r Futuristic Finishing
Culp, BBA Nonwovens and Fleissner partner to enhance finished home furnishings
fabrics. Culp Finishing in Burlington, N.C., a segment of High Point, N.C.-based Culp
Inc., the well-known manufacturer of upholstery and mattress fabrics, is approaching finishing from
a different perspective these days. Unlike traditional finishing methods, the companys new
Aqua-Lok® process is not predicated on adding chemicals and compounds to fabric as it is prepared
for shipment to home furnishings customers.Until now, everything weve done to enhance properties of
finished fabric for the past 20 years has actually decreased fabric life, said Michael D. Messer,
division vice president of manufacturing, Culp Decorative Fabrics. With Aqua-Lok, we are actually
increasing fabric life, durability and abrasion resistance, while providing the properties that
customers and consumers want.Those properties include superior hand, aesthetics, durability, value
and environmental friendliness, he said.Traditional finishing processes for home furnishings
fabrics include application of chemicals, particularly latex, to enhance properties, especially
abrasion resistance. Those chemicals, however, actually decrease fabric life and performance,
prohibit recycling and create considerable expense in wastewater treatment. Durability And
SoftnessThis is a big move for us, said Robert Culp, chairman and CEO, Culp Inc. We have a huge
investment in latex here. But latex is not friendly to what we do and what our customers want. We
can now give them all the benefits of traditionally finished fabric and then some without the use
of chemicals. Primary end-uses for Culps finished fabrics are in contract furniture, consumer home
furnishings and mattress ticking. 

The real key today is softness, Culp said. Customers look for a soft hand before anything
else, and softness in upholstery fabric has a certain look. Used to be, if someone was shopping for
furniture and they saw a color they liked, they would go up and feel the fabric. Now, if it doesnt
look soft, youve lost their attention.In addition, Aqua-Lok significantly enhances dura-bility,
according to Jerry Owens, division vice president, product development, Culp Decorative Fabrics.
There are wear-dated tests that Aqua-Lok fabrics pass that fabrics coated with latex cant come
close to, he said. In addition, aftermarket treatments applied to improve stain resistance and
other properties generally degrade a latex coating, but they have no effect on Aqua-Lok
fabrics. The Culp/BBA ConnectionCulps Aqua-Lok is a hydroenhancement process licensed from BBA
Nonwovens, Simpsonville, S.C. BBAs Interspun® Division first commercialized the concept in 1995.
Logistics essentially economies of scale prompted the company to seek a partner for its
implementation, rather than be the exclusive provider. Negotiations began with Culp after ITMA 99,
the result of which is that Culp is currently the exclusive licensee of this technology, Owens
said. The basic process, according to Frank E. Malaney, business unit manager for BBAs Fabric
Enhancement Group, entails impinging high-pressure water onto a woven or knit fabric, thereby
changing its structure and the properties of the fabric. Fabric TransformationWhat seems like
a very simple process is, in fact, rather complex, Malaney said. BBAs Interspun process, upon which
Culps Aqua-Lok is based, involves the impingement of a fabric, while supported on a solid or
pervious surface, with very fine, high-velocity and discreet water jets in the form of a curtain.
The energy imparted causes the cloth to bulk and blossom and individual fibers to be entangled.
This entanglement takes place at crossover points between the warp and the weft, within the yarns,
and in the interstices between yarns. The amount of entangling and bonding is directly related to
the energy imparted to the cloth and to the nature of the fabric.Determining factors of the
enhancement effect, according to Malaney, are the jet density and diameter, distance between jets,
energy imparted, structure of the support and the distance of the jet orifice from the support
structure.Aqua-Lok and Interspun processes cause a number of things to happen to fabric during
finishing. Yarns are displaced and uniformly redistributed in the fabric. Individual yarns are
bloomed and then re-entangled. A bonding effect takes place at the crossover points of the warp and
filling yarns and between adjacent warp and/or filling yarns. Most of the tensions are removed from
the cloth, inhibiting torquing and edge curling. The last side of the cloth facing the support belt
can have a soft, sueded hand. Patterning can be imported into the fabric. 

The results of this processing are very profound in regard to the measurable physical
properties of the cloth, Malaney said. Depending upon the fabric and the process parameters used,
fabric will exhibit many enhancements in properties. The fabric is made more uniform, and edge-fray
resistance is improved. Abrasion resistance improves by up to 150 percent, and pilling resistance
is also improved. The fabric is bulked as much as 50 percent and has greater cover. Pore size can
be reduced. Cotton fabrics absorb dyes and develop color as if they were mercerized. Air
permeability is lowered by as much as 80 percent in spun fabrics, Malaney said. In filament
fabrics, air permeability can sometimes be increased. Seam slippage is improved substantially.
Fabric torque is also reduced. Reed marks are eliminated in a number of cases. Surface durability
is improved, and a soft, suede-like hand can be achieved. The fabric is much cleaner, and latex
coating of fabrics can be reduced or eliminated.The fabric is transported on a solid or pervious
surface, usually a tightly constructed metal or plastic woven screen. Perpendicular to the line of
travel are a number of manifolds that contain high-density jet strips from which curtains of very
high-velocity water emanate at up to 130 bar. The water impacts the fabric and causes displacement
and entanglement. The fabric can be impacted on one side or both sides. The pervious screen can be
transported either on a flat or curved surface. The process uses only water to achieve finishing
results. The water must be free of any particulate matter that would block a jet hole, which could
cause disruption of water flow and create a defective fabric.Each fabric has different process
parameters, depending upon final properties desired, Malaney said. Undoubtedly, this is a
tremendous process, said Howard L. Dunn Jr., president and chief operating officer, Culp Inc. But
we certainly still have a lot to learn about it. It is certainly not a process that can be applied
to off-the-shelf products. You have to engineer products to fit the process.Malaney agreed, saying,
Merely impacting a cloth with high-energy water will generally not provide an acceptable fabric.
One must understand the finished fabric properties required and the interaction between fabric
construction and the hydroenhancement process variables. Only then can the appropriate process
conditions be set. Once that specificity has been determined, however, it is not difficult to
control the process.  Working The ProcessCulp has had the process and machinery in place since
July 2000. The line is currently running between 70,000 and 100,000 yards per week. Projected
capacity is in excess of 340,000 yards. The company has developed several lines of Aqua-Lok
upholstery and mattress fabrics that were introduced in the fall markets.We had a limited
introduction at that time, Dunn said. Obviously, we had not been running for a very long time. At
markets this spring, we plan to introduce a much broader line of Aqua-Lok products. Weve initially
created interest in the contract and mattress-ticking market segments. We will build on
that.Currently, Dunn said, Culp has found the Aqua-Lok process improves the properties of all
fabric types, except for pile fabrics. As we continue our research and development efforts, I am
certain that we will engineer processes by which pile fabrics can be enhanced. For the moment,
though, we are concentrating on developing the markets for the products we already have
available.Potential future applications include vertical surface coverings, development of Aqua-Lok
pile fabrics and continued enhancement of ticking and other offerings. Culp said the process has
the potential to make a substantial impact on most home furnishings segments.Soft is everything in
home furnishings, said Dunn. This process gives both the contract and consumer markets the effects
and properties they want. In the past, we added softness and strength by washing and tumble-drying
and then adding a latex backing. High energy consumption, slow through-put and chemically treated
water were by-products of the old process. These processes which are the standard in the industry
today create products that are structurally weaker and cannot be recycled. The Aqua-Lok process,
since it uses only water, is much more environmentally friendly. In addition, we are able to
recapture, filter and recirculate more than 90 percent of the water we use in the process. A big
advantage to this process, Owens said, is that it is an environmentally friendly process and
creates an environmentally friendly product. This is a big issue today, especially within the
contract and commercial segment. They want to be sustainable to be able to recycle. Before, you
couldnt provide a recyclable fabric at a competitive cost. You either used latex, which is not
recyclable, or you added picks, which is not cost-effective. Now we can provide fabrics that are
environmentally friendly, of superior quality and at competitive prices. It is a win-win situation
for everyone. Fleissner’s AquaTexGermany-based Fleissner GmbH is the sole manufacturer of
machinery for BBAs Interspun technology, including Culps Aqua-Lok. Fleissners AquaTex line of
machinery is a derivative of the AquaJet offering which has enjoyed wide acceptance for nonwovens
finishing.In 1995, we introduced the AquaJet for nonwovens applications, said Don Gillespie, vice
president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Fleissner Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Fleissner GmbH. The
AquaTex is a design derivative based on the AquaJet. We designed a machine specifically for the BBA
Interspun process.In addition to the new Fleissner line, Culp Finishing also uses traditional
finishing ranges from Kenyon, ProctorandSchwartz and Babcock. The plant processes fabrics made from
polyester, rayon, acrylic, cotton, nylon, olefin and blends. The plant also has three Fehrer NL-21
needle looms. The Many Faces Of Culp Inc.Culp Inc. is organized into three divisions: Culp
Decorative Fabrics, of which the finishing facility is a part; Culp Velvets/Prints Division; and
Culp Yarn Division. Ticking and upholstery fabrics finished in Burlington are woven on Dornier
looms at plants in Graham, N.C., and Pageland, S.C.The company was founded in 1972 by R.G. Culp
Jr., the late father of the current chairman and CEO. Originally called R.G. Culp and Associates
Inc., the company changed its name to Culp Inc. in 1980. Beginning as a converter of upholstery
fabrics to supply small and medium-sized furniture manufacturers, the company has grown into a
major manufacturer and marketer of fabrics for the furniture, bedding, recreational and
institutional furnishings markets. In the 1990s, Culp Inc. added to the existing facilities in
North Carolina and South Carolina by acquiring manufacturing operations in Tennessee, Pennsylvania,
Alabama and Quebec. In addition, according to Culp, the company has made a major commitment to
global expansion. Culp Inc. is aggressively seeking out worldwide business opportunities including
acquisitions, joint ventures and sourcing of raw materials, he said. A publicly traded company,
Culp has nearly 4,000 employees, and annual sales of $488.1 million in fiscal 2000. 

Seated (left to right): Robert Culp, chairman and CEO, and Howard Dunn, president and COO,
Culp, Inc. Standing (left to right): Jerry Owens, Culp; Michael Messer, Culp; Manfred Hueneke, BBA
Nonwovens; Jurgen Heller, Fleissner; Don Gillespe, Fleissner; and Frank Malaney, BBA Nonwovens.

January 2001

Air ConditioningBy Edward J. Elliott, Consulting Editor How To Put Conditions On The MoneyNational Textiles’ engineered system monitors and controls temperature and humidity in its yarn plants. At the risk of sounding simplistic, there are three possible ambient conditions that can prevail within a yarn mill: It can be too wet, too dry or just right. The “just right” condition means that the grains of moisture in the air surrounding the fiber/yarn is reflected by the proper temperature and humidity.National Textiles LLC has adopted the Duke Solutions (Techtrol) engineered system to monitor and control the temperature and humidity in the yarn mills of the Sanford (N.C.) and Gastonia (N.C.) Plants.

Ring-spinning machines at National’s Gastonia (N.C.) plant produce more consisten quality yarn after installation of the company’s new moisture monitoring and control system. At Sanford, Rick Jones, plant manager, says this modern open-end spinning plant uses 100% cotton and 50-50 polyester-cotton blends. He and Charles Branch, plant engineer, explained to TEXTILE WORLD during a recent visit that control of air quality in the mill is critical in producing the high-quality open-end yarn this plant is famous for. They cited that in earlier days, one or two air conditioning technicians stayed busy attempting to measure room humidity and temperature by checking chart recorders and/or making manual sling-psychrometer readings.Out-of-spec readings required manual adjustment of air dampers and/or chiller water flow. This activity was often time-consuming and prevented the technicians from attending to other tasks. Recognizing that temperature and humidity were the two most critical factors, the Sanford Plant contracted with Duke-Techtrol to study, design and install the computer, sensors and software to achieve better control. As Jones says, “We immediately saw a dramatic leveling-out of room conditions. There was far less variance in room conditions with the computer-engineered system.” The lesser variance from set-points means that when any slight deviation occurred, the sensor/computer system had less variance to adjust. Thus correction was made in minimal time, resulting in maintenance of a uniform ambient condition. Besides contributing to yarn quality, this control mode relieved the air conditioning technicians from the mundane tasks of peering at charts and twisting and turning valves.During TWs visit, Jones said that the plant was in the midst of replacing the 55 Schlafhorst Model SE-8 frames with 16 Model ACO 312 machines with SE-11 spin boxes. National has been pleased with the ability of the Duke-Techtrol system to function seamlessly in spite of the disruption of room conditions that normally occurs with removing and installing machinery.Open-end spinning needs quality air because the air is “drawn-into” the almost totally enclosed spinning machine. Quality air affords quality yarn without the serious problems of “lap-ups” which can cause thick places in the yarn. Since the Sanford Plant uses a single room to house opening, carding, drawing and spinning, the plant selects a single set-point for room humidity/temperature control, thus all the plant air is conditioned to the same set-point. Jones recognizes that there might be a slight advantage if different set-points were used for each separate operation, but the single room (without barriers) dictates that management select the optimum control points for all the manufacturing operations.At Sanford, Techtrol manipulates signals to three Trane chillers (800- ,800- and 1,100-ton) and/or dampers to outside air flow. The computer calculates (via an algorithm) the outside air temperature, percent relative humidty and room conditions and allows the most efficient control mode to be actuated. It is always preferable to use outside air for cooling when possible. In the “old days”, the damper settings were often “locked-in” for an entire day, regardless if the night-time outside air temperatures were lower than daytime values. As can be seen, chilled water was used almost all day longwhether needed or notwith resultant excess electric energy demands. The Duke-Techtrol system allows maximum efficiency of air quality with associated efficiency in energy usage.At the Gastonia Plant, Steve Cagle, plant manager and Tim Waters, plant engineer, buttressed the experiences of the Sanford Plant. Here, Duke-Techtrol controls the room conditions for the 30 Toyota RX 240 SF ring-spinning machines, running only 100% cotton fiber. Cagle anticipates the plant will pursue controls for the opening, carding and drawing stages based on the good results from the system in spinning and winding. In ring spinning, room air surrounds the entire spinning machine, where the fiber/yarn is exposed to the ambient air. Air movement depends on natural convection within the room. There is no mechanical “push” to the air surrounding the machines. At times this air flow may be laminar, thus air quality conditions are important, and uniformity of air quality is critical. Proper air control results in less fiber friction, resulting in less fiber damage and less lint in the room air. This, of course, prevents lint being entwined into the yarn, making a more attractive environment for employees.Gastonia’s two Carrier chillers (450 ton each) are able to maintain the spinning/winding room conditions of temperature and humidity without any interruptions. At this plant, the system has proven the advantages of a computer checking parameters many times per minute and sending correction signals to the chillers or air washers. One of the visible characteristics of the smooth control is the level electrical consumption which now avoids peaks and valleys (swings) common with manual control of chillers during varying outside temperature/ humidity conditions. Previously, air conditioning technicians would tune to radio/TV weather forecasts to be prepared to visit the plant when a rain storm (usually at night) was expected because there would be a need to manually adjust chiller/air-washer settings.

Open-end spinning machines at National Textiles’ Sanford (N.C.) plant now operate on a much more even keel since installation of new temperature and humidity monitoring control systemAs in Sanford, this plant has a modem wired to Duke-Techtrol 24 hr/day, seven days/wk, so either party can monitor room conditions at any time. In fact, National has installed Explorer software for Internet connection from management’s corporate offices, staff’s home or from any telephone access site. The ease of access to current data within the plant has afforded National the opportunity to assure that yarn quality is consistent and uniform.These two plants (an OE and a ring spinning), including Sanford going through a major spinning machine installation, and each plant’s ability to control and maintain the exact room conditions required for the efficient production of quality yarns is vivid evidence of the significant advantages of a properly designed/ engineered/installed humidity and temperature control system.November 2001

WILMINGTON, Del., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ — DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers announces a 5
cent per pound increase in the price for all grades of Elvanol(R) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVOH)
effective Feb. 1, 2001. This increase applies to all market segments, worldwide. DuPont cites
continued, unprecedented increases in key petrochemical raw material and energy costs as the reason
for the price increase. DuPont(TM) Elvanol(R) polyvinyl alcohol (PVA/PVOH) is used in a variety of
industries including textiles, paper and adhesives. Elvanol(R) is a registered trademark of
DuPont.SOURCE DuPont Packaging and Industrial Polymers Copyright 2001 PR Newswire

WEST POINT, Ga., Jan. 5 /PR Newswire/ — WestPoint Stevens Inc. (NYSE:
WXS)(http://www.westpointstevens.com announced that it has completed the previously announced
purchase of the assets and business operations of the Chatham Consumer Products division of CMI
Industries, Inc. The closing of the transaction occurred today. “We’re delighted to acquire Chatham
because it strengthens West Point Stevens as a major resource in blankets, which is a key category
in home fashions accessories,” said David C. Meek, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial
Officer for the Company. “For WestPoint, this takes on added importance because of our expanded
licensing agreement with Ralph Lauren and our new licensing agreement with Disney.” The Chatham
Consumer Products division of CMI Industries, located inElkin, North Carolina, is a leading
manufacturer and wholesaler of woven and nonwoven blankets with estimated annual sales of $35
million. Chatham’scustomer base is diversified among mass merchants, department and specialty
stores. The Chatham acquisition is reflective of WestPoint Stevens’ Eight-PointProgram in action.
Major focuses of the program, which the Company announced last June, include continued expansion of
product offerings and extensiveexploration of new licensing opportunities. WestPoint Stevens can be
found on the World Wide Web athttp://www.westpointstevens.com . Safe Harbor Statement: Except for
historical information contained herein, certain matters set forth in this press release are
“forward lookingstatements” within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. Such forward looking statements involve certain risks anduncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Such risks and
uncertainties may beattributable to important factors that include but are not limited to the
following: Product margins may vary from those projected; Raw material pricesmay vary from those
assumed; Additional reserves may be required for bad debts, returns, allowances, governmental
compliance costs, or litigation;There may be changes in the performance of financial markers or
fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; Unanticipated natural disasters could havea
material impact upon results of operations; There may be changes in the general economic conditions
that affect customer practices or consumer spending; Competition for retail and wholesale
customers, pricing and transportation of products may vary from time to time due to seasonal
variations or otherwise; Customer preferences for our products can be affected by competition, or
general market demand for domestic or imported goods or the quantity, quality, price or delivery
time of such goods; There could be an unanticipated loss of a material customer or a material
license; The availability and price of raw materials could be affected by weather, disease,energy
costs or other factors. The Company assumes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. SOURCE WestPoint
Stevens Inc.Web Site: http://www.westpointstevens.com Copyright 2000 PR Newswire

Software ShowcaseBy Cosby W. Woodruff, Assistant Editor Software Suppliers Color formulation, Formulation-Master 2001, is an upgrade to Plastic-Master, Paint-Master, Ink-Master and QA-Master 2000 products for color formulation and quality assurances for coating and textiles. Features include on-screen color, networking and multiple math engines. Users can view realistic on-screen color representations, and new networking capabilities give multiple users access to a single set of calibration data and standards. X-Rite.www.x-rite.com Experiment design, Design-Ease, is an entry-level statistical software package that helps experimenters improve products and processes. Package features intuitive interface, expanded help system, variety of designs, flexibility to modify designs, graphics to simplify interpretations and evaluation capabilities. Stat-Ease.info@statease.com Design plug-in, SymmetryWorks, is for use with Adobe Illustrator software. Plug-in modules automate creation of symmetry-based designs for illustrations, wallpaper, fabrics, quilting, tilings, Web pages and other images. Plug-in features integrated live patterns and allows users to edit elements of the seed pattern with Illustrator tools. Artlandia.www.artlandia.com Illustration application, Canvas 8, integrates photo editing, page layout, presentation and Web graphics capabilities. Scripting image allows software to automate functions from downloading files from the Internet to preparing large numbers of files for printing. Software includes image-editing features and filters for textures, vector symbols, hatches and gradients. Available in Windows, Mac OS X and OS 9 versions. Deneba Software.curtis@deneba.com Texture mapping, Vision Easy Map 2.0, gives photo-realistic renderings of designs, colors, surfaces, textures and patterns. Used in Windows platform, software offers upgraded fabric and color editing and higher speeds. Presentation enables viewer to drag and drop color or fabrics onto products without any previous texture mapping experience. NedGraphics.www.idvision.com Image analysis, AxioVision Autofocus, provides documentation of microscopic examinations for material analysis and quality inspection. Software optimizes user microscopes and digital camera settings to take sharp and clear images. Software operates with reflected, transmitted and indirect light. Zeiss.www.zeiss.com/microOctober 2001

ATLANTA, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of OxfordIndustries, Inc. (NYSE: OXM) today
declared a cash dividend of $.21 per share on Common Stock payable March 3, 2001 to stockholders of
record onFebruary 15, 2001. This is the 163rd consecutive quarterly cash dividendsince Oxford
became publicly-owned in 1960. The Board of Directors also issued a new stock repurchase
authorization for up to 1,000,000 shares of the company’s common stock. In accordance with the
authorization, the company expects to repurchase its shares from time to time in privately
negotiated and open market transactions. As of January 8,2001, the company had 468,227 shares
remaining in its previous 1,000,000 share authorization announced in April, 1999.
Safe Harbor Statement. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements with
respect to anticipated future results, which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. These risks and uncertainties
include,but are not limited to, general economic and apparel business conditions,continued retailer
and consumer acceptance of company products, and global manufacturing costs.SOURCE Oxford
Industries, Inc.Copyright 2001 PR Newswire

FIBERBUYS.COM OFFERS NEW FEATUREFiberBuys.com announced it now offers a supplier contact feature for all products facilitating quicker, easier communication between buyers and sellers via e-mail. The feature allows buyers that have a question about a specific product to contact suppliers directly, eliminating time spent making subsequent phone calls and faxes. A clearinghouse for surplus fiber, FiberBuys.com recently partnered with Martin Color-Fi and Wellman, presenting the need to streamline communication between buyers and sellers. To utilize the supplier contact feature, customers simply log on to the FiberBuys.com Web site, click on the envelope-shaped icon adjacent to the specific product and type their question or concern in the text space provided. An e-mail is sent directly to the supplier of the designated product, enabling customers to inquire about quantity, product features and even the price of a particular product.”FiberBuys new supplier contact feature allows us to better serve our customers,” stated Patricia Liskoff, director of operations for FiberBuys.com. “By enhancing our communication capabilities, we are able to facilitate quicker, more complete service with a level of personal attention that often times is a challenge with online transactions. The supplier contact feature gives us the ability to find out what our buyers really want and to get it to them in the most efficient, effective manner.”November 2001

Chemical TreatmentandFinishingBy William C. Smith, Consulting Editor Laminate Faster, More CompetitiveNew flat-bed laminating system uses special techniques to provide uniform bond strengths at much faster speeds. 

Fabrics bonded to foam have been used for many years for a variety of consumer and industrial applications to achieve bulk, soft hand, sound dampening and the like. A favorite method of bonding such fabrics has been flame laminating whereby polyester foam is passed by a flame, which literally melts the surface of the foam and a fabric immediately laid onto the melted foam and combined by pressure at the laminators nip roll. The melted foam acts as an adhesive for bonding the fabric to the foam for subsequent processing. A second pass may laminate the same or a different material on the opposite side, depending on the needs of the target end use. The process is fast, efficient and doesnt require an oven. But it has major drawbacks: The burning/melting foam produces heavy smoke and toxic fumes such as hydrogen chloride and/or cyanides which must be properly handled with ventilation and incineration or other pollution abatement equipment. Many places have banned or severely restricted further installations of flame laminating, and those in place have been forced to install expensive treatment equipment.Many other laminating systems use solvent-based adhesives, often to create a vinyl or urethane film-fabric-film sandwich, in the case of tarpaulin or signage fabrics, or two fabrics combined with an adhesive in the middle, such as for convertible tops. These solvent systems must also have the abatement equipment to handle the off-gases and by-products. Aqueous systems are available, and are successful for some applications, but for many others, they have inadequate performance properties of the laminates for the specified application or require more expensive processing techniques. New processes have been developed aimed at replacing flame laminating and solvent processing. They include the use of hot-melt adhesives, adhesive films and other non-solvent, environmentally friendly systems. These accomplish the task in many applications, but also have limitations. Slower line speeds are required for most systems, and uniform bond strength is often a problem.A new contender is on the horizon: flat-bed laminatingnot conventional flat-bed laminating, used successfully in many garment applications, but a newly developed flat-bed laminating system using special techniques that provide uniform bond strengths and speeds approaching those of flame laminating. It is more attractive economically than most systems now in use and can be competitive with flame bonding. Using separate heating and cooling chambers and a top and bottom belt transport system, with even pressure and heat through the oven, are some of the techniques that allow production at a comfortable speed of 30 mpm, up to three times the normal speed of in-place flat-bed laminators. Though flame laminating can approach 40 mpm, aside from the pollution problem, there are limitations on the types of foam or other substrates it can use. Among other things, they must be meltable. The new Bondtex flat bed laminating system can use many types of substrates, including the less expensive polyurethane or ether-based foam materials. Glenro Inc., a long-time leading supplier of process heating engineering and equipment, ovens and after-treatment equipment, fume oxidizers and now flat-bed laminating systems, acquired the Bondtex technology in the first quarter of 2001 from Textile SystemsandSupply of Los Angeles. Nick Pourmand, the Bondtex developer, has joined Glenro, designing laminating systems and working with customers on trial runs and developing specific techniques based on the end use.

A full-scale demonstration line in Los Angeles enables customers to evaluate the new laminating system first hand.Jim Alimena, Glenro marketing manager, says the acquisition of Bondtex laminating technology provides the company a way to expand its offering to textile companies trying to add value to its products. “Many potential users of this laminating technology are already using (our) infrared and hot-air heat processing equipment. Many laminating lines require an infrared preheater to prepare the fabric for lamination. (We have) been applying infrared to fabric webs for over four decades.”Pourmand tried to work with flat bed laminating 11 years ago, importing a state-of-the-art machine to use powder bonding for textiles, leather and vinyl materials, but found it wonting. The heat and pressure was “just not right,” and he couldnt get the bonding he needed. So the machine was sent back. After 3-4 years more of working with other suppliers and trying to improve the process, he finally “found a solution.” A first step was to improve laminate bonding by heating the materials to be bonded prior to going through the oven in the transport belt. Time through the oven was too short, so he added continuous pressure to the material as it goes through the oven. But uneven heating was a concern. Pourmand found full-width top and bottom belts and multizone heating provided the uniform heating needed. But after heating and bonding, the materials have to be cooled. Most systems use a single transport belt, with a cooling section at the end, but still within the oven, thus, causing the heating and cooling cycles to “fight or compete,” resulting in having to run at slower speeds to properly bond and cool the combined materials. Thus the transport belt is heated then cooled, then heated, etc. The laminate in the Bondtex system is cooled in a separate section with an independent conveyor system. Since the same belt is not used for both heating and cooling, line speeds can be increased because the belt in the heating section does not have to be constantly brought back up to temperature. By placing the cooling unit outside the oven, with its own transport belts, speeds could be increased.Pourmand still needed more heat to further increase speeds. “One cant just increase the length of the heating chamber,” he says. “Its not cost effective.” Using infrared heaters on the substrate(s) before going into the heating was the solution. The flatbed oven doesnt have to do the melting of the adhesive used (web, film or other types) but only bonding. The infrared preheaters soften the adhesives and the two materials being bonded.

This diagram shows the components of the new flat-bed laminating system.“The primary purpose of the IR,” he says, “is to get the BTUs where you want themin the centerto heat up the surface of the substrates for introduction of adhesives.” A major reason of the success of the system is the unique use of IR technology, a Glenro specialty. Nip rolls are no longer needed in the system. Applying adjustable pressure control to the laminate, in the oven, with pneumatic cylinders on the top belt, is another key to good bonding. Others, says Pourmand, use floating flatbeds. Multizone heaters avoid edge loss. And, of course, extensive computer controls are an important key to accurate and reliable reproducibility. Each products parameters can be programmed into the computer and each run will be “exactly the same” as the previous ones.”Every good technology in the field has previously come from Europe,” says Pourmand. The Bondtex system is the only high-speed, high-end system developed and made in the U.S.Thomas Van Denend, product manager, Lamination, says, “The Bondtex system is high-performance bonding in a compact, clean process.” He points out a host of adhesives can be used, “just about anything” can be bonded. Dry adhesives store in powder, film or web form. There are no liquids involved, few regulatory concerns, little or no clean-up, quick turn-around times and often no venting requirements.Van Denend says Glenro is more solution driven rather than hardware driven. Theres a full-scale demonstration line in Los Angeles for customer evaluation. A small line at Glenros headquarters in Paterson, N.J., is being upgraded so customers can work directly with Glenro on the East Coast to run samples. EMS-Chemie, Sumter, S.C., an adhesives manufacturer, has a small lab type evaluation machine for its own trials as well as use by potential customers for trying their own products in the development process (EMS says they did blind testing and found the Bondtex machine to be the most versatile and superior in many processing areas). Glenro works with several major adhesive manufacturers to develop techniques for using their materials on the Bondtex line. The cost of “about a half million dollars” is competitive with other systems, especially considering no venting, pollution handling, regulatory or special adhesive storage problems are involved. Widths to 87 in. are available.Applications for fabrics from this system include automotive interior materials (long a critical and demanding end use for headliners and trim), medical fabric and film combinations, intimate apparel (fabric-foam-fabric combinations for bra molding, for instance), upholstery, aerospace (panel lamination for interiors of aircraft), moldable laminate panel office partitions and many more. The advantages of the machine drives development for even more demanding applications.Is this the “laminating system of the future” Only time will tell. To be sure, it is not the “do all, end all,” but, for many applications, it is superior to what is out there and may indeed replace flame lamination in many uses.

With the covers removed, you can see the inside of the exit end of the new flat-bed laminating system, which can compete with flame laminating systems.November 2001