Nonwovens live

Nonwoven press felt success for Tamfelt

Nanping Paper PM 6, a new fine paper machine in China, will start up in October running two sets of Aquamaster nonwoven press felts from Finland-headquartered Tamfelt.

The machine will be supplied by Metso Paper and has an Opti-Press press section with two shoe presses. Design speed is 1,400 m/min and Metso’s delivery also includes two BlackBelts made by Tamfelt.
BlackBelt is Tamfelt’s latest shoe press belt, which in addition to high resistance against wear and chemicals, can easily handle temperatures up to over 100°C.
Tamfelt’s latest generation nonwoven Aquamaster felt has a structure that contributes to strong water removal in the nip, which allows it to be used in a paper machine without suction boxes.
This feature has direct effect on the amount of energy used by the machine.
The Aquamaster has been developed in cooperation with customers, and a pilot machine has run the felts on newsprint at 2,300 m/min.
The Aquamaster is suitable for all paper grades and it has been especially designed for positions where quick start-up is essential, together with constantly high running speed.  
Tamfelt Group’s net sales fell 24.9% in the first six months of 2009 to €63.5 million compared to €84.6 million in the first half of 2008. The company recorded a loss of €1 million for the period and has now announced a number of restructuring measures, including moving some production from Finland to plants in China and Portugal. The dryer fabric manufacturing remaining in Finland will mainly serve the European market, guaranteeing fast deliveries and good customer service.
 To increase cost efficiency, production in China will be centred in the modern fabric factory premises in Tianjin. Tamfelt will close down its filter fabric factory in Shanghai, operating in rented premises and move the manufacturing to Tianjin. In addition, Tamfelt will study the possibility of moving some filter fabric manufacturing from Finland and Poland to Tianjin, China. Local manufacturing in Brazil will also be increased.
 “Our aim is to take advantage of the most interesting growth opportunities and to strengthen our position as the technology leader in technical textiles,” said president and CEO Reima Kerttula. “An essential part of our strategy is to invest in multi-skilled personnel and in improving our production efficiency.”

Trevira conclusion set

The transfer of businesses of the insolvent Trevira Group to its new owners will take place on November 1 2009. Stefan Messer and Dr Karl-Gerhard Seifert (pictured) will take control of the production sites in Bobingen and Guben in Germany, and that at Zielona Gora in Poland, along with a number of sales offices.
In addition, all registered designs and patents of the Trevira Group constitute elements of the sale.
In August, the staffing adjustments required for conclusion of the sale were completed, with 1,450 jobs secured.

Keynote controversy in Malta

“We don’t have to apologise for being on this planet, we only need to make better things. All of the rest is just guilt management.”
Receiving an early award for services to the environment from George Bush has clearly done little to enamour Professor Michael Braungart (pictured) to the current thinking on sustainable production and trade.

As the keynote speaker at the EDANA Outlook conference held in Valetta, Malta, on September 23, he pulled few punches in getting across his message.
“Countries such as the USA, the UK, Germany and France are control cultures, where people have to be told they are bad,” he said. “The concept of Cradle to Cradle is about people supporting each other and not having to be controlled. The environmental organisations make their money by blaming and shaming the people so why would they want to change anything? Cradle to Cradle is about being good, not being less bad, making things that are beneficial to human health, for society, for business and for the environment and nature.”
As the founder and science director for MBDC, the company responsible for the development of Cradle to Cradle thinking, Professor Braungart went on to debunk a number of modern conceits on the environment. A full report from EDANA’s personal care products conference will appear in December’s Nonwovens Report Yearbook 2010.

Supporting growth in Russia

In a visit to Russia during September, Pierre Wiertz, general manager of industry body EDANA (pictured), met with high level contacts from key stakeholders in the regional nonwovens industry.

His mission was to refine and gain consensus for proposed EDANA activities in support of the development of the industry across Russia and in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
“Russia has felt the effects of the global downturn and while the economy could return to modest growth in 2010, it is likely to continue to be difficult over the next 18 months,” said Mr Wiertz. “The fact that these meetings came in difficult times, from which Russia, like the rest of the world, is hoping to recover as soon as possible, was particularly appreciated by those companies and organisations I met.
“The meetings also gave us an opportunity to build momentum for the strategic approach to support the development of the nonwovens and related industries across the region, which we commit to deliver over the coming years, with an ambitious plan based on a step by step approach.”
As part of these actions, the following activities were confirmed by the industry as priorities:
• An inventory of standards and regulations, with comparison to the EU and international requirements, and where appropriate, harmonisation and lobbying
• The offer of the EDANA training courses in at least two Russian locations, Moscow and St Petersburg, in cooperation with leading experts and institutes
• Promotion and networking activities, engaging Russian representatives at scheduled European seminars, and possible exhibition at EDANA’s first International Nonwovens Symposium in Saint Petersburg in 2012
 “These steps come as part of the broader EDANA priorities to support both our members and the growth of the nonwovens and related industries,” said Mr Wiertz. “For a number of years, EDANA nonwoven statistics have included ‘Greater Europe’ which incorporate the CIS countries. The continuous improvement of industry statistics in the CIS plays a key role in understanding the situation in local markets.”
In a report by EDANA, based on official statistics, Russian demand for both nonwovens and converted items has increased since 2000, with Russia becoming one of the main destinations for EU products. In 2008, 25,000 tonnes – representing more than 10% of EU27 roll goods exports – were sent to Russia, of which 70% were spunmelt materials. During this same period, 103,650 tonnes of absorbent hygiene products (representing nearly one third of EU27 exports) were destined for the Russian market. 
In addition, EDANA is in the process of complementing its international database of standards and regulations applicable to absorbent hygiene products, nonwovens and related industries. 
“We are pleased to observe and support efforts in Russia to harmonise, for instance, EN standards with GOST, such as in the area of surgical gowns and drapes, and we will continue to work towards this to the benefit of the industry across Greater Europe,” said Hadjira Mezaiti, EDANA’s regulatory and scientific affairs director.
Russian nonwovens production has had its own distinctive evolution. Beginning in the 1970 and 80’s with intensive development, the manufacture of nonwoven materials dropped significantly during the economic crisis of 1993 to 1998.  Production only revived in 1999, with carded-needlpunched and PP spunbond roll goods mainly used in geotextiles.
While carded-needlepunched materials are still the most important production by volume, major investments have been made over the last two years in PP spunbond and drylaid-spunlaced lines to fulfil the needs of the hygiene and wipes sectors. In 2008, Russian nonwovens production was around 45,000 tonnes. New facilities opened this year and several important projects are also planned to come on stream in the near future.
EDANA is pleased to announce that its membership includes five of the key CIS nonwoven players, including Avgol, Freudenberg Politex, Komitex, Regent and Zavod Elastic. To broaden its reach and representation of local industry, talks will continue with Avangard, Polimatiz and Mogilevkhimvolokno, and with the leading institutes and associations such as ASINEM, the Moscow University’s Textile department, the Saint Petersburg-based Centre of Certification and Measurement, and the State University of Technology and Design, among others.
Komitex – which is celebrating 10 years of EDANA membership in 2010 – is the largest producer in Russia and has been reinvesting in nonwovens following Perestroïka with recent additions in carded, drylaid process lines and new product applications. Additionally, the company has also become the largest producer of polyester staple fibre with a state of the art PET bottle processing line.

Meltblown Ingeo PLA now a reality

During September’s International Nonwovens Technical Conference (INTC) held in Denver, Colorado, USA, NatureWorks announced that two grades of its low-carbon footprint Ingeo bioresin are now commercially available for the production of meltblown nonwovens.
“As interest grows in polymers made from renewable resources, equipment manufacturers, process developers, and researchers have been exploring solutions that offer meltblown nonwoven fabrics that both perform well and achieve a lower carbon footprint than the existing petroleum-based incumbents,” said Robert Green, director of fibres and nonwovens at NatureWorks.
He was referring to meltblown fibre equipment manufacturer Biax-FiberFilm, which earlier this year conducted meltblown tests of Ingeo. Researchers at the University of Tennessee Nonwovens Research Lab (UTNRL) also evaluated Ingeo for its suitability for meltblown fabric substrates using conventional meltblowing equipment.

“Our development of an Ingeo meltblown substrate significantly broadens the variety of applications in which this material can be used,” said Doug Brown, president of Biax-FiberFilm (pictured left). “An Ingeo meltblown nonwoven offers an estimated thirty to fifty per cent cost savings over conventional fiber-based nonwoven roll goods and a significant advantage in price stability compared to petroleum-based products.”
Mr Brown also noted that mixing the Ingeo meltblown fibre with wood pulp or viscose greatly enhanced the material’s absorption, making it suitable for a broad range of performance wipes products.
In its development work, Biax-FiberFilm demonstrated excellent performance of two Ingeo grades in their meltblown process. Ingeo 6252D and 6201D each provided broad processing windows and quality fabrics that meet requirements for a range of applications. The high pressure die design unique to Biax FiberFilm meltblown lines allows processing of higher viscosity grades of Ingeo, such as 6201D, offering even higher fabric strength than seen on conventional meltblowing equipment.
These recent advances provide the nonwoven market with a full range of Ingeo fabrics that can now be produced with all major fabric forming technologies – from spunmelt to conventional carded nonwovens – offering the ability to meet consumer convenience needs with an annually renewable low environmental impact material.
In terms of overall CO2, Ingeo emits 1.3 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram of polymer, as measured from sourcing the raw material to resin leaving the factory. This is 59% less CO2 emitted than PET and 32% less than polypropylene. Ingeo consumes 42 megajoules of energy per kilogram from sourcing the raw material to shipment. This is 47% less energy consumed than PET and 42% less than polypropylene.
Also at the INTC conference, Fiber Innovation Technologies presented a paper on thermal bonding with Ingeo, and the Universities of Tennessee and Oklahoma detailed research into Ingeo mulch fabrics and fibre production.

Yorkshire’s £6 million boost

Advanced textile manufacturers in the Yorkshire region of the UK are set to benefit from a £6 milllion investment from Yorkshire Forward and the European Regional Development Fund.
Woven aircraft components and anti-counterfeiting for the fashion industry are just two of the focuses of the new Textile Innovation Programme, which will provide practical and financial backing for manufacturers to work with experts from universities and research organisations in order to create new high-value, high tech products.

The programme, which is being run through the Textile Centre of Excellence in Huddersfield, follows a series of feasibility studies conducted earlier this year.
“The value of the technical textiles market, which covers a wide range of sectors including medical, engineering, construction, automotive and aerospace has grown to an estimated £30 billion,” said the centre’s managing director Bill Macbeth. “New technologies, coupled with increasing environmental concerns, are opening up major opportunities for companies that can create lighter, stronger components, and materials that can sense and adjust to their environment.”
Boeing is currently developing its new 787 a significant portion of which is to be made from woven carbon fibre composites. The Textile Innovation Programme’s feasibility studies demonstrated that these components can outperform titanium and aluminium, and the potential market opportunity for these strong, lightweight woven components is vast.
Another area where the programme is set to make an early impact is anti-counterfeiting. Currently, the high quality textile and fashion markets along with other key regional sectors like pharmaceuticals are facing a growing crisis, where counterfeit products are accounting for up to 10% of sales.
 “Our companies provide cloth for the most famous fashion houses across the world, and counterfeiting can seriously damage those brands and revenues,” said Mr Macbeth. “It’s even more serious in other sectors of course, where counterfeit medical products kill thousands of people every year.”
The centre is already working with Applied DNA Science, a US company based at Stony Brook University in New York, and has succeeded with its SigNature DNA project in impregnating fabrics with botanical DNA, enabling them to be authenticated with 100% accuracy with the same testing methods embloyed by forensic labs for criminal investigations.
Applied DNA Science sells patented DNA security solutions to protect products, brands and intellectual property from counterfeiting and diversionIt  also provides BioMaterial GenoTyping by detecting genomic DNA in natural materials to authenticate finished products. Both technologies protect brands and products in a wide range of industries and provide a forensic chain of evidence that can be used to prosecute perpetrators.
 “Yorkshire Forward is very pleased to invest in new platform technologies that will foster growth and, ultimately, reap positive economic benefits to the Yorkshire business community, and the UK and European public at large,” said Jim Farmery, assistant director of business at Yorkshire Forward. “SigNature DNA is a true platform technology that has exciting and practical applications that extend to multiple industry sectors.”
The Textile Innovation Programme will also support a wide range of environmental improvement activities through the University of Leeds, which will allow manufacturers to use more environmentally friendly chemicals in wool processing and reduce the use of power and water at all stages of production.
The issue of textile and clothing waste recycling will also receive a major investment boost as the programme brings together key environmental organisations to focus on a problem that has exploded with the advent of cheap clothing imports.
Other applications from the programme include the use of nano and plasma technologies to produce fabrics which are self-cleaning, conductive fibres to make ‘smart’ clothing that can monitor a wearer’s body functions and dressings that monitor wounds, prevent infection and deliver medication.

Open for nonwovens business

 

Preparations for INDEX 11 –  the world’s leading nonwovens exhibition taking place from April 12-15 2011 – have already begun and stand bookings can now be made on-line the newly-launched website at www.index11.org. 
The last INDEX event in 2008 achieved record results with 520 exhibitors from 37 countries present, attracting almost 12,500 visitors from around the world.
The organisers of the INDEX 11 exhibition – Palexpo SA, and event sponsors EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries – are optimistic that INDEX 11 will reach similar figures.
 2011 will mark a special occasion in the history of the triennial INDEX exhibition, which has gone from strength to strength since its first edition in 1973. 
INDEX 11 will be the 10th consecutive edition of this flagship exhibition to take place in Geneva since 1984 – spanning 27 years. During this period the event has changed quite radically – from the industry sectors it attracts, to its geographical focus, and importantly, in the sheer numbers of exhibitors and visitors it attracts.
From its origins as a meeting point essentially for the hygiene industry, the event now attracts a broad range of visitors from a wide range of applications sectors, embracing fields as diverse as filtration, automotive, packaging, building & construction, home furnishings and  medical sectors.
INDEX brings together the entire nonwovens industry, from raw materials manufacturers to brand owners, from roll goods producers to research institutes. The event provides all sectors of the market with an opportunity to present the very latest market developments and display the sheer diversity and talent which exists within the nonwovens market.
A broad range of participative events will be staged to illustrate and reward the creativity of the industry and to provide opportunities to network with other industry professionals.

Line 4 for PurCotton

Winner Medical Group, based in Shenzhen, China, is to purchase a new spunlace production line for its PurCotton products from an unspecified Chinese machine builder.
This new machine is the fourth dedicated PurCotton products, and will be installed and operated in the company’s subsidiary in Huanggang, and it is expected to start production in the second quarter of 2010.
“The recognition by top-tier clients of the premium quality of our PurCotton products is leading to an increasing market demand,” said Winner CEO Jianquan Li. “Current orders, primarily from our clients in China, the United States and Japan, are approximately 150 tonnes a month, and are expected to increase in the future.
“As we have gained more experience after installing the first two lines, we believe the production capacity of the fourth production line will be much higher than the first or the second production line, though they are similar in nature and all produced in China.
“Our technologically-enhanced fabric offers significant advantages to synthetic nonwoven products, being more eco- friendly, with greater absorbency and higher tensile strength. In addition, our patented advanced automation and design process reduces the average cycle time for production of the finished products.”
Headquartered in ShenzhenWinner  has seven wholly owned manufacturing and distribution facilities, four joint-venture factories and over 5,000 employees. The company engages in the manufacture, sale, research, and development of medical care, wound care and home care products, including PurCotton – a nonwoven fabric made from 100% natural cotton. Winner currently holds 50 patents and patent applications for various products and manufacturing processes and is one of the few Chinese companies licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ship finished, sterilized products directly to the US market.

Fameccanica’s new performance platforms

Leading manufacturer of hygienic disposables machinery Fameccanica, headquartered in Italy, and with manufacturing operations now also in the USA, Brazil and China, has just announced a new machinery line up.
It is based on three technology platforms – Premium, Evolution and Basic – with different machine models available in several pre-arranged setups for each of these.
The new line-up aims to meet the differing needs of a wide range of customers both in terms of the technology and automation levels, and of machine performance and flexibility.
New process units have also been developed to guarantee  high speed performance and process reliability and special solutions are in use to guarantee high flexibility and easy format change through the introduction of new specifically-designed, electronically controlled process units, which allow operators to carry out the main size change operations via a simple software panel.
Finished products with different constructions and distinct features can be manufactured by exploiting the modular nature of the machines, which also allows for future upgrades and expansions.
Specific models are available to meet the needs of single markets, including those in developing countries, and full servo technology, easy installation and start-up and modularity characterise all of the ranges, in addition to efficiencies in the range of 85-95% as was as low as 1-3%.
Full details of the new ranges are featured in Nonwovens Report International Issue 5 2009.

EDANA Reseach Academy call for papers

EDANA has issued a call for papers for the next Nonwovens Research Academy, to be held at the Institute of Technical Textile at RWTH Aachen University in Germany from March 15-16 2010. 
Those interested have until 30 September 30 2009 to submit their abstracts.
Initial abstracts should relate to at least one of the following processes, products or performance-related aspects of nonwovens science and technology, including:
• Polymer science and technology
• Fibre science and technology
• Mechanics of web formation and bonding
• Engineering design of nonwoven fabrics
• Functional fabric finishes and treatments
• Property or process modelling
• Structure-property relationships in nonwoven materials
• Testing and characterisation of nonwoven fabrics
• Methods of nonwoven fabric manufacture and conversion
• Recycling, re-use and sustainability
• Studies of nonwoven fabric properties, performance and function in specific applications (for example in medical, hygiene, automotive and transportation, civil engineering, agriculture, horticulture, clothing, insulation, filtration, composites, domestic products and new applications).
Abstracts must be in English and should be a maximum of half a page in length.  The abstract must include the full paper title, the name and affiliation of all authors with full contact details and e-mail addresses.  In addition, the abstract must provide sufficiently detailed information to effectively communicate the significance and technical content of the paper.  To ensure a valuable session for delegates, and fairness between presenters, no commercial, competitive or marketing presentations will be selected.
The Nonwovens Research Academy (NRA) provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and research results and encourages the development of technical understanding and knowledge which helps to support the future growth of the nonwovens industry. Since its creation in 2005, the NRA rotates between European centres of excellence in nonwovens research.
The 2010 event will also offer dedicated sessions on nanotechnology and sustainability, with a special emphasis on bio-engineering and raw materials from renewable sources, to illustrate the commitment to sustainable practices and efforts by the nonwoven industry.
As in previous years, EDANA is sponsoring a grant for a student working in nonwovens or related fields.  Submissions should be received by November 27 2009, and include a one-page CV, letter of introduction explaining why the student is applying, and a recommendation from one professor. 
Contact: Ihssane Mediari, EDANA. Ihssane.mediari@edana.org).