From the Sector

Focus on eccentric screw pumps and pumps for shear-sensitive materials

Improved productivity and increased lifespan and tailored solutions also for the most demanding applications within the chemicals and plastics industries and in PUR applications – these are the convincing arguments with which Oerlikon Barmag is showcasing its precision metering pumps at this year’s ACHEMA between August 22 and 26, 2022 in Frankfurt. The focus is on the new pump for shear-sensitive conveying media and the new eccentric screw pump.

Eccentric screw pumps – robust all-rounders convey any medium
The requirements for pumps are considerable, as the demand for customized solutions for increasingly complex processes is rising. This is particularly true for Oerlikon Barmag’s new eccentric screw pump range. High wear-resistance, increased durability and robust operation – the new pump is tailor-made for conveying highly-filled, high-viscosity and abrasive media, such as filled adhesives, filled silicones and filled casting compounds, for example. The is the multi-stage seal system, which considerably increases the pump’s lifespan. The upstream shaft sealing ring protects the slide ring seal against excessively-fast wear caused by challenging media. In turn, the optimum alignment of the drive shaft – ball bearing-supported and centrally-guided through the shaft sealing ring – prevents any metal debris caused by friction and hence ensures considerably greater durability. Producers benefit from considerably greater productivity, as the pumps’ maintenance intervals and hence machine downtimes are significantly reduced.

New pump for shear-sensitive materials
For increasingly complex customer-specific process solutions, Oerlikon Barmag is now expanding its GA series, developed especially for the challenging conveying of high-viscosity media, to include the GAB51F for shear-sensitive conveying media. The newly-developed pump with its viscosity range of max. 300 Pas is tailored to conveying high-viscosity, shear-sensitive materials such as adhesives and silicones, for example. “The shear forces impacting the medium within the pump are reduced to a minimum as a result of a specially geometry”, explains Thorsten Wagener, Senior Sales Manager within the Pump Construction business unit. The material is conveyed through the pump in an as gentle and low-pulsation manner as possible and metered precisely at the outlet – ensuring it retains its characteristic properties.

High-speed metering pump with sealed product space
The high-speed metering pump has been especially developed for metering poorly-lubricating media. Here, the main benefit is the sealed product space, which extends the pump’s lifespan considerably. The space that comes into contact with the media is limited to the area around the gears. “As a result, the high-speed pump is particularly suited for applications in the chemicals industry, which frequently involve aggressive acids”, comments Thorsten Wagener.

GM series for low-viscosity media
The pumps in the GM and GA series provide precision metering with low-pulsation feeding of the conveying medium. The multi-stage GM pump conveys low-viscosity media (i.e. 250 bar, 100 mPas) even under high pressure and in the most challenging conditions. The square design from the proven GM series is the standard pump for many metering tasks. The development of the multi-stage pump expands the applications range for the GM series considerably. The round 2-stage GM pump has been developed especially for use in high-pressure technology. It masters the particular challenge of conveying small throughputs with low viscosities. The pump is perfect for 0.05 through 20 cm³/rev feed sizes and is excellently suited for use in high-pressure machines for PUR molded parts, foam slab stock, refrigeration unit insulations and sandwich panels, for example.

GA series pumps for high-viscosity media
The Oerlikon Barmag GA range has been especially developed for the challenging conveying of media with higher viscosities. The GA series pumps are available for conveying volumes of between 1.25 and -30 cm³/rev (0.6-144 l/h). They have been designed for pressures of up to 200 bar, for viscosities of up to 1.500 Pas as well as for temperatures of up to max. 225 °C. With this range of pumps, Oerlikon Barmag offers its customers tailor-made solutions for many technical processes in which high-precision and even metering is of paramount importance.

The drum pump – conveying and metering using a single unit
With the drum pump, the Oerlikon Barmag pump specialists have created a pump designed specifically for conveying and metering high-viscosity materials such as adhesives, silicones and other high-viscosity materials from drums and other large containers and for pressures of up to 250 bar. Its special features not only include the fact that it removes high-viscosity materials from the drum, but that it also meters the medium directly without any additional interim stops.

SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. announces the release of its new "SHIMA Datamall™" digital content web service.

SHIMA Datamall™ is an online service that allows users to search, browse and purchase a variety of useful data for the planning, production and sales of fashion items. With SHIMA Datamall, users of the SDS®-ONE APEX series 3D design system, APEXFiz™ Design subscription software and SHIMA SEIKI flat knitting machines will be able to streamline their operations and further promote the digital transformation of textile manufacturing, thereby realizing a shift toward sustainable manufacturing.

Digital content available on SHIMA Datamall™, together with yarn data from the yarnbank™ digital yarn sourcing web service, are meant to support knit manufacturing from planning and design to production and sales, by arranging the data on SDS®-ONE APEX and APEXFiz™.

Membership is not limited to users of SHIMA SEIKI products. Anyone can search and browse from digital data comprising over 6,000 items, free of charge. Information gathered on SHIMA Datamall is useful for product planning and ideas for new collections. SHIMA SEIKI users can furthermore purchase and download data to facilitate communication with suppliers.

From 7 - 9 July, the who's who of the fashion industry and the entire fashion ecosystem will finally meet again in person at the events of the Premium Group at Messe Berlin! For business and exchange, for new experiences and impulses, for new brands and above all for one thing: for a new togetherness!

As usual, the trade shows PREMIUM and SEEK as well as the conference format FASHIONTECH are reserved for business professionals - who can find inspiration on site entirely. With the new D2C festival ‘The Ground – Celebration of Style & Culture’, young consumers and fashion enthusiasts from GenZ and GenY as well as the international community living in Berlin are invited to the exhibition grounds for the first time.

More than fashion: 360-degree inspiration at The Ground Festival
At The Ground, industry professionals meet young enthusiasts to inspire each other and discover new worlds. The Ground presents a completely new mix of topics, brands and partners around beauty, music, sport, play, soul and talks. Fashion is the connecting element of The Ground and runs through all areas. Creative and interactive brand presentations meet pre-loved and vintage store pop-ups, inspiring panel talks, sports and mental health workshops and live performances.

In the name of peace and unity: The Ground Festival opened by #FashionUnites Parade
On 7 July, the first The Ground Festival will open with a colourful parade through the capital. Together with the PLATTE.Berlin community, The Ground is organising a parade under the motto #FashionUnites starting at noon from the Victory Column through the west to the festival location of the Berlin exhibition centre. Accompanied by a Berlin DJ, everyone is invited to take part in the parade and can register here and thus also receive free access to The Ground on the first day of the festival.

High-profile charity campaign: The Ground launches 'MUST-HAVE PEACE Merch Collection'
Due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine, the makers behind The Ground have launched a charity campaign: the MUST-HAVE PEACE Merch Collection. In this exclusive collaboration, players and brands such as Closed, Drykorn, Eastpak, Lala Berlin, Lee and others design one piece of merch each (denim jackets, shirts, shorts, bags) that can be bought during The Ground Festival.

New hub for sustainability: the SEEK Conscious Club
SEEK has always been a magnet for brands and people who have a common vision, tackle things and get them on the road. With the new SEEK Conscious Club, there will be a separate exhibition area focusing on sustainability - more than 80 sustainable brands are joining the club already.

New brand worlds at PREMIUM
This July, PREMIUM will be divided into three sections for the first time: High, Icon and Volume. High is the new home for brands that operate in the market above the premium segment. These include Lala Berlin, Nove, Helene Galwas and Jane Kønig. Icon covers the classic premium segment from Strellson and Seidensticker to Mos Mosh and Denham to Young Poets Society and Fabienne Chapot, and Volume is the new area for commercially successful brands that approach premium from the middle of the market. Here you will find brands like Gerry Weber, Mexx, Pierre Cardin or Miracle of Denim.

The Content Stage program
The stage program will reflect all relevant topics of the fashion ecosystem as part of the new Premium Group cosmos.

• It starts on the first day of the fair, Thursday 7 July, with the popular FASHIONTECH conference.
• On 8 July, the SEEK Conscious Club will host an extensive stage program on the subject of sustainability in all its facets for the first time.
• On Saturday, 9 July, the stage will become the entertainment spotlight for The Ground visitors.

For the first time at an in-person event, WOX by Wiser Tech hits Denim Première Vision, with its futuristic design and features leveraging Wiser Wash’s innovative potential. WOX machinery generation combines advanced hardware technology and software algorithms working on the cloud, laying new innovative foundations for fashion all over the world.

Making the finishing technologies fully traceable and accessible thanks to the advanced application of Wiser Tech Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the cloud system, WOX is one of the first of these technologies promising to redefine the entire market. Standing for Wiser Ozone X-perience, WOX physically consists of an ozone drum and generator – but, in its spirit, it was designed as a network object that provides data to Artificial Intelligence algorithms. With this feature it is really one-of-a kind in the industry, thanks to Artificial Intelligence’s potential to transform the existing business models and redefine the production process by developing new practices based on data analytics.

The goal? To provide textile manufacturers with total control over their production, with credible sustainable solutions to address the most pressing environmental issues of the industry.

adidas reveals the Juventus home jersey for the 2022/23 season. The classic black and white stripes are reimagined with a new graphic element to represent the magic of Allianz stadium.

Since the team’s move to the stadium in 2011, fans have enjoyed countless moments of magic at the venue. For this season, in a new dynamic interpretation of the club’s identity, the jersey draws inspiration from the five triangles of the star as symbol of magic, creating a new visual icon.

The new jersey is made with 100% recycled materials and features the latest in adidas’ temperature regulation innovation, HEAT.RDY – KEEP COOL, which is designed to keep players feeling cool, dry, and confident during play by optimizing sweat distribution and maximizing airflow.

The replica shirt offers similar benefits thanks to the inclusion of AEROREADY – KEEP DRY technology, keeping fans comfortable and ready as it manages the body’s sweat for a dry feeling.

• Sustainable infrastructure solutions, road safety and health protection

At this year’s Techtextil, Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions will be presenting the trade audience with new applications, special processes and sustainable solutions focusing on the production of industrial textiles. Among other things, the company will be showcasing new technology for charging nonwovens that sets new standards with regards to quality and efficiency. Between June 21 and 24, the discussions will be concentrating on airbags, seat belts, tire cord, geotextiles, filter nonwovens and their diverse applications.

More polyester for airbags
Airbags have become an integral part of our everyday automotive lives. The yarns used in them are made predominantly from polyamide. As a result of increasingly diverse airbag applications and also the increasing size of the systems used, polyester is today used as well, depending on the application requirements and cost-benefit considerations. Against this background, the Oerlikon Barmag technologies make an invaluable contribution. In addition to high productivity and low energy consumption, they particularly excel in terms of their stable production processes. Furthermore, they comply with every high quality standard for airbags, which – as in the case of virtually all other textile products used in vehicle construction – must provide the highest level of safety for vehicle occupants. And all this without any loss of function in any climate and anywhere in the world for the lifetime of the vehicle.

Buckle up!
Seat belts play a decisive role in protecting vehicle occupants. They have to withstand tensile forces in excess of three tons and simultaneously stretch in a controlled manner in emergencies in order to reduce the load in the event of impact. A seat belt comprises approximately 300 filament yarns, whose individual, high-tenacity yarn threads are spun from around 100 individual filaments.

Invisible, but essential – road reinforcement using geotextiles
But it not just inside vehicles, but also under them, that industrial yarns reveal their strengths. Low stretch, ultra-high tenacity, high rigidity – industrial yarns offer outstanding properties for the demanding tasks carried out by geotextiles; for instance, as geogrids in the base course system under asphalt. Normally, geotextiles have extremely high yarn titers of up to 24,000 denier. Oerlikon Barmag system concepts simultaneously manufacture three filament yarns of 6,000 denier each. Due to the high spinning titers, fewer yarns can be plied together to the required geo-yarn titer in a more cost- and energy-efficient manner.

hycuTEC – technological quantum leap for filter media
In the case of its hycuTEC hydro-charging solution, Oerlikon Neumag offers a new technology for charging nonwovens that increases filter efficiency to more than 99.99%. For meltblown producers, this means material savings of 30% with significantly superior filter performance. For end users, the consequence is noticeably improved comfort resulting from significantly reduced breathing resistance. With its considerably lower water and energy consumption, this new development is also a future-proof, sustainable technology.

New high-tech Staple Fiber Technology Center
Extending to around 2,100 m2, Oerlikon Neumag in Neumünster is home to one of the world’s largest staple fiber technology centers. As of now, these state-of-the-art staple fiber technologies are also available for customer-specific trials.

The focus during the planning and the design of the Technology Center was on optimizing components and processes. Here, special attention was paid to ensuring the process and production parameters in the Technology Center system could be simply and reliably transferred to production systems. Here, the fiber tape processing line is modular in design. All components can be combined with each other as required. And comprehensive set-up options supply detailed findings for the respective process for various fiber products.

The Technology Center is also equipped with two spinning positions for mono- and bi-component processes. The same round spin packs are used for both processes, characterized by excellent fiber quality and properties and meanwhile very successfully deployed in all Oerlikon Neumag production systems. Furthermore, the spinning plant is complemented by automation solutions such as spin pack scraper robots, for example.

The Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI) will be presenting innovative highlights from research and development at Techtextil 2022, the international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens. In addition to a warp-knitted textile façade greening in a modular system and textile lightweight construction elements for the building sector made from hemp as a renewable raw material, the STFI will also be showing innovations from nonwovens research. The project optiformTEX is an example of the nonwovens competence: in this project, the mass per unit area was specifically influenced for the production of semi-finished products in the automotive sector. Furthermore, the Chemnitz Institute exhibits an ecological foam coating for protective textiles. Central highlight of the STFI's presence at the fair is also a mobile robot system, which demonstrates the automated loading of a small-scale bobbin creel.

Highlights at Techtextil 2022
The greened façade tile is a system with which large building surfaces can be cost-effectively greened through a simple, modular segment structure. In addition to insulating the building, the system has been created to meet the design requirements of a modern city centre; low-maintenance greening is made possible through functional integration in the textile carrier layer and coordinated plant selection.

Moulded components made of natural fibre nonwovens are increasingly used in the automotive sector. Conventional nonwovens currently have uniform masses per unit area. Technical solutions for load-oriented component reinforcement and the resulting optimised use of materials represent an enormous economic potential. The basic idea of “optiformTEX” was therefore to specifically influence the mass per unit area distribution in the pile before the semi-finished product is consolidated. As a result, a textile-technological process and the corresponding plant component were successfully developed.

Future-oriented materials are offered by developments from the field of renewable raw materials in combination with bio-based resin systems: In the “Gro-Coce” project, an innovative ceiling system was developed by combining sustainable building products and methods. Currently, a high-performance hemp-based semi-finished product as well as the steps for its reproducible production by means of textile surface formation is developed by the research team. Initial application and load tests of the hemp-based semi-finished products on wooden beams confirmed the high performance potential of the natural fibre materials.

Special functional textiles are based on composite materials with coatings or membranes. The previous production of the coatings/membranes poses ecological and health risks. At STFI, solvent-free, purely aqueous coating systems and a technology for their application were therefore developed for the protective textile sector, resulting in a breathable, waterproof and wash-resistant textile coating.

The central highlight of the STFI's presence at the fair is a mobile robot system, which demonstrates the automated loading of a small-scale bobbin creel. At the STFI, the robot is part of the “textile factory of the future”, where a play mat is woven and processed step by step along the textile chain.

Mimaki Europe will be showcasing its latest innovative technologies and connecting with customers at FESPA 2022 Global Printing Expo (May 31st – June 3rd Berlin). Following the success of FESPA 2021, Mimaki will return as a gold sponsor for this landmark industry event. With a host of new solutions released this year, FESPA 2022 will be the first opportunity for Mimaki to demonstrate these printers and cutters at an international event and further explain the many benefits they offer sign and textile printing companies.

In the Spotlight
Standout technology on show includes the new 330 series, consisting of the JV330-160, the CJV330-160 and the TS330-1600. Launched during the company’s Global Innovation Days event, the 330 Series leverages Mimaki’s cross-platform strategy, to offer a high-end yet cost effective printing solution across several sectors. The eco-solvent inkjet printers, the JV330-160 and CJV330-160, boast innovative features such as the new media changer that allows three rolls of media to be loaded simultaneously, and the XY slitter, which provides in-line X-axis and Y-axis sheet-fed cutting. The TS330-1600, which will make its international tradeshow debut at FESPA, is a sublimation printer with an improved take-up system and optional add-ons to further increase efficiency, including a 10kg ink tank supply unit and a mini jumbo roll unit.

Additionally, FESPA visitors will see Mimaki’s all new CG-AR cutting plotter.

Urbanising FESPA 2022
In line with FESPA 2022’s tagline, ‘Experience print in motion’, Mimaki’s stand will bring a vibrancy to the show, by demonstrating real-world applications alongside the machines that created them. This year will see Mimaki’s stand convey the streets of Berlin in its design, and urban inspired works by designers, including Nicky Nahafahik and Xavier Protano, all printed using various Mimaki’s printing technologies and displayed on the stand - allowing visitors experience Berlin from inside the Messe Berlin halls. Mimaki will also join forces with Dutch designer Tessa Koops to create a selection of unique fashion items, after their successful collaborations in 2019.

Celebrating Customer Success
As a centrepiece of Mimaki’s stand, the customer gallery will return to FESPA 2022, showcasing and celebrating customer samples and testimonials. There will also be live demonstrations of Mimaki’s latest technologies in dedicated sign, UV and textile application areas. The latest UV printers on display include the UJV100, and the JFX and UJF series. The acclaimed 3D printer, the 3DUJ-2207, will also return to FESPA this year to showcase the many high-quality, full-colour models, including figurines, scale models and prototypes, achievable with this cost-efficient, entry-level printer.

To answer questions about the applications and Mimaki technologies, hospitality and meeting areas will provide space for one-to-one conversations with Mimaki experts.

adidas AG and Foot Locker, Inc. announced a new and enhanced partnership built around product innovation, elevated experiences, and deeper consumer connectivity. This enhanced relationship will establish Foot Locker as the lead partner for adidas in the basketball category, accelerate energy and hype launches, as well as include the development and expansion of key franchises across women’s, kids, and apparel. Including all Foot Locker banners in North America, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific, the new strategic partnership will target over $2 billion in retail sales by 2025, nearly tripling levels from 2021. In 2022, adidas expects to generate incremental revenues of up to €100 million as a result of the new partnership.  

Foot Locker will lead adidas' basketball offering, led by Fear of God founder and designer Jerry Lorenzo, spanning the lifestyle and performance categories, and develop exclusive positions in both areas. In addition, the collaboration will focus on key Originals franchises including NMD, Superstar and Stan Smith, and on the adidas influencer partnership portfolio. It will also include a prominent role for Foot Locker in the launch of adidas’ new Sportswear product division targeting the lifestyle consumer.

To execute the new plan, adidas will provide Foot Locker with a dedicated team to deliver an elevated consumer experience both in stores and online to help create demand and elevate the marketplace. This will involve partnership on product development, exclusive Foot Locker positioning, increased product allocations, shared marketing spend, and an elevated premium presence across Foot Locker’s entire portfolio of banners with a special focus on key cities and communities that the companies jointly serve. Lastly, to provide consumers with a seamless consumer journey, on and offline, both partners will increase their digital focus and accelerate the rollout of the adidas partner program at Foot Locker.

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. will showcase its latest high-performance color management, surface treatment, LED-UV curing, inspection, defect detection and Industry 4.0-based analytics solutions at Print4All, which is taking place May 3 to 6 at Fiera Milano in Italy.

One of its latest advances — which will be on display at Print4All — is the XP Quatro Series™ LED-UV curing module with one head and two frequencies for broader applications. It is designed to economically and efficiently cure LED-formulated printing inks and coatings on sheetfed and web offset printing presses, as well as on larger-format flexo presses and digital print engines. The XP Quatro Series LED-UV enhances print quality, while operating at top speeds, driving increased productivity and profitability.

Italy’s ACM Flexible Packaging selected Baldwin as its LED-UV partner and became one of the first flexible film converters to offer all LED-UV curing in a narrow to mid-web format. This partnership established LED-UV printing as a growing production standard in flexible packaging and labels. Today, ACM is a 100% LED-UV, non-mercury facility.

Baldwin’s Print4All booth also will showcase Industry 4.0 and industrial Internet of Things-enabled technologies that work together to achieve greater uptime, productivity and automation. Featured solutions pair sensor-gathered data with operational data from Baldwin equipment to gain live, actionable insights to improve production monitoring, so printers and converters can achieve new levels of color consistency with fewer defects and greater assurance of curing.

Other highlights in Baldwin’s booth include the Corona Slim treatment system, which ensures the exact dyne levels needed for perfect uniformity in application, and the Guardian PQV 100% Print Inspection, which provides complete print quality verification from prepress through production, reporting and archiving.