From the Sector

The Techtextil and Heimtextil Summer Special exhibitions, taking place together in Frankfurt from June 21-24, represent an opportunity for Monforts to showcase its finishing and coating technologies for two of its major markets – especially at a time when energy prices continue to soar for textile manufacturers in Europe.

Existing customers of Monforts include many manufacturers in the field of home textiles, as well as those making geotextiles, automotive fabrics and other functional materials – all of whom will be well represented in Frankfurt this June. Dedicated Montex lines have also been supplied to producers of airbags, flame retardant barrier fabrics and spacer fabrics, as well as high-temperature filter materials.

Energy prices are rising steeply everywhere and a particular emphasis for Monforts in Frankfurt will be on the energy and heat recovery that can be achieved with Montex stenters, through features such as better insulation of the treatment chambers or the MonforClean system, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air resulting in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required compared to gas and thermal oil heating. The modular system for heat recovery can also be extended for exhaust air cleaning and odour elimination. Monforts can provide a range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options tailored to each individual line installation including modification of the heating source.

With the Qualitex 800 visualization software, all article-specific settings can be stored and the formulations for thousands of treatment processes called up again at any time. Individual operators can also personalise their dashboards with the most important machine functions and process parameters.

The Qualitex 800 system is available for the automatic and continuous operation of the company’s Montex stenters, as well as its Thermex continuous dyeing ranges, Monfortex shrinking systems and Montex®Coat coating units.

Monforts Montex®Coat coating units serve an equally diverse number of markets, including tents, tarpaulins and awnings, black-out roller blinds and sail cloth, automotive interior fabrics and medical disposables. Full PVC coatings, pigment dyeing or minimal application surface and low penetration treatments and solvent coatings (in explosion-proof conditions) with knife coating, roller coating or screen printing can all be accommodated with this system.

All of these very different materials require coating and finishing for maximum efficiency, using Monforts technologies which provide the ultimate in flexibility and the ability to switch quickly from one fabric run to the next, without compromising on the economical use of energy or raw materials.

The Monforts EcoApplicator offers further potential for sustainably achieving perfect finishes via a precise direct application system, as an alternative to conventional padding – where fabrics are immersed in a bath of the required finishing chemicals. It can significantly further reduce the energy and water required and finishes can be applied on just one side of the fabric, or both, and even separately on each side, to be sealed in place via different heating zones in the stenter.

• Focus on the embossing technique applied to the recycled fabrics collection of the NATIVE Sustainable Textiles line

Performance Days, the leading trade fair on the latest trends in the development of fabrics for the functional textile industry, has as main focus the PERFORMANCE FORUM, where the most recent innovations and developments are presented with a prize awarded to the winner of the category chosen for the current year, which for 2022 will be “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality - CO₂ Reducing Technologies and Measuring Tools”.

Protagonists are therefore all those materials that contain carbon in reduced form and the strategies/technologies that companies implement to ensure the reduction of CO₂ emissions during production and how these reductions are actually measured (through energy saving, careful use of resources, use of more sustainable materials, local production and other technological and production measures).

In this sense, Sitip’s strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions and maximizing the use of resources is based on consolidating and optimizing the layout and logistics of the production plants, installing a cogeneration plant and a new generation smoke smoke abatement system and the transition to an energy-saving lighting system.

Regarding products, at Performance Days Sitip brings its latest innovations with an absolute focus on the embossing technique, a particular system of mechanical processes that can also be used on the recycled items from the NATIVE Sustainable Textiles line, a technology that is applied to fabrics produced with recycled yarns and chemicals with low environmental impact, implementing the GRS standard (Global Recycle Standard), result of the journey towards sustainability implemented by the company.

The collection of embossed designs combines performance, style and sustainability: thanks to special mechanical processes that combine heat and pressure, the fabric is embossed with geometric and design motifs for a more structured and palpable texture.

High-performance yarns now offer almost unlimited possibilities for replacing traditional raw materials in a vast range of technical applications. Often tailor-made, these filament yarns go way beyond the conventional idea of ‘textiles’ – finding new uses in sectors such as automotive, aviation, maritime, medical and construction, among many others.

Technical textiles are everywhere in our daily lives today, even if we may not always realize it. Some are in more obviously textile products, from sewing threads to artificial turf. But then, take cars as an example: modern vehicles are stuffed with parts made from sophisticated yarns. It’s common for producers of automotive parts now to send template material and requirement lists to Swiss Textile Machinery members, trusting their expertise and experience. Members operate development and testing centers with latest machine installations, where their experts devise customized solutions, as well as calling on the pure innovative spirit which is part of their DNA.

At the extremes
Technology drives applications beyond our current imagining in the case of Heberlein air splicers. Developed for a wide range of uses with high-strength technical fibers, they have no problems splicing aramid fibers up to 16’100 dtex, carbon up to 30’000 dtex, Dyneema up to 5’500 dtex, and glass up to 4’800 tex. Using compressed air, the splicers produce a tear-resistant, homogeneous splice of material without interfering knots.

Retech has the technology to achieve specifications for filament yarns, drawing and stretching fibers to perfection. Top heated godet rolls – many customized – are developed for high-performance fibers. Temperatures up to 400 °C can be achieved. Combining the right settings and wide speed ranges for each specific process results in unique end-products.

Fabric producers of high-end applications must avoid any quality risk. Yarn producers are well aware of this responsibility, so they use precision package winders for technical yarns, developed by Rieter’s subsidiary SSM. Taking yarns from ring twisting bobbins, its specialist finish winders can produce coarse-count technical yarns up to 50’000 dtex, offering a new level of flexibility and winding quality.

Lifestyle essentials
At first glance, motorists might fail to notice many of the technical yarns ‘hidden’ inside their cars. These products have functions such as providing stability with hardly any weight, or absorbing tensile forces at defined elongation. This kind of controlled elongation behaviour, for example, arises from the choice of textile material and the special construction of the yarns used.

Such specifications make twisting and cabling machines essential for the automotive industry. Saurer offers machines for the production of technical yarns made from a variety of feed materials in a very wide yarn count range. They are needed for vehicle products such as tire carcasses, toothed engine belts, seat belts, airbags and lorry tarpaulins.

Technical yarns also play a surprising role in our mobile devices. Tapping, scrolling and swiping are second nature for billions, with our phones and a plethora of other lifestyle essentials. Yet, how many people would know that the touch-sensitivity we take for granted on these screens is largely made possible by twisted glass fibers. Bräcker, part of Rieter’s components business, offers a selection of vertical sinter metal rings and nylon travelers for glass fiber twisting, so that mills can achieve high levels of productivity and quality.

Future unlimited
Automotive and communication technology are already important industries for Swiss Textile Machinery members, along with well-known technical textiles markets in sectors such as medical, transport and construction. Smart-wear is already noted as a field with significant potential. Naturally, members are constantly investigating other possibilities. Swiss textile machinery is already applied in energy (batteries), and plastics.

The Swiss Textile Machinery Pavilion will be at the Techtextil exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, taking place from 21 to 24 June 2022.

The Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference 2022 as face-to-face event takes place on-site in Aachen on December 1-2, 2022.

There is the opportunity to contribute to the conference program and submit an abstract for a talk or poster presentation. The Call for Abstracts for oral presentations ends on May 6, 2022. The Call for Abstracts for poster contributions is open until July 31, 2022.

The ADD-ITC is a conference for experts from the fields of
·    Textile chemistry, finishing & functionalization
·    Synthetic Fibers & Materials
·    Machinery, Processes & Composites

The conference program includes plenary lectures and themed sessions in the areas of
·    Sustainability in the textile industry
·    Future of textile production
·    Textiles for medicine and health
·    Smart textiles & fashion
·    Historic textiles
·    Technology transfer (IGF-ZIM projects)
·    Textile developments by start-ups
 

Further information about the conference program, plenary and keynote speakers as well as the call for abstracts are online availabel.

• “The Atlas MAX technology provides a marked improvement in quality; it gives you that edge and something different."

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in sustainable, on-demand, digital textile production technologies, announced today that Peterborough, United Kingdom-based print provider Snuggle has installed two Kornit Atlas MAX systems for superior versatility in their on-demand fulfilment production operations. A Kornit customer since 2017, the addition of Kornit’s most advanced direct-to-garment production systems reflects Snuggle’s sustained profitability and growth since that time.

Kornit Atlas MAX is the first digital direct-to-garment production system to feature XDi technology, which empowers users to simulate embroidery, dye sublimation, vinyl heat transfer, and 3D graphic effects with one single-step platform, using Kornit’s eco-friendly NeoPigment™ inks. Delivering superior graphic detail, consistent retail quality, and low and consistent cost per print to ensure profitability in any quantity, the system is engineered for adaptability to long-term automation needs, which helps businesses like Snuggle address the ongoing labour shortage.

With seven Kornit Digital systems in total, Snuggle is now able to produce up to 12,000 units daily, and has expanded its production space more than threefold since first investing in the technology. While the business does include an embroidery unit, Snuggle rejected screen printing due to its slow setup process, inefficient sampling for bulk orders, and the inability to generate profit from smaller custom orders. Furthermore, digitally-enabled production on demand was critical to their adapting when the pandemic economy caused many customers to cancel bulk orders suddenly.

Morocco has created an optimal basis for companies with the introduction of the duty-free zone. RINCO ULTRASONICS will take advantage of this opportunity and strengthen its own position in the Moroccan market by establishing RINCO Morocco. RINCO Morocco will act as a center for the African continent. The automotive industry as well as the textile industry are particularly well represented locally.

RINCO ULTRASONICS AG, headquartered in Romanshorn, Switzerland, has specialized in the development and manufacture of ultrasonic welding machines and ultrasonic cutting systems since its founding in 1976. RINCO products are used for reliable welding of plastic parts as well as for cutting food and synthetic textiles.

After three-days of product sourcing and business networking, Techtextil India 2021 in Mumbai concluded in a strong and positive note. The trade fair emerged as a crucial meeting place for the technical textile players to rebuild their supplier links, promote industry integration and engage in lucrative knowledge exchange.

The eighth edition of Techtextil India stood out to be a ground-breaking business platform for the technical textile sector to build a new and strong foundation in the new normal. The aim of the new edition was to promote industry unification and business recovery across the value chain of technical textiles.

The event held at Bombay Exhibition Centre was inaugurated by major dignitaries, including Shri Ajit Chavan, Secretary – Textiles Committee, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. Over the course of its three buzzing days, the show garnered an attendance of 4,087 visitors drawn by live demonstration of latest products, technologies and innovations exhibited by over 150 technical textile brands on the show floor.

The event received an overwhelming response, reflecting industry’s keen interest to explore new developments and opportunities in technical textiles. In regards to the same, Mr Abhijit Kulkarni, President – Textile Engineering Group, A.T.E. India, stated: “It was the first and best physical show also on hybrid mode filled with enthusiastic buyers and customers who visited our booth and had very fruitful discussions with us. Several leading textile manufacturers visited our stalls, including: Strata Geosystems India, SKAPS Industries, Reliance Composites, Paramount Textiles, and Welspun, to name a few.”

Alok Masterbatches Pvt Ltd, Khosla Profile Pvt Ltd, ATE Group, Lucky International, Meera Industries Limited, Park Non-Woven Pvt Ltd, Sarex Chemicals, SICAM, Suntech Geotextile Pvt Ltd and Weavetech Engineers, were among the leading Indian companies exhibiting at the show.

The significance of the three-day fair was further elevated by the German pavilion. Technical textile manufacturers from Germany, such as Autefa Solution Germany GmbH, DILO Systems GmbH, Emtec Electronic GmbH, Georg Sahm GmbH & Co, Karl Mayer Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Merz Maschinenfabrik GmbH and Oerlikon Barmag Zweigniederlassung der Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co, displayed their latest technologies on the show floor, which garnered significant attention from the Indian buyers.

The first Digital Symposium was another highlight of Techtextil India 2021. The forum delved into a series of crucial topics in technical textiles discussing PLI schemes, FDI opportunities and policies, investment opportunities in Tamil Nadu, & New Investment Opportunities, Sustainable Technical Textiles and Global sustainable approach for Textiles with Antimicrobial Performance.

Concluding on a successful note, Techtextil India 2021 emerged as a platform of new beginnings for the technical textiles sector and for businesses trying to retain their shape and seeking momentum after the tough pandemic phase.

The acoustic performance of components for the vehicle interior such as inner dashes or carpets depends on the noise-reducing quality as well as the geometrical adaptability and fill power of their material. With Flexi-Loft, Autoneum offers a new felt-based technology that thanks to a unique blend of recycled cotton and functional fibers reduces product weight and allows for accurate adaptation even to complex shapes. The textile material therefore provides a versatile and more sustainable alternative to foam.

In order to achieve high acoustic performance at minimum weight and maximum sustainability, Autoneum is continuously advancing its textile product portfolio. When it comes to components for the vehicle interior, for example, standard thermoplastic felts excel through their acoustic absorption, robustness and environmental friendliness. However, since felt-based materials are generally less voluminous and moldable as foam components, they require more weight to thoroughly fill the areas of varying thickness between the surface of the component and the vehicle’s body-in-white. In contrast, Autoneum’s Flexi-Loft technology is significantly lighter, more flexible and more adaptable than standard felts. In addition, the fiber-based material is versatile and clearly outperforms current foam products in terms of sustainability.

Thanks to its blend of recycled cotton and polyester fibers, Flexi-Loft substantially reduces component weight while improving geometrical adaptability and acoustic performance, especially in areas of low thickness. Thanks to the specific properties of the fibers, Flexi-Loft enables a precise adaptation to a wide variety of vehicle bodies, thereby improving the noise-insulating qualities of the respective product. Even at low weight, Flexi-Loft covers a wide range of material thicknesses, thus proving to be an ideal decoupling material for interior components with complex shapes such as inner dashes and automotive carpets. As a lightweight, flexible and sustainable alternative to both standard felts and foam, Flexi-Loft distinguishes itself by its versatile application in combination with existing Autoneum technologies such as Hybrid-Acoustics and Prime-Light. Moreover, the material helps to reduce odor and dust inside the vehicle.

Flexi-Loft consists of at least 50% recycled cotton fibers, and cut-offs generated during the manufacturing process are reclaimed, processed and then reused in the production of new felt blanks.

Autoneum is already using Flexi-Loft worldwide as an insulator for various carpets, inner dashes and other acoustic components based on its Prime-Light technology. The application of the material as an effective decoupler in inner dashes made of Hybrid-Acoustics will be launched on the European market in 2023.

India’s leading trade fair in technical textiles, nonwovens and composites, Techtextil India, is ready to make a comeback through its hybrid edition launch from 25 – 27 November 2021. With a series of live product demonstrations, insightful knowledge sessions and B2B networking opportunities, the multimodal trade fair will provide a strong avenue for technical textile professionals to reimagine their business potential.
 
After a successful grand edition in 2019, Techtexil India is all set to return for the very first time since the pandemic. The three-day exhibition will be hosted in a hybrid format from 25 – 27 November 2021, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon which will unite technical textile players from across its varied application areas. Top technical textile brands including JB Ecotex, PARK Nonwoven, Loyal Textiles Lenzing, Mehala, Meera Industries, amongst many others will showcase their latest products at the hybrid fair. Moreover, leading German brands exhibiting at Techtextil India 2021 will be hosted under the German pavilion.

The conjunction between the physical exhibition and the online business matchmaking platform will make way to a wider range of networking. Local and international visitors who are unable to attend the venue will be able to witness the exhibition virtually through the ‘MFI virtual app’ which will host live knowledge sessions and product demonstrations for visitors. The two-day multimodal trade fair allows the visitors to search for specific products like fibers, yarns, nonwovens, machinery, coated textiles with easy-to-use filters further to which they can share their query or connect directly with the respective exhibitors.

At the same time, visitors attending the venue will be welcomed under a well-organised physical exhibition following the government-authorised safety protocols of ‘MFI SafeConnect’. These protocols will enable visitors to engage in secure face-to-face interactions with exhibitors and witness the latest technical textile technologies and innovations in-person.

Alliance with the Government of Tamil Nadu
In a bid to strengthen indigenous production through the state and attract investors, the nodal agency for investment promotion and facilitation for the Government of Tamil Nadu – Guidance has signed up for Techtextil India 2021. Furthermore, technical textile players from Tamil Nadu such as Cyber Textiles India Pvt Ltd, Jayashree Spun Bond, Lenzing Ag India, Liester Technologies, Loyal Textile Mills Ltd, Milltex Engineers Pvt Ltd, Superfil Products Pvt Ltd, Uster Technologies (India) Pvt Ltd have also confirmed their participation for the exhibition.
Announcing a close co-operation with Messe Frankfurt India for the 2021 edition, Ms Pooja Kulkarni, IAS MD & CEO, Guidance Tamil Nadu, stated: “While there are several inherent advantages for the growth of technical textiles in Tamil Nadu specifically, many raw materials used in the production of sanitary products, artificial ligaments, seat belt webbings, airbags are still heavily imported. In this context, the alliance with Techtextil India Forum can help us reduce import dependency and bring investments in R&D, manufacturing, innovation by partnering with global technical textiles companies.”

With 50% of India’s textile mills in Tamil Nadu and complementary clusters of knitting, weaving and medical devices manufacturing in Coimbatore, and Tiruppur, the region provides immense opportunities for Meditech investments. Two petrochemical and refinery units – One in Cuddalore and another in Nagapattinam by CPCL is in the process of being established in Tamil Nadu. These units will enable availability of MMF raw material for the textile industry across the state. Hence, manufacturing in Tamil Nadu can be a win-win arrangement for investors as India provides access to the burgeoning market as well.

International expertise with German pavilion
Techtexil India 2021 edition will feature an exclusive German Pavilion showcasing products and technologies from top German manufacturers, including Autefa Solution Germany GmbH, DILO Systems GmbH, Emtec Electronic GmbH, Georg Sahm GmbH & Co, Karl Mayer Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Merz Maschinenfabrik GmbH and Oerlikon Barmag Zweigniederlassung der Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co.

Penn Textile Solutions GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of elastic fabrics for under-wear, corsetry, sportswear and swimwear, as well as highly functional textiles for technical applications. The fully integrated company with its own warping, circular knitting, warp knitting, dyeing and finishing facilities currently employs around 150 people.

Penn has long relied on Mahlo
Penn has relied on the cooperation with Mahlo for years. The manufacturer of measuring, control and automation systems for web-shaped goods has decades of experience in the field of process control. Until the summer of 2020, the textile manufacturer had been using a basis weight measurement system in the stenter frame outlet with beta radiation and manual control. "When the krypton preparations had passed their half-life, we had to make a decision: Exchange or replace the system right away", says operations manager Franz Schütte. They sat down with Mahlo representatives and looked for the best solution. Since the systems had already reached a high operating age and the measurement was limited to the basis weight, a new concept was decided upon. "Mahlo made us the best price-performance offer." The new system should be even more efficient and easier to operate for the special makes..

The compression zones of the functional fabric create corresponding distortions within the textile surface in its raw state, which have to be smoothed out in the fixing process. This work is now taken over by a process control system. The Mahlo Famacont PMC-15 with two measuring points automatically controls the leading of the stenter frame by continuously and contactlessly determining the mesh density. In addition, the Patcontrol PCS-20 process control system ensures that the dimensions of the different zones are recorded and also automatically controlled. "The previous beta-radiation facility was not able to collect this kind of data," explains the Penn operations manager. Another important aspect for the textile manufacturer: the complete and costly radiation protection is no longer necessary with the new systems.

Despite very good experience with Mahlo in the past, every change naturally involves a risk. Penn did not have to rely on theoretical considerations, however, but carried out tests in advance with appropriate sample material in the Mahlo test laboratory. The results convinced the decision-makers.