding systems, comprising two or even three cards in a line to directly feed the hydroentangling units of various suppliers. Together with DiloTemafa not only have high throughput rates been achieved in the fibre preparation section of the line but also dedusting filtering and air-conditioning systems have been successfully engineered and integrated.

Together with Sicam, Dilo has combined know-how for hydroentangling technology and therefore can provide complete lines as general contractor including equipment for cutting, winding and packaging.

Another interesting machine is the 3D-Lofter, first presented during ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, which offers a wider range of nonwovens applications by exploring the third dimension. A series of single web forming units which work according to the aerodynamic web forming principle deliver defined fibre masses in varied patterns on a base needlefelt. A stress oriented production of technical formed parts resulting in fibre savings or patterned DI-LOUR or DI-LOOP felts with or without repeat are two examples for this technology which explores new application areas for needlefelts.
The 3D-Lofter technology may also be used “inverted” as “IsoFeed” for filling up bad spots in web mats and thus achieves a better homogeneity of spunlace or airlay products.

The DiloLine 4.0 concept offer I4.0 modules which not only support the user but also facilitate quality control and maintenance by a maximum data transparency in production and control of operation. The Dilo solutions “Smart Start” for a fully automatic start of the production line or “DI-LOWATT” for energy savings are accompanied by Siemens solutions which can be selected via App or Data Cloud “MindSphere”.

Monforts and its Turkish representative Neotek are looking forward to the forthcoming ITM 22 international textile machinery show taking place from June 14-18 at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Centre in Istanbul, after a three-year break.

With the TwinAir heating chamber system within a Montex stenter, top and bottom airflows can be regulated completely independently of each other, ensuring heat is only applied when and where it is required. The Optiscan balancing system ensures continuous automatic evaluation of the distance between the nozzles and the fabric for highly economical and contact-free drying. The resulting constant evaporation rate within the stenter ensures optimum energy utilisation and also avoids markings on the fabric.

With the latest Montex stenters, overall energy savings of up to 40% can now be achieved compared to a conventional stenter with no heat recovery or energy optimisation measures like high-quality chamber insulation.

The Montex stenter also benefits from full digital control, with the Qualitex 800 PLC control system providing ease of operation and rapid access to line and management data, including full operating cost overviews, as well as maintenance monitoring.

Advances in digital technology mean that there are also now significant gains to be made in the retrofitting of existing Monforts machines with the latest automatic drives and control systems, going far beyond the basic replacement of spare parts.

“We will be emphasising the robustness and versatility of the Montex stenter for essential processes such as drying, stretching, heatsetting and coating at the Istanbul show,” said Monforts Area Sales Manager Thomas Päffgen.

“With energy prices rising steeply everywhere, features such as the MonforClean system, or the EcoBooster, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air, are proving more invaluable than ever,” added Ahmet Kilic of Neotek. “Monforts can provide a range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options tailored to each individual line installation.”

Albarrie – a major player in North America’s industrial nonwovens industry – is now benefiting from one of the first Monforts Montex stenter installations equipped with the full range of MonforClean heat recovery and exhaust air purification technologies.

With the new three-chamber Montex stenter at its plant in Barrie, Ontario, the Canadian company is treating specialised needlepunched nonwovens up to 4mm thick. These have applications in a wide range of filter media and performance fabrics.

The new Montex is enabling Albarrie to heat set and dry its materials to produce denser, higher quality fabrics which can also be finished and delivered to customers more rapidly.

Across timezones
It took a crew of skilled millwrights, electricians and product specialists to build the line which was delivered in 11 shipping containers to Albarrie’s production facility. The line was originally scheduled to be fully operational in the Spring of 2020, but the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic inevitably led to several delays during the start-up and commissioning process.

Energy savings
The Albarrie Montex line’s MonforClean capabilities include an air-to-air cross flow heat exchanger and an electrostatic precipitator providing the ability to purify the exhaust air and to recover energy to a maximum of 22,500 cubic metres of air per hour, resulting in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required. The MonforClean was developed in cooperation with partner KMA Umwelttechnik, based in Königswinter, Germany.

The fully automated system is powered by a Siemens SPS S7 controller and KP 700 touch panel from which the recycled energy can be continuously monitored and savings calculated.

The three-chamber Montex stenter is fitted with the latest Monforts Qualitex 800 PLC control system with WebUI, providing ease of operation, a full operating cost overview and maintenance monitoring.

Huntsman Textile Effects has released the latest addition to the third generation of its revolutionary AVITERA® SE polyreactive dye range with the introduction of AVITERA® ROSE SE for brilliant bluish-red shades. The innovative new dye significantly outperforms the available dyeing technologies for cellulosic fibers and blends, delivering substantial water and energy savings, exceptional overall fastness, and reduced costs.

AVITERA® ROSE SE slashes the water and energy required for production by up to 50% thanks to its unique low-temperature and high-speed wash-off technology. It further delivers excellent right-first-time performance, with outstanding compatibility, levelling properties, and on-tone build-up. The cost-effective formulation reduces recipe costs for medium-dark shades while both minimizing processing costs and eliminating reprocessing. It also increases mill output by up to 25% or more.

Using AVITERA® ROSE SE, brands can stand out with brilliant bluish-red textile products in a broader shade gamut. The dyes offer very good light fastness levels for classic bluish trichromatic element, with exceptional overall fastness performance. Products dyed with AVITERA® ROSE SE have the highest chlorine resistance, tailormade for stringent Japanese and US laundering requirements, and are suitable for use with Huntsman’s HIGH IQ® Lasting Color Eco color-retention program. With minimal chance of cross-staining, they are ideal for red-white striped cotton knit fabric.

AVITERA® ROSE SE is fully compliant with the most stringent industry and brand-specific restricted substance lists. It is bluesign® approved and is suitable for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textile products.

Launched by Huntsman Textile Effects in 2010, the first-generation AVITERA® SE dyes set the benchmark for sustainability in the textile industry. The second generation expanded the range’s color palette from the palest to the deepest and darkest shades. The third generation further enhances the economic sustainability of the AVITERA® range while delivering unrivalled environmental benefits, outstanding operational performance, and attractive textiles with exceptional overall fastness.

DiloGroup would like to thank all customers and interested parties for visiting the Dilo booth in Geneva. Despite the existing worldwide Covid, we were able to welcome a great number of well-known faces as well as meet new contacts, among them the most important nonwovens producers from across the world in all application areas: hygiene and lightweight nonwovens, technical textiles and needled nonwovens including geotextiles, filter media and automotive. The interest in using resource saving plant engineering, energy saving and the processing of natural fibres remains.

Dilo presented its latest developments in industry 4.0. Systematic plant monitoring and analysis of machine data allows simplified operation and more effective production. This smart system was illustrated with the aid of live analysis of the performance, quality and availability parameters of the production lines in our Textile Research Centre. The new production systems Hyperpunch Alpha, HyperTex and 3D-Lofter were explained with the aid of videos which led to a very positive responsive from the many different producers which are interested in running trials at the Dilo Textile Research Centre to further explore these subjects. These highlights and further new developments were the basis for fruitful technical discussions.

Knopf’s Sohn, a contract finisher of technical textiles, has installed a fully automated Montex stenter at its plant in Helmbrechts, Germany.
Knopf’s Sohn is processing technical textiles for the automotive, aerospace, home furnishings and workwear markets, based on wool, cellulose, polyamide and polyester fabrics, along with elastane blends, in weights of 80-800gsm.

The Montex machinery range is constantly being upgraded to meet evolving customer needs for greater automation, ease of operation and energy optimisation. The latest ten chamber line at Knopf’s Sohn, with a working width of up to 2.0 metres, was engineered to specific requirements in order to accelerate the company’s move to fully automatic control of its production, and high scaffolding was required for its installation.

The line benefits from two integrated ECO Booster modules to provide high energy savings. These compact, air-to-air heat exchangers, installed within the roof structure of the line, exploit energy from the exhaust gas to preheat up to 60% of the incoming fresh air entering the stenter.

The use of a single ECO Booster unit has been calculated to save up to 35% in energy costs, based on fixation processes. Fully automatic operation, set at the Monforts Qualitex control unit, ensures there is no additional burden on the machine operator.

The line is powered by Exxotherm indirect heating, which practically eliminates the yellowing which can be experienced during the treatment of certain polyamide and elastane-based fabrics, and is also equipped with a Conticlean circulating air filter system for constant high drying capacity.

Software
The latest Qualitex visualisation software offers operators reliability and easy control with its full HD multi-touch monitor and slider function, dashboard function with individual adaptation to operating states and faster access to comprehensive recipe data management.

With the Monformatic control system, the exact maintenance of the dwell time in combined treatment processes (drying and heat-setting) can be monitored. When the heat-setting point is reached, the fan speed is automatically adjusted, keeping energy consumption fully under control.

The Turkish company ARIKAN Mensucat Industry and Trade Inc. was founded in 1993 and is located in Kahramanmaraş, one of the southernmost cities of the country. Today, the family-owned company employs around 1,500 people and finishes around 55 tons of knitwear every day. In addition to many well-known Turkish fashion manufacturers, ARIKAN also supplies international manufacturers in Europe, Russia, the Gulf States and other leading international markets.

The German machinery manufacturer BRÜCKNER supported the Turkish company from the very beginning. From the foundation of the dyeing and finishing plant, BRÜCKNER supplied three stenters for the finishing of the high-quality knitted fabric in 2014. Two more lines followed in 2016. For decades, BRÜCKNER has been the market leader for the finishing of knitted fabric. Especially for very fine and elastic fabric, special line configurations and technological know-how are necessary to be able to produce a high-quality end product. During the drying and heat-setting process, for example, extremely accurate and uniform temperature distribution over the entire length and width of the dryer is essential. In the BRÜCKNER stenter this is achieved, among other things, by the alternating arrangement of the thermal zones every 1.5 meters and by the proven split-flow air system.

The machine operators at ARIKAN appreciate the easy control of BRÜCKNER lines. The visualization is intuitively designed and offers many auxiliary systems for an optimized production process. In addition, significant energy savings can be achieved with just a few changes to the machine parameters.

The management at ARIKAN attaches great importance to energy saving, especially in the fabric finishing department. The drying process is one of the most energy-intensive in the entire process chain, therefore the biggest savings can be made here. These have a direct impact on the manufacturing costs of the textiles and thus on competitiveness in the market. In the meantime, talks are already in progress for another BRÜCKNER line which will include a very special feature: a combined heating system for the dryer. For many customers - and so also for ARIKAN in Turkey - e.g. steam energy is available free or very cheap. With the combined heating system developed by BRÜCKNER it is possible to use this steam energy for heating up the dryer and thus to achieve significant savings. If the available steam is not sufficient for a running process, it is automatically switched over to gas heating. This mode of operation does not only have an effect on the energy costs, but also makes a considerable contribution to environmental protection.

Wülfing GmbH is one of the oldest but also one of the most modern home textiles companies in Germany, with its main weaving and finishing operations located in Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia, and a further jacquard weaving mill in Steinfurt, as well as with a making up and packaging plant in the Czech Republic.

At its Borken plant, Wülfing has employed a Monforts sanforizing line since 2009 to guarantee the required dimensional stability and shrink-fastness of its high quality bed linen. With a working width of over three metres, the sanforizing process is a central pillar in the production of typical wide-width cotton fabrics for home textiles.

In 2017, the company was able to acquire a second Monforts sanforizing line from another company which, although built in 2005, had been virtually unused. It was overhauled and installed behind a Monforts equalizing frame of a similar age.

“Unfortunately, the two machines had to be operated separately via individual controls and did not represent an integrated unit,” says Schulte-Mesum. “This resulted in deficits in the desired productivity and in the control technology.”

Wülfing consulted with Monforts on a number of upgrade options and opted for a completely new joint control system to merge the two machines, as well as a new connecting inlet, a tensioning and damping field and a steaming unit.

“Monforts provided a fast and precise erection and commissioning of the technology in spite of the difficult pandemic circumstances,” says Schulte-Mesum. “The result has been an increase in production speeds by 20% and enhanced uniformity in fabric width through a much improved guidance system.

“We are also achieving energy savings as a result of the new control and drive technology and operation has been simplified and improved as a result of the unified control. We benefit from simplified access for maintenance work such as the grinding of the rubber blanket, but most of all we have greatly improved our flexibility and now have two almost identical Monforts sanforizing lines.”