From the Sector

ANDRITZ has received an order from Manifattura Fontana, part of Sioen Group, to supply a complete neXline needlepunch line for the production of geotextiles to its site in Romano d’Ezzelino, Italy. Start-up of the line is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.

The ANDRITZ needlepunch line will cover all process steps from fiber opening to automatic packaging of the product. The line will also include the latest ProWin profiling technology to enhance web weight evenness on cards and crosslappers. Another important feature is waterproof roll packaging, which is increasingly in demand on the market. Thus, Manifattura Fontana will be one of the very few players in the world to deliver fabric rolls with waterproof protection.

This will be the second line in only three years to be supplied by ANDRITZ to Manifattura Fontana. Manifattura Fontana is part of the Belgian technical textile group Sioen Industries. It is a leading company in the global geotextile market and provides its customers with added-value geotextiles for many applications, such as the construction of roads, railways, reservoirs, dams, and tunnels, as well as for earthworks, foundations, erosion control, drainage, waste disposal, or containment.

• The first year of TECHNYL® in China under the DOMO brand name; DOMO will be pushing forward its expansion plan of high-performance polyamides in China
• Continued innovation in engineered nylon materials for a sustainable future

DOMO Chemicals announced a long-term investment plan in China to continue expanding its production capacity of TECHNYL® high-performance polyamides. This plan aims to meet growing demand in the automotive, electrical & electronics, and industrial consumer goods industries, and help build a sustainable future. DOMO Chemicals acquired Solvay's Performance Polyamides business in 2020 and has sold the TECHNYL® products globally since February 1, 2022, including in China, one of the company's key strategic markets.

The global demand for polyamide materials is currently booming at a CAGR of up to 3 percent. The adoption of new energy vehicles (including pure electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles) is expected to reach 45 percent globally by 2030, and automakers are increasingly using sustainable materials to make components, which are key growth drivers of the polyamide market. In addition, the demand for miniaturized circuit breakers, contactors, plug switches, and other components in the electrical and electronics and industrial consumer goods industries further opens up the application potential for polyamide materials.

DOMO Chemicals will continue to expand the capacity of its production site in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, which has been planned to be gradually introduced in three stages:

• Since March 2022, an additional 6,000 tons of capacity has been made available, with the plant achieving the total capacity of 14,000 tons of PA6 from April onwards.
• A 35,000-ton new plant in Haiyan is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2023, in which DOMO Chemicals has invested more than 14 million euros (97 million yuan).
• Going forward, DOMO Chemicals will further expand the plant, gradually increasing its capacity to 50,000 tons.

In addition to the expansion, the plant will also use renewable energy wherever possible, adopt advanced water and air treatment technologies to reduce water consumption and CO2 emissions, and fully comply with Health, Safety and Environmental Management System (HSE) regulations. DOMO Chemicals will improve HSE compliance continuously and work closely with the local government, while partnering with key local and global customers to accelerate innovation and development across a wide range of industries.

TECHNYL® has been committed to helping customers improve their low-carbon competitiveness since its very first year in China. It allows OEMs and component makers in the automotive, electrical & electronics, and industrial consumer goods segments to create lightweight, durable, aesthetically pleasing, smart and environmentally-friendly products.

Cobra International, a leading manufacturer of advanced composite products for the watersports, automotive, marine, and industrial sectors, will highlight recent diversification into new composite markets at JEC World 2022, with exhibits ranging from VTOL drones to carbon fibre prosthetics.  Cobra will also demonstrate how it is working alongside automotive and water sports customers to further enhance the sustainability of products in these sectors.

High Volume Production Capacity for the UAV sector
Cobra will display a wing from the Swiftlet UAV. This compact tactical fixed wing UAV platform has a 5.5m wingspan and was developed by the Royal Thai Air Force and National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) for survey, monitoring and search and rescue operations. Cobra manufactured the 32kg Swiftlet composite airframe using a combination of CNC cut carbon sandwich internal structure and PVC foam sandwich skins using both high grade glass fibre and carbon fibre reinforcements.  

Sustainability Options for Automotive and Watersports
Sustainability has a been a key focus for the Cobra Waterports division and CAC, the Cobra automotive business unit. At JEC World 2022, Cobra will showcase the increasing material and process options it has developed with both bio-resin and natural fibre reinforcements variants presented alongside more traditional carbon fibre parts.

Visitors will be able to get up close to a new Bio SUP Wingfoil board featuring a basalt, flax, bamboo and GreenPoxy bio-epoxy construction created for partners NSP, as well as state-of-the-art compression moulded prepreg foils. Cobra’s first fully recyclable surfboard incorporating the Recyclamine® resin technology that Cobra was recognised for in the 2020 JEC Innovation Awards will also be on display alongside a new Audi e-tron foil by Aerofoils – the world’s safest electric hydrofoil board.

The CAC team (Automotive Business Unit of Cobra) will present a set of OEM mirror cap parts that showcase a range of carbon SMC, woven visual carbon, pure woven visual flax, hybrid flax-carbon and painted flax construction options for the same component.  Clear carbon aesthetic and structural parts including CAC made M-carbon components for the BMW S 1000 RR Motorcycle will furthermore underline the high quality and eye-for-detail for which CAC is renowned.

Carbon Prosthetics
An entirely new composite application for the company, Cobra will also show two composite prosthetic devices at JEC which were productionised by the in-house design and development team. Working alongside a leading Thai university and a medical device OEM, Cobra created a rapid and cost effective series production process for a lightweight carbon fibre prosthetic foot. In another example of lightweight composites creating major quality of life improvements, Cobra has also designed and manufactured a carbon and glass fibre prepreg foot support for Elysium Industries.

Huntsman Textile Effects, a global leader in innovative solutions and environmentally sustainable products, is featuring high-performance end-to-end systems for protection effects and sustainable solutions for any wear at Performance Days on April 27-28, 2022, in Munich, Germany.

With more consumers seeking comfort and protection when buying sportwear, they expect their sports apparel to dry quickly, resist stains and odors, and offer breathability. Achieving these functionalities with on-trend aesthetics whilst realizing sustainability, are possible.

Resource saving solutions
Huntsman will introduce the AVITERA® SE Fast process at Performance Days. The revolutionary technology delivers the lowest environmental impact for dyeing polyester-cellulosic (PES-CO) blends. It combines alkali-clearable TERASIL® W/WW disperse dyes and AVITERA® SE reactive dyes to cut processing time from around nine hours to just six, helps mills reduce the water and energy required for production by up to 50% and increases output by up to 25% or more while delivering outstanding wet-fastness to ensure that sportswear will not bleed or stain during home laundering, or while in storage or transit.

EROPON® E3-SAVE is another next-generation water saving innovation. An all-in-one textile auxiliary for PES processing, it allows pre-souring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath and eliminates the need for anti-foaming products, which shortens processing time and saves water and energy.

Eco-friendly stain and rain resistance
In partnership with Chemours, Huntsman will present the new eco-friendly finishes that repel water and stains, and help garments looking new for longer. Teflon™ EcoElite with Zelan™ R3 technology contains 63% plant-based materials and is the industry’s first renewably sourced water-repellent finish. It exceeds performance levels possible with traditional fluorinated technologies, with excellent water repellency and durability while reserving breathability.

Innovative odor control solutions
Huntsman will also showcase revolutionary antimicrobial and odor-control solutions as part of their partnership with Sciessent. Sciessent’s latest anti-odor technology – NOBO™ specifically developed to reduce odors in natural and synthetic fabrics. It can be incorporated into virtually any fabric – from base layer and activewear tops to socks and underwear to jeans and chinos. It offers a cost-effective way to upgrade everyday garments.

In addition, the partners will also present Sciessent’s Agion Active X2®, a next-generation odor-control solution that combines advanced antimicrobial and odor-absorbing technologies to both capture and fight odor-causing bacteria, and Lava X2®, a standalone odor adsorption product and key component of Agion Active X2® that attracts, absorbs and degrades odors for long-lasing odor protection.

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.

Monforts will highlight its advanced finishing and coating technologies for the production of technical textiles at Techtextil North America, which takes place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta from May 17-19.

The company and its US representative PSP Marketing, of Charlotte, North Carolina, will be part of the centrepiece VDMA German Pavilion at the show.

Energy prices
With energy prices continuing to go through the roof, an emphasis at Techtextil North America will be on the energy and heat recovery that can be achieved with Montex stenters, through features such as the MonforClean system, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air. This results in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required. A range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options can be specified per individual line installation.

Advanced machine operation
With the highly intuitive 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.

Versatility is the key
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.

Suominen launches a carbon neutral nonwoven, BIOLACE® Zero. BIOLACE® Zero is suitable for many kinds of wiping applications like baby, personal care, and household wipes. It has wet and dry strength and it’s very soft. It is made of 100% cellulosic lyocell fibers and the product is 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic free.

BIOLACE® Zero utilizes VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers from Suominen´s long-term partner Lenzing. BIOLACE® Zero is made of 100% carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

“We are very excited to introduce BIOLACE® Zero, which is not just Suominen´s first carbon neutral product, but also one of the first carbon neutral nonwovens on the market. BIOLACE® Zero will be available as part of Suominen's sustainable product portfolio”, says Marika Mäkilä, Senior Manager, Category Management, Europe.

Suominen’s BIOLACE® Zero and Lenzing’s VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers are certified as carbon neutral products by globally recognized company, ClimatePartner. Carbon neutrality means that the greenhouse gas emissions of nonwoven have been calculated – from the raw material production to the client’s production facility – reduced and are offset through certified carbon offset projects.

“With this new carbon neutral product BIOLACE® Zero we are able to support our customers in their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Innovating new products in collaboration with partners such as Lenzing by using carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers is well aligned with our strategy and vision to be the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens”, says Noora Rantanen, Manager, Sustainability & Marketing.

JEC World announces the dates of the show in 2023, taking place from April 25 to 27, and in 2024, from March 5 to 7, in Paris Nord Villepinte in the same halls.
Taking place every year for more than half a century, JEC World gathers the whole value chain of composite materials in Paris. The event brings together not only all major stakeholders of the composites industry but is also the place to be for innovative startups in the field of advanced materials, and for experts, academics, scientists and R&D leaders. For professionals from the various application sectors of composite materials, it is a unique showcase of what composites can offer, and an unlimited source of inspiration. So, with this two-years schedule, professionals can plan their participation while ahead to make the most out the show.

Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating - specialists for cast film, sheet extrusion and extrusion coating lines - will showcase a new production process for cost-effective film/nonwoven composites with an exceptionally low grammage at ICE (International Converting Exhibition) Europe. The leading international trade show for paper, film, and foil conversion and processing will be held at Messe München (Munich trade fair center) from March 15-17, 2022.

The Covid-19 pandemic and current supply shortages have exposed the dependence of companies on global supply chains. This situation is both a warning signal and an opportunity to boost and reorganize the local production of semi-finished products from the ground up. Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating has now developed a trend-setting production process termed Ultrathin Coating, in particular for the sector of medical protective clothing. The process will permit customers to produce particularly lightweight film/nonwoven composites with greater cost efficiency and, as a result, more competitively. The patent-pending process has several advantages: It cuts film grammage by 66%; material consumption in the overall composite is reduced by 28%; and it slashes costs by up to 34% compared to conventional semi-finished products. Significant cost savings are achieved in various ways, for example, by replacing hotmelt adhesives, which reduces line maintenance to a great extent at the same time.

Mark Borutta, Sales & Marketing Specialist bei Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating, erklärt: „Wir erleben derzeit einen nachhaltig wachsenden Mehrbedarf für medizinische Schutzbekleidung verbunden mit einer Rückholstrategie für lokale Produktionskapazitäten. Vor diesem Hintergrund erzielen Produzenten mit ‚Ultrathin Coating‘ einen schnellen Return on Invest und hohe Profitabilität – auch bei einer Produktion innerhalb Europas.“ Die Vlies-erfahrene Schwesterfirma Reifenhäuser Reicofil –führender Hersteller von Vliesstoffanlagen – hat die Entwicklung unterstützt.

Mark Borutta, Sales & Marketing specialist at Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating, explains: "We are currently experiencing a sustained increase in demand for medical protective clothing combined with a return strategy for local production capacity. Against this backdrop, producers achieve a fast return on investment and high profitability with Ultrathin Coating - even when production is based in Europe." The sister company, Reifenhäuser Reicofil, an experienced and global leading manufacturer of nonwoven lines, provided their support to the development.

Even if manufacturers already produce medical protective clothing and prefer to handle the coating process internally in the future instead of importing the necessary composites, it is worthwhile to set up an in-house production facility. In either case, the investment in Ultrathin Coating usually pays for itself in less than 12 months. The lower material input also reduces the consumption of fossil raw materials and this in turn responds to the increased demand for more sustainable products.