From the Sector

Monforts has recently been involved in a number of R&D trials aimed at improving the performance of the fishing cage nets employed in fish farming operations at its Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

The cultivation of both freshwater and saltwater fish populations under controlled conditions is a global industry valued at around $200 billion annually and only made possible with the use of huge aquaculture nets.

Biofouling
“These nets are very prone to biofouling and to avoid its negative impacts, high-pressure robotic jets are now used to clean them,” explains Monforts Head of Technical Textiles Jürgen Hanel. “Net cleaning is expensive and can also damage current antifouling coatings on the nets, causing contamination as well as fish health and welfare risks.
The development of more effective antifouling coatings for fishing cage nets has been one aspect of R&D work at the Monforts ATC, while the use of how alternative fibres could potentially be coated or finished to replace the polyamide which is currently most widely used has also been explored.
The issue of plastics and synthetic fibres in the oceans has generated global media attention recently, and the aquaculture industry is exploring all avenues that will lead to more sustainable practices.

Expansions
Since its opening in 2013, over €3 million has been invested in equipment at the Monforts ATC, which over an area of 1,200 square metres houses two full finishing lines, engineered to accommodate an extremely diverse range of processes, in addition to a Thermex range for the continuous dyeing of denim.

A new non-halogenated FR compound called PAL...VersaCHARTM can achieve a new level of flame retardant performance as a coating for nonwovens and technical textiles.

PAL...VersaCHARTM has been tested to 1,950°C – the highest to date – and shown to prevent all flaming drips of polymer. Char bodies form on the compound surface, protecting against flame creation and delaying heat transfer. Rapid self- extinguishing burn behaviour protects any underlying substrate to which it is adhered.

The compound has passed ASTM E84 (Class A) with a 15/10 rating, which includes ‘clean’ smoke generation of only 2.3% of the allowable ASTM smoke limits. In addition, the compound is light weight, at a specific gravity of 1.0, and 100% non-toxic in every respect, being free from heavy metals, halogens and VOCs. 

Other properties include excellent cold crack performance, hydrophobicity, printability, extreme chemical resistance and the ability to be custom tailored for specific needs such as UV or antimicrobial performance, as volume warrants. The compound is also very competitively priced.

In addition to its use as a coating, PAL...VersaCHARTM compound can be produced as a flexible film or sheet and moulded to shape or over-moulded to most materials, including metal for corrosion resistance. As a polymeric compound it can be cast or calendered and typical durometers from 80-99A for flexible-to-high rigid formats are practical. 

Separately, an adhesive has been created which bonds to many surfaces. In internal evaluations of two laminated plies of woven carbon fibre and two plies of glass fabrics, both passed a 60 second vertical burn with no ply separation, distortion or flaming drips from the adhesive.

Dynamic Modifiers envisages many uses for PAL...VersaCHARTM, from aerospace to the protection of rigid structural materials in building interiors etc.   
 

• Porcher Industries presents the future of quiet and clean mobility solutions with materials that offer high-performance thermal and acoustical insulation.

The 5th Edition of the Annual Automotive Exhaust Systems Summit, to be held in Dusseldorf on November 28th-29th, will see Porcher Industries showcase the market’s most complete range of high performance thermal and acoustical insulation products.

With a key strategic thrust targeting quiet and clean mobility by developing new insulation applications, Porcher Industries’ range of textiles meet the demands and requirements of the Automotive, Aerospace and other transport sectors by delivering unsurpassed levels of thermal and acoustical management.

On display the group will showcase its Techmat®, SilcoSoft® and ThermoShield® materials – all highly functional non-woven textiles that can be found in key areas of both the hot and cold ends of vehicle exhaust systems.

Produced from 100% non-respirable fibres, these binder free non-wovens are safe to handle and can be tailored to provide application specific thermal insulation and heat shields at temperatures ranging from 650˚C to 1150˚C (1200°F to 2100°F).

Porcher Industries is able to deliver its Techmat®, SilcoSoft® and ThermoShield® materials in a wide range of formats from roll goods, flat or formed shapes through to sub-assemblies and finished parts that combine metallic layers with their insulation materials.

Porcher Industries’ thermal and acoustical insulation solutions will also be on show in Dusseldorf: technical textiles that blend chemistry and fibre processing technology to produce a powerful range of non-woven and glass mat thermoplastics (GMT) materials that can be tailored to a customer’s specific acoustical and thermal insulation requirements.

In addition, Andreas Stoeferle, Technical Support Engineer, EMEA, Porcher Industries, will present a detailed view of the group’s expertise in high performance insulations, their global reach, products and delivery formats on the opening day of the conference.

“As one of the leading manufacturers of specialist technical textiles within the Automotive sector, we have responded to demand and placed significant development time and resource into developing our range of thermal and acoustical material solutions for Automotive and Aerospace.” commented Pierre-Yves Quéfélec, Global Aerospace & Automotive BU Head.

• Performance assurance program for textiles with advanced moisture management technology

Huntsman Textile Effects has extended its HIGH IQ® performance assurance program to help mills, brands and retailers meet consumer demand for garments with durable moisture management. HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort performance program is built on the industry’s broadest and most advanced moisture management agents to deliver durable, long-lasting performance.
As consumers around the world adopt more active lifestyles and outdoor activities, the need for cool, dry and comfortable sports and athleisure wear is on an upward trend.
HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort performance program allows garments to breathe, while at the same time, transports moisture away from the body. This ensures consumers can stay cool, dry and fresh throughout. The unique technology supports accelerated evaporation, ensuring garments dry quickly for long-lasting comfort.

“Today’s consumer seeks comfort and performance in their active lifestyle. With Huntsman’s HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort performance assurance program, we offer durable moisture management so your garment remains breathable, stays cool and attains the comfort of cotton. Unique quick-dry properties created by the natural microclimate of the garment help to reduce post-exercise chill, making the effects highly suitable for sports and active wear,” said Lee Howarth, Global Marketing Manager, Huntsman Textile Effects.
Only mills that meet Huntsman’s stringent requirements earn the right to use the HIGH IQ® performance assurance hang tags as point-of-sale product branding. Updated hangtags and promotional materials are available to support mills and brands in communicating the benefits of the HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort performance assurance program.

The technology that drives the HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort program complies with the requirements of bluesign® for safe and sustainable textile production. Furthermore, fabrics produced with HIGH IQ® Cool Comfort moisture management are suitable for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textile products. The global leader in intelligent effects, Huntsman Textile Effects developed the HIGH IQ® global performance assurance program to help mills, brands and retailers produce high-performance textiles with built-in sun protection, freshness, friction protection and water repellence, in bright whites and color that lasts. The program is based on innovative dyes and effects and unparalleled technical support and application know-how from Huntsman Textile Effects to help mills improve their productivity and competitiveness.
 

From the machine to the assistant
"With our groundbreaking new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system, we redefine industrial sewing and enable solutions that were previously unthinkable," says Dietrich Eickhoff, CEO of the Dürkopp Adler Group, at the world premiere at the Texprocess 2019 in Frankfurt: "The sewing machine becomes an assistant, partner, helper and communicator. This is a significant difference to all previous machine concepts and offers an incredible number of new possibilities! "

The new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system is a fully digitized industrial sewing machine for materials such as leather, upholstery and technical textiles. Thomas Brinkhoff, Director of Marketing Dürkopp Adler Group, explains: "We produce the perfect seam with this machine, whatever the situation, without the need for conversion." This is ensured by the new smart sewing kinematics, which immediately achieve the best sewing results without having to mechanically change the machine.

The training of the operator is reduced to the absolute minimum, because the machine shows the user with video support what to do and how to do it right. With sophisticated sensor technology, the M-TYPE DELTA ensures that virtually no loss of valuable materials occurs through bad stitches or missing threads.

An integrated usage- or time-controlled maintenance assistant indicates upcoming work. Service work can be documented in the machine and retrieved at any time. This reduces machine downtime to an absolute minimum.

"Anyone who wants to sew individualized products industrially can gain the decisive competitive advantage with this sewing system," emphasizes Dietrich Eickhoff, "because the M-TYPE DELTA is perfectly prepared for use in the necessary machine networks such as our QONDAC system."

Archroma announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Textile University (NTU) in Pakistan. The memorandum will pave way for cooperation initially for a five-year period.

The partnership will explore innovations in textile research with futuristic visualization to help the textile industry to align with the fast pace of global requirements and evolutions. Another important aspect of this collaboration will be research in the field of unsaturated polyester resins in establishing quality and accessible product lines in non-conventional technical textiles. Both partners will jointly hold sessions to prepare students for the challenges of the textile industry through in-house training sessions, developmental projects, research in textile applications and process innovative methodologies by pioneering value additions. The students of NTU will also be able to join internship placement programs at Archroma’s Center of Excellence in Karachi.

At next month’s Techtextil 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany, A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will be highlighting all of the innovative features that have made the Montex stenter the undisputed leader in the field of technical fabric finishing.

“Techtextil is a very important show for us, because technical textiles are a key pillar of our production programme and many of our existing customers will be exhibiting or attending, as well as those we have yet to meet,” says Jürgen Hanel, Head of Technical Textiles at Monforts. “The show provides us with an opportunity to explain the diverse end-products that can be successfully finished on our stenters, as well as with our coating units.”

A number of successful recent Monforts Montex stenter installations in Europe, for example, are dedicated to the production of wide-width digital printing substrates, to high volume automotive fabrics and to heavy duty filter media, to name just three advanced technical materials.

Digital print
Three Montex stenters have just been installed at the plant of a leading finisher of substrates for digital printing substrates in Germany – two of them in extra-wide widths of 5.4 metres – for drying after both washing and coating processes.

A new standard in pure white, 100% clean and fault-free textile substrates has been demanded in recent years by the rapid growth in digitally-printed banners and hoardings – often referred to as ‘soft signage’.

“The substrates of choice for digital printing are 100% polyester warp knits which have extremely smooth surfaces,” says Hanel. “This is becoming increasingly critical due to the general move away from PVC coatings which were the standard in the past. Quality inspection and control systems analyse every square metre of fabric to ensure completely uniform and blemish-free production.”

The fabrics produced are resilient and allow excellent take-up of inks for vibrant colours and clear and precise images to be achieved with digital printing techniques. The knitted construction also has the advantage of elasticity, which is a plus in terms of flexibility for soft signage installers.
These fabrics are being supplied fully finished, in weights of between 50-350gsm and in rolls of up to 600kg or 1,800 metres.

Twelve companies from eight different countries will receive a JEC Innovation Award at JEC Asia 2018. Asia-Pacific is an innovative region that sets the tone for all other regions of the globe. Once again, the JEC Innovation Awards highlight how composites bring solutions considering the new challenges in terms of efficiency, sustainability and life-cycle analysis.

This year, JEC Group awards innovations in the following categories: aerospace (structural and tooling), automotive, commercial vehicles, e-mobility, marine, railway, sports & leisure, infrastructure & civil engineering, industrial equipment, sustainability and additive manufacturing.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday November 15, 2018 at the COEX Center of Seoul (South Korea). Ida DAUSSY (Seo Hye-na), will host the ceremony in front of officials, manufacturers, scientists and composites professionals.

Category: AEROSPACE – STRUCTURAL
Winner: CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (India)

Most of the composite structures for aircraft are made of carbon-epoxy composites, which can withstand a maximum service temperature of 130°C. As a consequence, carbon-epoxy materials cannot be used in hot zones like engine vicinity areas. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and CSIR-NAL took up the challenge of developing high temperature resistant composites for use in hot zones of light combat aircraft, which would result in significant weight and cost savings, as well as a considerable reduction in the meantime between failures (MTBF) due to thermal ageing.

The first task was to choose a material system with a service temperature of about ~ 200°C. During the material selection process, it was found that BMI resins are a relatively young class of thermosetting polymers. Hence, a carbon-BMI prepreg was selected due to a number of unique features including excellent physical property retention at elevated temperatures and in wet environments.

It was realized that weight savings and performance can be maximized using co-curing technology. This results in a large reduction of fabrication cycle times, costs and weight. Co-cured structures have fewer fasteners, which results in shorter assembly cycle times and also reduces sealing issues.

A prototype engine bay door assembly was built and tested at 180°C for flight certification. The engine bay door consists of an inner skin and co-cured outer skin assembly with eight transverse stiffeners. The stiffeners were designed with ‘J’ sections. The door size was 1.5 m length, 1 m width and 0.4 m overall depth. The co-cured door was developed using autoclave moulding. Two doors were installed in prototype aircraft and successfully flown.

With an investment in an Innovation Center with testing labs and additional production facilities, Carl Meiser GmbH&Co KG gives a clear statement to it’s location in Albstadt in Central Europe. As well this underlines the know-how and the motivation of the whole team. The constructions were already launched. The first buildings for production and a part if the Innovation Center will be ready end of this year. State of the art offices and social facilities will be ready to move in mid of 2019.

“After our suffered setback with the fire in our production facilities in November 2017, this investment will move us much more forward and will give us the motivation to offer our customers even better and more innovative service and products. In long-term view this will creates the base for further growth”, says Jens Meiser CEO of Carl Meiser GmbH&Co.KG. During the last months we already invested in production technology and machines. During the last weeks we changed the complete production organisation to reach a lean product flow.

As well Meiser expanded it’s apprenticeship programme during the last years. At the moment we apprentice new staff members in three different education programmes. It is planned to add a fourth in management in future.

The company Carl Meiser GmbH&Co.KG with it’s brand „MEISER – Know How in textiles“ delivers to the high end underwear and lingerie industry as specialised dyehouse for knitted fabrics. With the brand “NOPMA technical textiles” the company acts as a fast growing development and production partner for the aviation, automotive and furniture industry as well the protection fabric industry. For this industries coated fabrics are developed and delivered to the markets. “In this sector we grow continuous during the last years. We are convinced that our investment in the Innovation Center will support this growth next to our first presence as exhibitor on the fair Techtex in 2019”, says Jens Meiser.

In the approval phase the company was supported by the city of Albstadt in all necessary questions. Fast and possible solutions were found. This shows the Mittelstands-friendly climate in this region in south Germany. The invest is supported by the national programme “Spitze auf dem Land” by the country of Baden-Württemberg and the EU.

Asia’s largest biennial event for the entire technical textiles and nonwovens sector will feature some of the industry’s biggest overseas machinery brands. Held on the earlier date of 4 – 6 September this year, the fair will feature an expected 500-plus total exhibitors from around 20 countries & regions.

As the world’s largest producer of technical textiles and nonwovens, China’s demand for production machinery is insatiable. As such, this September’s Cinte Techtextil China has attracted some of the world’s leading machinery brands, particularly in the nonwovens and sewing machinery sectors, ensuring a wide range of sourcing options for both domestic and international buyers.

Overseas producers respond to strong Chinese demand
As the Chinese domestic and export markets’ demand for quality technical textiles and nonwovens products continues to increase, overseas machinery brands continue to enter the country, using Cinte Techtextil China as their starting-out platform. ANDRITZ Nonwoven is just one of those who see the growing potential. “Chinese nonwovens manufacturers are increasingly requiring higher capacities and top-class quality for their nonwovens products for local and export markets,” Mr Laurent Jallat explained. “China is the biggest market in terms of installed capacity, and shows quite promising potential for the future. In the past years, we’ve seen rapid growth in products such as disposable face masks.” ANDRITZ responds to this demand with their neXline spunlace eXcelle line which features state-of-the-art TT card web forming and JetlaceEssentiel hydro entanglement units for high capacity and speed.

The DiloGroup also report an increase in demand for their products in China. “China is one of our biggest markets,” explains Mr Dominik Foshag. “We have procured huge orders from China, as Chinese customers are considering German technology more frequently nowadays. The visitor quality of Cinte Techtextil has been very good in this past, and we think this year’s fair will be also successful as we know many of our customers are going to visit.”

Oerlikon will introduce its spunbond technology to the Chinese market this year, and is expecting to conclude initial contracts at the fair due to increased demand for overseas products. “The Chinese market for nonwovens products is by far the largest and fastest growing national market. Chinese manufacturers are no longer satisfied with lower product quality, but want to exceed Western quality levels, for example. The products must now meet stricter customer requirements and legal standards, some of which are significantly higher than other international standards,” Ms Lena Kachelmaier said.

Truetzschler Nonwovens has also noticed this trend. Ms Jutta Stehr commented: “In the last two or three years, China became one of the pacemakers in the field of nonwovens used in beauty, skin care and hygiene applications. Asian markets have set new standards concerning quality in nonwovens. For instance, making disposable wipes from cotton fibres is a trend originating in Asia. The luxurious feeling of cotton combined with the requirement for eco-friendly products will further drive demand in China and elsewhere. Accordingly, Truetzschler Nonwovens anticipates more inquiries at Cinte Techtextil for its proven carding and spunlacing solutions for cotton nonwovens.”

Weaving machine supplier Itema has also noticed strong demand in China for products made in Italy. “Generally speaking, and especially for technical fabrics, imported machinery is highly evaluated and appreciated by Chinese customers. In recent years, Itema experienced significant growth in the sale of its Made-in-Italy weaving machines in China, and in other APAC countries. Imported machines are synonymous with quality and reliability, and we believe this positive trend will be constant in the future,” Mr Matteo De Micheli outlined.

Weaving machinery exhibitor highlights

• ANDRITZ Nonwoven: their specialty is technologies for drylaid, wetlaid, spunbond, spunlace, needlepunch and textile calendering. At Cinte Techtextil, they will highlight their aXcess product portfolio, which has been especially designed for medium-capacity production. ANDRITZ has developed this range to fit the demands of producers with medium-capacity requirements, particularly in emerging markets. It includes lines and individual machines for needlepunch, spunlace, wetlaid and calendering processes.
• Autefa Solutions: visitors to their booth will experience the company’s expertise as a full line supplier for carded- crosslapped needlepunch lines, aerodynamic web forming technology, spunlace and thermobonding lines. Their nonwovens lines meet customers’ requirements for quality web formation, bonding, active weight regulation and minimal maintenance.
• DILO Systems: a leader in the field of staple fibre nonwoven production lines, DiloGroup will present their latest developments at the fair, including staple fibre production lines, card feeding and cards and crosslappers & needlelooms.
• Oerlikon: they will showcase spunbond solution lines for the production of polypropylene geotextiles. According to the company, spunbond geotextile applications are on the rise as the market is increasingly demanding more efficient processes and products, which means the product requirements are often the same or greater, but with a lower raw material input. Spunbonds are progressively replacing classical carded nonwovens due to their technical and commercial benefits.
• Truetzschler Nonwovens: concentrating on solutions for producing a broad range of hygiene nonwovens including wipes at the fair, they will focus on thermobonding & spunlacing processes and the respective machinery, from fibre preparation down to winding.

Sewing machinery exhibitor highlights

• Itema: making their debut at Cinte Techtextil, they are a leading supplier of weaving machines for technical fabrics production. According to the company, they are the only weaving machine producer to offer technical textile manufacturers the top three technologies for weft insertion: Rapier, Projectile and Airjet.
• Picanol: they use their leading position as producers of weaving machines for other textile products to expand into machines for woven technical textiles by investing heavily in state-of-the-art technology, as well through the modular design of their machine platforms which allow them to serve different industry sectors effectively.
• Lindauer Dornier: featuring in the German Pavilion this edition, they offer a number of weaving machine varieties including rapier, air-jet, open reed weave (ORW) and more. Their rapier weaving machines have set the technological standard in the high quality wool textiles market for decades, and this quality will be on display at their booth with the DORNIER P1 rapier weaving machine.

Domestic brands to watch out for

In addition to these leading overseas brands, a strong line-up of Chinese machinery producers will also feature at the fair, including Changshu Weicheng Non-Woven Equipment and Shijiazhuang Textile Machinery.