From the Sector

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced the finalists that will compete for the RISE^® Innovation Award. RISE^®, the Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics Conference, will take place September 26-27 at Talley Student Union, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.

The finalists who will present their product innovations on Tuesday, September 26th, include:

ESC-8 – The JOA® Electronic Size Change Unit by Curt G. Joa, Inc.
The JOA^® ESC-8™ unit allows unprecedented Adult Pant design flexibility with the ability to process nearly limitless combinations of insert and chassis sizes at industry best speeds. Additionally, this technology enables the production of a greener, more sustainable product by eliminating up to 250 tons of material, 5 tons of glue, and 500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

BicoBio Fiber by Fiberpartner ApS
The BicoBio Fiber is a bicomponent fiber core sheath construction, developed from materials with a low carbon footprint. This fiber is designed to biodegrade in the environments where most plastics are found: landfills and the ocean. The fiber’s BioBased PE is produced from sugar cane and has a negative carbon footprint. The fiber’s recycled PET is GRS certified. PrimaLoft^® Bio™, a technology that enables polyester fibers to biodegrade, is utilized in the production of BicoBio Fibers. These fibers can be processed with a variety of nonwoven technologies.

Reifenhäuser Reicofil RF5 XHL by Reifenhäuser REICOFIL GmbH & Co. KG
Reicofil XHL (Extra High Loft) is the game changer for a super soft and drapeable nonwoven offering an incomparable feel the nonwoven market has never seen before. The outstanding soft touch is unique and intended for use in the hygiene sector. XHL focuses on low basis weight and high thickness with the best visual appearance. The high performance and efficient use of raw materials and energy ensure cost-effectiveness and environmentally-friendly production.

SAPMonit by TiHiVE
TiHive’s game-changing innovation, SAPMonit – a visionary French technology breakthrough – inspects millions of diapers weekly. SAPMonit delivers lightning-speed inline inspection of Super Absorbents weight and distribution, optimizes resources, detects flaws, and accelerates R&D. SAPMonit utilizes advanced see-through cameras, high-speed vision algorithms, and secure cloud integration, revolutionizing industry norms. SAPMonit has great potential for sustainability, cost reduction, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

The RISE Innovation Award winner will be announced Wednesday afternoon, September 27^th.

• Absorbent Hygiene Products Featuring Advanced Technology Announced:
  pH monitoring pantyliner (Kimberly-Clark), roll dispensing period product (Egal Pad) and novel potty training pad (Sposie Kids)

Three new absorbent disposable hygiene products that provide users with greater protection, convenience and discretion are the finalists for the Hygienix Innovation Award™ that will be selected at Hygienix™, the premier event for absorbent hygiene and personal care markets, Nov. 14-17, at The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel.

The annual award recognizes and rewards innovation that uses nonwoven material or technology in a way that provides consumer benefit and expands its usage.  
Each of the companies will present their products during the event on Nov. 15 and INDA’s Director of Education & Technical Affairs Matt O’Sickey will announce the winner on Nov. 17, at 11:30 a.m. to conclude Hygienix™.  

Egal Pads: Pads on a Roll™ –A wrapped super-thin absorbent period pad that dispenses like toilet paper in public bathroom stalls, preventing the personal embarrassment of not having a menstrual product when needed. This product promotes period product accessibility and destigmatizes menstrual health. It is targeted to schools and universities and the away-from-home market.

Kimberly-Clark: Kotex® Pantyliner with pH Indicator – The new Kotex Pantyliner with pH indicator, shifts color at the moment it needs to be replaced. This technology works by changing the color from yellow to blue when activated by fluids such as urine, sweat, or others. By indicating the moment to change the product, helps to maintain the intimate area clean, fresh, and consequently healthy.

Sposie Kids: Sposie® Dribbles® Potty Training Pads – An absorbent potty training pad that adheres to boy’s and girl’s underwear to protect against leaks and accidents during the transition from diapers to underwear, while still providing physical cues to the wearer to promote potty training.  The pads absorb over half of an average 2-year-old’s bladder capacity and are 100 percent free from any fragrance, latex, and chlorine.

Hygienix™ Conference Highlights
In addition to the award presentation, the Hygienix™ conference will focus on sustainability with presentations by more than 20 industry experts on sustainable inputs, natural fibers, product transparency, reusable menstrual products, recyclable diapers and the latest market forecasts and insights into consumer buying trends.
Hygienix™ will also offer two specialized workshops, a myriad of business connection opportunities, a welcome reception, first-time attendee mentorship program, and two evenings of tabletop receptions.

Reifenhäuser Reicofil will exhibit at the world's leading nonwovens trade show INDEX in Geneva from October 19 to 22, 2021. Under the slogan "Living Nonwovens", the nonwoven line specialist will showcase solutions for the production of sustainable nonwovens for a wide range of applications.

Sustainable nonwoven production starts with the amount of material used - the less raw material needed, the better. The "Reicofil 5x" line series is specialized in this application and achieves fabric weights of 8 gsm (grams per square meter) or even less through efficient downgauging, even on 1000 m/min Composite lines containing 3 Spunbond beams.

In addition, Reicofil customers can reduce the use of fossil raw materials on request by processing biobased raw materials as an ecological alternative - for example for diapers. The topsheet material, made of bulky, soft, and industrially compostable high-loft nonwovens, meets maximum hygiene requirements at the same time.

For industrial applications, high-strength nonwovens can be processed even from up to 90% PET flakes from post-consumer waste. This is how Reicofil shows ways to combine sustainability and high-performance nonwovens.

In the medical sector, the line manufacturer will also be exhibiting its leading solutions for high-barrier medical protective clothing. In addition, meltblown nonwovens for face masks - still in great demand in many regions due to Covid - provide reliable safety and are helping to combat the pandemic worldwide. Reicofil technology therefore guarantees maximum safety, with filtration efficiencies of up to 99% (N99 / FFP3 standard), minimum quality fluctuations, and extremely high line availability at the same time.

With the current RF5 machine generation, Reicofil also sets benchmarks in terms of quality, performance, availability, efficiency, and machine intelligence - for challenging applications in hygiene, medical, and industrial sectors.

Neumünster – Success is built by connecting the right people with the right product. In a global marketplace, this means collaboration is just as important as competition. Companies need to focus on their strengths, while finding practical ways to innovate and expand upon their capabilities.

An exclusive license from Procter & Gamble offers the best for nonwovens

In order to do so, working together often makes the most sense. This is what motivated Procter & Gamble and Oerlikon Nonwoven – Teknoweb Materials to agree on an exclusive license agreement to market and sell the Phantom platform worldwide.

The patented process for hybrid nonwovens combines the best of both airlaid and spunmelt technologies to deliver new, flexible ways of creating wet and dry wipes. Phantom technology offers additional benefits by reducing resources and cost, while increasing overall performance. The exclusive license gives Oerlikon Nonwoven – Teknoweb Materials distribute this technology worldwide. In addition, Oerlikon Nonwoven – Teknoweb Materials have further refined the process into their own Levra technology – an entry-level option which offers tailored production volumes with lower investment costs but is still suitable to be upgraded to the premium Phantom model in the future.

Quality products that cost less

Essentially, Phantom technology was developed to produce hybrid substrates. The spunmelt and airlaid processes are merged into one step to combine cellulose fibers, long fibers such as cotton, or even powders with polymer fibers in unprecedented ways. This technology has clear advantages in terms of resources, performance, and cost compared to the previous processes on the market. By removing hydroentanglement, it is no longer necessary to dry the material. Adjusting the process can optimize relevant product characteristics such as softness, strength, dirt absorption, and liquid absorption. In the end, this even increases the quality of the product itself.

The greater freedom for formulating continuous and discrete fibers allows for more flexible and absorbent structures and highly textured materials. Wipes feel softer to the touch while providing more protection for the hands. Up to 90% of the material can consist of pulp fibers, although natural alternatives like cotton or synthetic fibers can be added to the mix.

Phantom technology has not only found a practical application in a variety of wipes – such as hygiene wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, surgical wipes, or industrial wipes – but also in absorbent cores, for instance indiapers or fempro products. With so many applications, Oerlikon Nonwoven – Teknoweb Materials are fully prepared to deliver Procter & Gamble’s innovative Phantom technology to the global nonwovens market.