Germany-based Brückner Trockentechnik GmbH & Co. KG has officially opened its new Tittmoning production facility. Approximately 800 guests attended the opening ceremony. The facility includes a 25,000-square-meter plant and office space.
“Our old factory simply became too small,” said Regina Brückner, CEO, addressing the crowd. “Increased incoming orders and ever-increasing demands on machine sizes and delivery dates were the reason for planning a new plant in 2014. We were not able to start construction until November 2016, as many hurdles in the approval process and with regard to nature conservation had to be overcome in advance. … The possibility of producing components with a height of up to 12 meters and a working width of up to 8.80 meters offers us great potential for the future.”
Switzerland-based Sensient Imaging Technologies has added a local warehousing and distribution center (DC) in Turkey to better service the growing market for its inks. Customers now have direct access to Sensient inks. According to the company, digital printing in Turkey is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 12.5 percent.
“This market development combined with a strong support network in Turkey and the release of new inks in 2018 has resulted in significant growth for Sensient in the region,” said Mike Geraghty, president, Sensient Colors. “As as result, Sensient is reaffirming its commitment to support our partners and customers in Turkey by investing in local warehousing of inks.”
Thermore’s ECODOWN® Fibers have a unique multi-shape structure.
Italy-based Thermore recently introduced ECODOWN® Fibers as a more sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to duck feathers. According to the company, recent surveys suggest that 80-percent of cold weather clothing still is insulated using duck feathers. Thermore reports its Ecodown Fibers — made using 100-percent polyester recycled from bottles — offer the same loft as high quality 90/10 feathers and can be blown into a garment. Tests performed on the man-made product indicate a fill power of more than 600 for a puffy garment and warm feel. Ecodown resists clumping when washed and is durable, according to Thermore.
Israel-based My Size Inc. reports it has been issued a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) — U.S. Patent 10,004,429, titled “Method and system for measuring a path length using a handheld electronic device.” The patent applies to the technology that runs the company’s suite of smart mobile measurement tools including MySizeID™, BoxSizeID™, SizeUp™ and QSize™, among other technologies.
My Size Inc.’s QSize™ is among the technology covered by a patent recently granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
“We are pleased to have been issued this patent from the USPTO which adds another layer of intellectual property protection to our smartphone measurement solutions in the United States,” said My Size CEO Ronen Luzon. “As multiple industries including retail, parcel, and DIY continue to seek out technology solutions to help improve their bottom line, it is crucial for us to secure the competitive advantage that our innovative solutions bring to the market.”
Germany-based Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH has added a 280-inch-wide machine to its line of HKS 3-M tricot machines. The machine joins the 186-inch-wide and 218-inch wide HKS 3-M versions as the widest tricot machine offered by the company. The new wide-width machine offers the same features as the other 3-M versions, and is designed for a variety of end-uses including car interiors, furniture, sportwear, coating substrates and advertising media. Fabrics produced on the machine must be wound on the new batching unit 51A, which winds the fabric on friction rollers driven by the fabric take-up unit. The unit can be equipped with the KAMCOS® 2 computer platform, the LEO® Low Energy Option and a camera system for monitoring above or below the fabric.
Switzerland-based Uster Technologies AG has introduced the USTER® TENSOJET 5 for measuring yarn strength as well as predicting yarn performance in downstream processes. The technology may be integrated with Uster’s Total Testing Center for ultimate process control and data management.
Uster Tensojet 5 operates at speeds of 400 meters per minute, which simulates the dynamic stress placed on yarn during the weaving process. The testing speed can give an accurate forecast of how the yarn will behave in future processing and predicts weavability. The tester is capable of performing 30,000 tests per hour, and all data is compatible with Uster Statistics. Graphic tools are available to show significant information at a glance.
When connected to Uster TESTER 6, the user may benefit from intelligent alarms as
well as smart reports showing evenness and tensile test data in the Total Testing Center.
The Total Testing Center can assign objective grades to the yarns — ranked on a scale from 1 to 5 Qs — to quantify downstream weaving performance. The grades are based on data from the Uster Tensojet 5 and yarn quality data from Uster QUANTUM 3 yarn clearers. According to Uster, the Tensojet 5 can be a key element in a spinning mill’s profitability.
Austria-based Andritz Group reports it has acquired a 70-percent stake in Diatec S.r.l., Italy. The remaining 30 percent will remain in the hands of the two current shareholding families. Diatec produces a range of converting machinery for diapers and absorbent hygiene products as well as food packaging. Andritz reports that acquisition complements its nonwovens portfolio and allows the company to offer equipment along the supply chain from raw material to webforming, finishing and converting.
In related company news, Andritz AG is set to acquire Youngsville, N.C.-based Xerium Technologies Inc. — a producer of machine clothing and roll covers — for $13.50 per share in an all-cash transaction, which is expected to close during the second half of 2018. Completion of the transaction is subject to approval by Xerium’s stockholders, regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.
Israel-based Albaad recently installed equipment from Trützschler Nonwovens and Voith, both based in Germany. Albaad will use the companies’ wet-laid/spunlace (WLS) technology to produce wet-laid and hydroentangled nonwovens using 100-percent cellulose. The WLM1 line runs at more than 200 meters per minute.
Voith and Trützschler Nonwovens collaborated on the project. The line features a Voith HydroFormer. Trützschler supplied its AquaJet web bonding technology and Streamliner dryer. Voith’s MCB drying system is used in a second drying step. Voith also contributed the process and quality control systems to measure all relevant production parameters. According to the companies, the line may be used to produce flushable wipes that will disintegrate very quickly in moving water, but maintain high strength when wet.
“The installation and start-up of the machine went very well,” said Gadi Choresh, plant manager, Albaad in Dimona, Israel. “With their professionalism and high level of commitment, the team has ensured the success of the project.”
ELS used SAERTEX multiCom® LP, Milliken products to fully rehabilitate aging sewer pipes at Milliken Chemical’s Dewey plant.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Last summer, Jacksonville, Fla.-based Engineered Lining Systems (ELS) completed a renovation of high density polyethylene (HDPE) sewer pipes at Milliken Chemical’s Dewey plant in Inman, S.C. The plant — in operation since 1969 manufacturing textile chemicals, colorants and other specialty compounds — features a series of sewers for collecting and directing waste chemicals for treatment and processing. In 2000, Milliken installed HDPE pipes to repair many of the older sewer lines, but the high temperature waste entering the pipes and manhole liners causes continual expansion and contraction of the pipes, which was beginning to raise environmental concerns.
Folded SAERTEX- LINER® after it was pulled into the pipe
SAERTEX-LINER®, an ultraviolet (UV) curable glass reinforced plastic (GRP) stitch bonded liner fabric manufactured by Huntersville, N.C.-based SAERTEX multiCom® LP, a division of Germany-based SAERTEX GmbH & Co. KG, was chosen for the rehabilitation project.
SAERTEX-LINER may be impregnated with a polyester or vinyl ester resin prior to delivery. There is no need for on-site use of chemicals, and the product may be cured using UV light, eliminating the need for any steam or hot water during the installation process. The resin impregnated liner is pulled into the pipes using a winch, expanded with air to keep it open and then cured using a light train equipped with UV lightbulbs. It’s a low-risk installation process that allows the pipes to quickly return to service, according to Mark R. Hallett, general manager, SAERTEX multiCom LP.
Finished UV-cured liner
One of the product’s major benefits is its high strength. “There are many types of liners out there, but some of the less strong liners in the marketplace test between 150,000 to 350,000 psi,” Hallett said. “The SAERTEX-LINER has an e-modulus of 1.78 million psi. It’s a very high strength and stable — exhibiting no expansion or contraction — thin profile structural liner.”
In addition, the environmentally safe SAERTEX-LINER has a useful life of more than 70 years. “The products are tested for 10,000 hours and 20,000 hours, and using this data, we can extrapolate the useful life to estimate how long the product will last,” Hallett said. “Our studies concluded the average technical service life of the liner is upwards of 70 years.”
Manholes were repaired using Milliken’s GeoSpray®, a high-performance fiber reinforced geopolymer mortar.
At the Dewey plant, ELS initially lined two 12-inch pipes approximately 300 feet in length with the SAERTEX UV cured GRP liner. Additionally, Milliken’s GeoSpray® system — a high-performance fiber reinforced geopolymer mortar — was sprayed in one manhole to effectively seal the system. Once the two products were in place, the installation was inspected to make sure the system was functioning effectively. Then, the remaining sections of the sewer system were rehabbed. ELS completed the project — repairing more than 1,700 linear feet of 12- to 36-inch-wide HDPE pipe, and cleaning 19 manholes that were then sprayed with GeoSpray — in 45 days. During the installation, no plant shut down was required and the Dewey facility was able to maintain full production levels.
“The ELS field team successfully tackled the logistic challenges of this project and managed to finish ahead of schedule,” said James Macko, ELS production manager. “Our crews went above and beyond working closely with personnel to ensure the plant was not shutdown during the entirety of the project.”
CONTACTS: For more information about the installation, contact Nancy Freeman, +904-759-3860, nfreeman@engineeredlining.com, engineeredlining.com
For more information about SAERTEX-LINER®, contact SAERTEX multiCom® LP, +704-584-4059, multicom@saertex.com, saertex-multicom.de/en
Effective July 1, Germany-based Saertex has transferred operational management to the Saertex Global Executive Board and named Christoph Geyer CEO. Dr. Guido Kritzler, CFO, and Dietmar Möcke, chief technology officer, are the other members of the board.
Nike Inc., Beaverton, Ore., has named Noel Kinder vice president, chief sustainability officer (CSO), effective September 5. Current CSO, Hannah Jones, has been named president of Nike Valiant Labs, an in-house new business model incubator.
Los Angeles-based Tukatech has appointed Chris Walia COO.
Under Armour Inc., Baltimore, has named Jason Archer managing director, Asia Pacific; Manual Ovalle managing director, Latin America; Massimo Baratto managing director, Europe, Middle East and Africa; and Jason LaRose president, North America. All report directly to Patrik Frisk, president and COO.
Alfred Chang was appointed president of Anaheim, Calif.-based PacSun.
Augustine Tantillo, president and CEO, National Council of Textile Organizations, recently was awarded the Chapman Award by the Southern Textile Association for his exemplary service to the textile industry. The award is named for James A. Chapman Sr., James A. Chapman Jr. and Joseph W. Chapman of Inman Mills.
Brussels-based EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has elected the following people to its 2018-19 Board of Governors effective July 1: Chairman Martin Rapp, Glatfelter; Vice Chair Mikael Staal Axelson, Fibertex; Vice Chair Nina Kopola, Suominen; Treasurer Paul Evers, Unilever; Martin Langley, Bostik; Ulrich Hornfeck, Sandler; Dominiek Tytgat, Ontex; Patricia Featherstone, RKW; Frantisek Klaska, Pegas; and Wolfgang Plasser, Lenzing.
Bentley Park was named CEO of Research Triangle Park, N.C.-based APJeT®. He replaced John Emrich who is retiring, but will remain on the company’s board of directors.
