INDA Announces Timing Changes To Major Events: Moves IDEA® To A Two-Year Cycle And Filtxpo™ To Every 18 Months

CARY, N.C. — February 10, 2022 — INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announces today that IDEA® will be held every two years instead of three starting in 2024.

The upcoming dates for IDEA® under the new schedule will be March 28-31, 2022, as currently scheduled, and then April 23-25, 2024. Both will be held as live, in-person events at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Florida. Exhibition and registration details are available here: https://www.ideashow.org/index.html#attend

“INDA has three key reasons for making this change in event frequency,” said Dave Rousse, INDA president.  “First, the nonwovens industry has been a vibrant, innovative sector with new products, processes and materials every year, so providing an opportunity to showcase more frequently these new developments better serves the industry. Second, one of the major nonwoven events in Asia has declared they will run each and every year, impacting the past three-year cycle of major shows in the nonwovens industry. Third, coming out of the Covid pandemic, market research predicts for the near future that regional events are expected to be better supported than global events.”

The last time IDEA® was held in 2019 it broke all attendance records. INDA expects the 2022 edition March 28-31 to attract several thousand senior-level buyers and attendees from over 60 countries and several hundred exhibitors from a myriad of industry sectors, including absorbent hygiene, wipes, filtration, medical and surgical products, personal protective equipment, home and office furnishings, transportation, geosynthetics and building construction.

“As we emerge from the pandemic, our members and the entire industry realize the power of gathering in-person at live expositions and conferences like IDEA®,” said Rousse.

“This new schedule, approved by the INDA Board, responds to the new findings in event research, developments in Asia, and to the need for our industry members in North America and beyond to create more opportunities to showcase their offerings, make new connections, and grow their businesses. We are excited for the 21st edition of this premier event coming in 7 weeks and the 22nd edition of IDEA® in 2024. We encourage everyone to mark your calendars and start planning for the 2024 future dates.”

FiltXPO™
, North America’s only exposition and technical conference dedicated exclusively to the filtration and separation industry, will be co-located with IDEA® in Miami Beach this March 29-31 to avoid conflicting with other filtration events that were originally planned in 2021. FiltXPO™ then returns to an 18-month schedule and will next take place October 10-12, 2023, at Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill.

“Establishing this new timing for IDEA® and returning FiltXPO™ to its original cycle aligns with our industry’s needs to continue the growth of the nonwovens industry and establish its global leadership and versatility in delivering essential, environmentally-responsible materials and products,” he said. “With a more frequent IDEA® cycle, INDA will be better positioned to overcome business challenges and to support our members at the highest level.”

These scheduling moves support INDA’s newly developed strategic plan guiding its activities. That plan is based on the following five pillars:

  • Convene and connect the industry through trade shows and conferences;
  • Achieve industry relevance among policymakers, end-users, and other key stakeholders;
  • Advocate for the Nonwovens Industry in public policy forums;
  • Deliver market insights for better decision making; and
  • Provide training programs to sustain the industry’s innovative edge.

For full details about the IDEA® expo, conference, essential short courses, or to register, visit ideashow.org

For full details about the FiltXPO™, expo, conference, training, or to register, visit filtxpo.com

Posted: February 10, 2022

Source: INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

BB Engineering GmbH Delivers Melt Filter For PET Recycling System To Indorama Polyester Industries

REMSCHEID, Germany — February 10, 2022 — 2021 saw BB Engineering GmbH (Germany) deliver a melt filter for recycling PET flakes to polyester manufacturer Indorama Polyester Industries (Thailand). Indorama will be using the type NSF38 filter in its recently assembled recycling system in order to produce rPET granulate from flake PET bottle waste. The NSF38 filter enables continual filtering — in other words, the system switches from one filter to the other during the process without the need for conversion shut-downs. The filter allows the processing of consumer waste — for example, in the form of shredded PET bottles – into new, high-quality rPET granulate. This granulate is subsequently processed into manmade fibers in spinning systems.

The NSF38 is a switchable filter with a filter surface area of ap- prox. 16 m2 on each side, with throughputs of between 1,000 and 1,900 kg/h. The filter inserts each contain 19 pleated filter candles (60 x 1,000mm Ø). The filter medium comprises a sin- tered metal fiber nonwoven with a filtration fineness of 25 μm. This ensures that the melt remains free of contaminants and gel particles, which in turn enables the production of high- quality end products.

Posted: February 10, 2022

Source: BB Engineering GmbH

IDEA®2022 Exhibitor Preview: International Technology Group ANDRITZ

GRAZ,  Austria — February 9, 2022 — International technology group ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production and textile solutions at IDEA 2022 in Miami, USA, from March 29 to 31 (booth 4104). The broad ANDRITZ product portfolio covers state-of-the-art nonwovens and textile production technologies such as air-through bonding, airlay, needlepunch, spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid/WetlaceTM, converting, textile finishing, recycling, and natural fiber processing.

What are the highlights for IDEA 2022?

News in Wipes technology developments

ANDRITZ offers various nonwoven processes to produce best and cost-effective wipes, like spunlace, Wetlace and Wetlace CP. ANDRITZ also accompanies nonwoven producers in the move to sustainability with the aim of reducing or eliminating plastic components while maintaining the high quality of the desired product properties. This applies to all types of sustainable wipes, such as flushable, biodegradable, bio-sourced, carded-pulp or standard carded wipes. Indeed, hydroentanglement has the advantage of being able to bond any kind of fibers without the use of chemical binders or thermal fusion. It is, therefore, the most suitable bonding process for natural fibers, such as pulp, cotton, hemp, linen, flax, bamboo, and more. The latest development in this field is the ANDRITZ neXline wetlace CP line, which integrates the card-pulp (CP) process. This is a fully engineered production line combining the benefits of drylaid and wetlaid technologies to produce a new generation of biodegradable wipes.

In order to make a meaningful contribution, ANDRITZ has become a member of the Board of the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) in the USA. The RFA is an independent, non-profit trade association committed to educating consumers in responsible and smart flushing habits to help reduce damage to the nation’s sewage systems. ANDRITZ is deeply involved in this topic with its technologies for 100% dispersible and biodegradable wet wipes and is highly committed to being part of the RFA.

To serve customers even better and offer the best possible R&D and service, ANDRITZ welcomes producers to its spunlace technical center at ANDRITZ Perfojet in Montbonnot, France. It is equipped with the very latest technologies as well as a dedicated team of process engineers. The technical center has been upgraded just recently with an inline pulp formation system and is now the most advanced nonwovens test center for wipes worldwide. The line configuration is now similar to an ANDRITZ Wetlace CP line.

LATEST technologies for Hygiene applications

ANDRITZ will highlight the technology development in the spunlaid sector with the patented nonwovens process called Spunjet Soft. This is the in-line hydroentanglement of continuous filaments, creating a new generation of premium spunlaid nonwovens with unrivalled bulkiness and softness compared to standard spunbond fabrics. Samples of absorbent hygiene products integrating spunjet soft materials will be available at the ANDRITZ booth.

Moreover, ANDRITZ will introduce its adult pants converting line, which offers top-class components and an innovative technology process. The growing market for adult incontinence products has resulted in a state-of-the-art process with highest quality standards, such as the development of ultrasonic side seam solutions with excellent results in terms of bond strength and system reliability. As a result, operations and size changes are faster and easier. The modern forming system for higher SAP (superabsorbent polymers) concentration and the turning and placing system guarantee maximum process stability and put the adult pants produced by ANDRITZ customers at the top of the adult hygiene market.

Innovations In Solutions For Durable Applications

Another strong focus lies on technologies for durable nonwovens, especially for the automotive industry. The use of nonwovens in the automotive area has increased substantially in recent years. Indeed, a very large number of automotive parts are made with nonwovens fabrics, from trunk liners, carpets and insulation to air and fuel filters. In addition, the automotive industry is moving its focus to green technologies, which has a direct impact on the characteristics of nonwoven parts in vehicles. Thanks to the ANDRITZ airlay and needlepunch processes, producers are able to provide the most suitable fabrics for this industry’s requirements.

The ANDRITZ airlay technology can process all types of fibers and solid particles. It is offered as a complete line with needlelooms, thermobonding or other bonding methods for numerous applications in the automotive and also the furniture, bedding, insulation, and filtration industries.

In addition, ANDRITZ is presenting the brand new ProWinTM technology for profile weight correction in the needlepunch segment, which is used to optimize processes, provide a faster return on investment, and save raw materials. This unit combines the well-known systems ProWid and ProDyn, enabling even better performance, and the same machine can run faster with less mechanical stress.

Customers are welcome to conduct trials and compare the different options available in the technical center for needlepunch processes at ANDRITZ Asselin-Thibeau, Elbeuf, France, and/or in the airlay pilot line at ANDRITZ Laroche, Cours, France.

Another very relevant topic these days is textile recycling, which has become a key focus of worldwide sustainability efforts. Customer and consumer awareness as well as new regulations are pushing clothing brands to recycle their pre-consumer and post-consumer waste in their own products. ANDRITZ is very much involved here with its technologies for textile recycling and processing of recycled fibers.

Spot-on and digital service to keep machines running

ANDRITZ offers a full-service portfolio and thus can ensure improved uptime, productivity, and product quality – for years to come. This includes on-site support, specific training, line audits and troubleshooting, upgrades and modernizations, spare parts, and roll repair centers. In the USA, ANDRITZ is well supported in sales and service by its local branches – ANDRITZ Küsters in Spartanburg, SC, and ANDRITZ SHW in Torrington, CT.

Moreover, customers can bring their production to a new level with ANDRITZ digital technologies combined under the Metris technology brand. One focus is the Metris UX digitalization platform, which provides full support for industrial plants throughout their entire life cycle. It combines a complete set of functionalities for professional production management, simulation and optimization using the latest artificial intelligence methods, plus cyber security, and condition monitoring with smart sensors in an integrated approach. ANDRITZ will offer a live demonstration at its booth (4104) at IDEA.

Visit the ANDRITZ Booth – Physically And Digitally

A special highlight for IDEA is the virtual booth called the “ANDRITZ Teleport”. For customers who cannot travel to Miami due to the travel restrictions, ANDRITZ offers the opportunity to enter this booth and discover state-of-the-art technologies, obtain the latest marketing material and press information, and meet the ANDRITZ team.

The entire ANDRITZ Nonwoven team is looking forward to welcoming customers to its booth (4104) in person and online in the “ANDRITZ Teleport” virtual booth.

Posted: February 10, 2022

Source: ANDRITZ AG

IDEA®22 Exhibitor Preview: Oerlikon Nonwoven Presents Portfolio At The IDEA In Miami

NEUMÜNSTE, Germany — February 9, 2022 — Oerlikon Nonwoven will be traveling with its entire product portfolio to this year’s IDEA, being held in Miami between March 28 and 31, Hall B, Stand 4111. The company will be presenting customer- and market-oriented systems solutions with a special focus on sustainability, quality and efficiency. Very much in line with Dr. Ingo Mählmann’s, Head of Sales at Oerlikon Nonwoven, pledge: “We love building systems, machines and components that sustainably manufacture materials from which our customers’ successful products are made.”

The Phantom technology is revolutionizing the nonwovens process

With its Phantom platform, Oerlikon Nonwoven offers an innovative co-form technology for manufacturing various wet wipes from pulp and polymer fibers. Here, the spunmelt and airlaid processes are combined in a manner that perfectly unites the properties of the starting materials. The material mix can comprise up to 90% cellulose fibers. Alternatively, cotton or synthetic fibers can also be added.

Compared to processes such as classical spunlace (hydroentangled carded nonwovens) produced to date, the patented Phantom technology offers ecological, performance and cost advantages. The sustainable process stands out above all with regards to energy efficiency and water consumption as well as user-friendliness. Dispensing with hydroentanglement renders subsequent drying of the material redundant. Product parameters, such as softness, tenacity, dirt absorption and liquid absorption, can be optimally set. The Phantom technology enables the manufacture of both flexible and absorbent structures and highly-textured materials.

Airlaid technology for sustainable nonwovens

Pulp or cellulose fibers as raw material for manufacturing nonwovens are currently virtually unrivaled with regards to sustainability and environmental compatibility. The Oerlikon Nonwoven airlaid process is the ideal solution for processing this raw material into high-end products for a wide range of applications. Today, there is huge demand for manufacturing solutions for high-quality, lightweight airlaid nonwovens with economically-attractive production speeds and system throughputs. Here, the patented Oerlikon Nonwoven formation process is setting standards – for homogeneous fiber laying and superb evenness even for nonwovens with low running meter weights. Furthermore, it permits the homogeneous mixing of the most diverse raw materials, including pulp, short- and long-staple natural and manmade fibers (up to 20 mm) and powders, as well as the utilization and combination of the most diverse mechanical, thermal and chemical tangling methods for creating the requisite product properties.

Oerlikon Nonwoven’s airlaid technology is also perfectly suited to expanding typical spunlace systems in order to add a cellulose layer to the product that, for example, improves the water absorbency of wipes using a low-cost and biodegradable raw material.

QSR: attractive spunmelt systems for the hygiene and medical market

For manufacturing hygiene and medical nonwovens, the QSR (Quality Sized Right) technology offers a financially-attractive solution for producing these highly-diverse spunbond and meltblown composites (SSMMS, SMMS, SSS, etc.) in accordance with globally-accepted standards. As a result of intensive collaborations and partnerships, close-knit quality assurance measures and extensive interaction with its technology partners, Oerlikon Nonwoven is able to equip this type of system with unique features that enable producers to distinguish themselves within their respective markets with special nonwoven properties such as higher volumes, softness and customer-specific embossed patterns, for example.

Filtration: leading meltblown competences from Neumünster

Unique and highly-sophisticated nonwovens for filtration, insulation and sorption applications can be simply and efficiently manufactured thanks to Oerlikon Nonwoven’s meltblown technology. The polymers used to produce the filter media and membranes are as diverse as their field of applications. The spectrum ranges from classical polyolefins (PP, PE), PET, PLA, PBT and PA all the way through to special plastics such as PPS and TPU. All these, and other raw materials, can be reliably processed using the Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown technology. Filter media can be efficiently electrostatically charged with the ecuTEC+ electro-charging unit developed by Oerlikon Nonwoven for increasing the filtration performance of meltblown media without reducing air permeability. It distinguishes itself from other concepts currently available on the market as a result of its extreme flexibility. Users can choose from numerous possible variations and hence set the optimum charge intensity for their respective filter applications. However, ecuTEC only represents the beginning of an era of new charging and treatment systems available from Oerlikon Nonwoven for further increasing media filtration performance and product diversity.

Comprehensive spunbond portfolio – always the right solution

For industrial nonwovens, Oerlikon Nonwoven systems are capable of high production capacities and yields with simultaneously low energy consumption. To this end, geotextiles made from polypropylene or polyester can be efficiently manufactured with running meter weights of up to 400 g/m2 and filament titers of up to 9 dtex, for example. And Oerlikon Nonwoven also offers specialized spunbond processes for producing nonwoven substrates for roofing underlays (PP or PET spunbonds) and so-called bitumen roofing substrates (needled PET spunbonds) for bitumen roofing membranes.

Furthermore, spunbond products are also becoming increasingly important in filtration applications – both as backing materials for filter media and as the filter media themselves. A flexible nonwoven structure permits the inclusion of customer-specific requirements for various functions. It is Oerlikon Nonwoven’s many years of core-sheath bi-component experience in particular that enable the creation of completely new nonwoven structures and hence the incorporation of various functions in a single material. The core-sheath bi-component spinning process permits various combined fiber cross-sections and also simultaneously different fibers to be produced from a single or different polymers.  The spectrum ranges from core-sheath and side-by-side bi-component filaments, splitable fibers all the way through to so-called mixed fibers.

Posted: February 10, 2022

Source: Oerlikon

Baldwin Partners With Blutec S.A. de C.V. To Serve Mexico’s Textile Industry

ST. LOUIS — February 9, 2022 — Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. has forged a new partnership with Blutec S.A. de C.V., which now represents Baldwin’s full range of innovative spray systems and corona/plasma treaters for wovens, knits and nonwovens in Mexico.

Blutec is a leading agency in the textile sector, representing many of the most reputable textile machinery manufacturers worldwide. Present in the Mexican market for more than 25 years, Blutec is committed to collaborating with companies on the forefront of textile manufacturing technology, including Brückner, Mahlo, EFI Reggiani, Ferraro and, now, Baldwin.

“We are pleased to partner with Blutec in Mexico,” said Rick Stanford, Baldwin’s vice president of Global Business Development for textiles. “We find that this organization has an excellent reputation in the Mexican textile industry, with a portfolio of machinery principals that provides excellent synergy for Baldwin and our product lines. We’re extremely excited to be onboard.”

Added Daniele Uslenghi, Blutec’s general manager: “The textile industry in Mexico is looking for solutions to help reduce manufacturing costs. Baldwin’s precision spray technology provides savings in energy, water and chemistry.”

Baldwin’s precision spray systems for finishing and remoistening use non-contact spray technology to provide optimal controlled coverage of the exact amount of liquids needed to achieve the specific characteristics of the fabric — saving customers time, money and valuable resources. Because only the required amounts of water and chemicals are applied, water consumption can be reduced by up to 50 percent, contributing to considerably improved productivity in the finishing process.

In addition, these solutions can process a wide range of low-viscosity water-based chemicals — such as softeners, antimicrobial agents, durable water repellents, flame retardants and more — for woven fabrics, knitted textiles and nonwovens.

Posted: February 10, 2022

Source: Baldwin Technology Company Inc.

3M™ Thinsulate™ Xerogel Insulation Wins ISPO Textrends Top Ten Award

ST. PAUL, Minn. — February 9, 2022 — 3M announced its latest performance product, 3M™ Thinsulate™ Xerogel Insulation, has won an ISPO Textrends 2023/24 Top Ten Award. The prestigious award recognizes the latest textile-based innovations for sports and outdoor apparel.

Launched in November 2021, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation is a xerogel-based insulation designed primarily for boots and gloves. Xerogel is an ultralight solid that’s nearly 99-percent air, and due to its porous structure, it can inhibit air circulation, making it a natural thermal insulator. In fact, it retains warmth even under compression. This insulation also highlights 3M’s ongoing commitment to sustainable solutions, as it’s comprised of 60-percent recycled fibers.

Furthermore, 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation is proven to be 20 times more breathable and almost twice as warm as legacy 3M Thinsulate Insulation products designed for footwear.

The ISPO Textrends 2023/24 Top Ten Award was recently presented by ISPO, the leading platform for global sports and outdoor brands. An international jury of textile and sporting experts assessed a wide range of new textile-based products before deeming 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation as a top ten innovation from everything they reviewed.

Given the time required to implement new textiles into upcoming apparel lines, the ISPO Textrends 2023/24 Top Ten Award recognizes 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation as a hot trend expected for the Fall and Winter lines released throughout 2023 and 2024.

“The sell-cycle is around 18 months and it’s important that the textile apparel industry and organizations like ISPO continue to push and challenge ahead of each cycle to bring more innovation to the market,” said Mike Mandanas, global R&D director. “ISPO is excellent when it comes to spotting the products that are going to make an impact on the market, and we’re truly honored they recognized the potential of 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation to revolutionize performance apparel and footwear.”

The development of 3M Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation falls into 3M’s wider sustainability initiatives. Today, 3M’s global headquarters is powered by 100-percent renewable electricity, with an aim of achieving 50-percent renewable electricity in all company locations by 2025. In 2021, 3M announced it’s pledging $1 billion over 20 years to accelerate environmental goals, including reducing water usage, minimizing dependence on virgin fossil-based plastics, and achieving carbon neutrality across its operations.

To date, 3M ThinsulateXerogel Insulation has met the strict sustainability standards for textiles set forth by bluesign®, OEKO-TEX®, and The Global Recycled Standard.

Posted: February 9, 2022

Source: 3M

NRF: Congested Retail Ports To See Welcome Break From Rapid Import Growth During First Half Of 2022

WASHINGTON — February 9, 2022 — Imports at the nation’s congested container ports are expected to grow modestly during the first half of 2022, but continued high volumes will keep up pressure that built as the economy bounced back from the pandemic last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“We’re not going to see the dramatic growth in imports we saw this time last year, but the fact that volumes aren’t falling is a clear sign of continued consumer demand,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Last year set a new bar for imports, and the numbers remain high as consumers continue to spend despite COVID-19 and inflation. The slowdown in cargo growth will be welcome as the supply chain continues to try to adapt to these elevated volumes. Unfortunately, many experts expect ongoing disruptions throughout 2022 for a variety of reasons.”

Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said congestion remains on both coasts and the Port of Los Angeles alone has around 40 ships waiting to dock. As more ships arrive each day and delays mean some cargo won’t get unloaded until the following month, shifts in import patterns could be difficult to follow for the next few months.

“With Lunar New Year factory closings in Asia this month and the consequent drop in export production, North American terminals will have an opportunity to reduce existing congestion,” Hackett said. “Nonetheless, backups cannot be erased quickly as long as terminals continue to face a lack of space brought on by the supply chain’s inability to efficiently transfer cargo out of the terminals to its end destinations. A shortage of equipment, worker availability and storage space at distribution centers and warehouses across the country remains problematic, as does the export of empty containers back to Asia.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker are expected to handle 13 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – during the first half of 2022, up 1.5 percent over the 12.8 million TEU handled during the same period in 2021. By contrast, the first half of 2021 saw a record 35.7 percent increase over the unusually slow first six months of 2020, when many Asian factories and U.S. stores were shut down because of the pandemic.

The ports handled 2.09 million TEU in December 2021, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was down 1.2 percent from November and down 1 percent year-over-year. Imports for all of 2021 totaled 25.8 million TEU, a 17.4 percent increase over 2020’s record high of 22 million TEU that was set despite the pandemic.

Ports have not yet reported January numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.15 million TEU, up 4.4 percent year-over-year. February is forecast at 2.04 million TEU, up 8.7 percent; March at 2.12 million TEU, down 6.7 percent; April at 2.19 million TEU, up 2 percent; May at 2.27 million TEU, down 2.6 percent, and June at 2.26 million TEU, up 5.2 percent.

How to build a stronger and more sustainable supply chain will be addressed as retailers, industry experts and technology innovators meet at the NRF Supply Chain 360 conference in Cleveland in June.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker. Subscription information for non-members can be found at www.globalporttracker.com.

Posted: February 9, 2022

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

Precision Textiles Unveils PurLoft, A Quilted FR Solution Made With Renewable Fiber

TOTOWA, N.J. — February 9, 2022 — As part of its ongoing commitment to develop sustainable products that meet the needs of its customers, Precision Textiles a leading supplier of coated fabrics, nonwovens and laminations for the bedding, automotive and healthcare industries, has launched a new product called PurLoft to help manufacturers meet consumer demand for natural, more sustainable mattresses.

PurLoft is an environmentally friendly alternative to 100 percent synthetic high loft fire barriers for bedding products. It is offered in varying weights and made with renewable wool fibers, which are naturally flame retardant. Incorporating wool directly under the sleep surface offers a high-performance, sustainable alternative that is not only FR compliant, but also creates air pockets, which act as natural insulators to help regulate body temperature. PurLoft also offers superior moisture management as well as odor and allergen protection. In addition, the naturally crimped wool fiber helps products retain shape longer, making it more durable.

“We have always been at the forefront of sustainability. Our R&D team continues to work with that goal in mind and they have once again developed an innovative solution, backed by service and quality, to demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the environment with products that help meet our customer’s needs,” said Scott Tesser, CEO of Precision Textiles.

“The inherent flame retardant properties of wool make it a very effective, eco-friendly solution for an FR barrier product,” said Keith Martin, vice president of Precision Textiles. “Wool helps transfer moisture away from the body. Unlike many man-made fibers where perspiration build up can become a breeding ground for bacteria, wool’s natural breathability reduces the risk of the mattress taking on unpleasant body odors. We not only developed a more natural FR solution, but also a more comfortable sleep experience.”

The product is patent pending and available now.

Posted: February 9, 2022

Source: Precision Textiles

Meryl Medical Celebrates Its ISO Certification

CONGLETON, United Kingdom — February 2, 2022 — Meryl Medical, the hi-tech, pioneering, textile manufacturer that produces environmentally sustainable fabrics, has been awarded the much-coveted ISO 9001:2015 certification, an internationally recognized standard that ensures that the business products and services meet the needs of their customers and prospects through an effective quality management system.

The company’s achievement of an ISO 9001:2015 accreditation demonstrates their commitment to continually improving their products and services to the benefit to the customers.

To become ISO 9001:2015 compliant, the Meryl Medical teams, which are based across the UK and Europe, have undergone the extensive audits and processes, including the further development of a full quality management system, business-wide documentation reviews, process audits, assessments, policies and addressing of non-conformances.

ISO is one of the most rigorous and well-regarded standards in the world. The audits were carried out by Interface NRM, who are a leading provider of UKAS and ASI accredited certification services and were presented with their certificate at the end of January 2022.

Gaining ISO 9001:2015 reinforces the company’s dedication and focus on creating industry-leading products and services, measured against global benchmarks of industry excellence and making the textiles industry more environmentally friendly.

Meryl Medical Director Kevin Simpson said: “The achievement of our ISO 9001:2015 certification is fantastic news and I’d like to thank the team for making it happen.  We have shown our dedication to business improvement and displayed our passion to give our customers complete assurance in our products and processes against the highest quality standards.  We are fully dedicated to constant improvement and now that we have achieved our accreditation, we are fully focused on maintaining an ISO 9001:2015 accredited standard throughout our business and the suppliers we work with.”

This latest move follows on from a series of other key developments by Meryl Medical, including the strengthening of its international presence with the opening of a design and operations hub in Germany. The new center, located near Frankfurt, Germany, offers Meryl Medical a major gateway for the supply of its quality, sustainable fabric into European markets, and the rest of the world, whilst working closer with German-based recycling facilities to fill the circular economy.

All Meryl Medical products are treated with a permanent antiviral-effect, antibacterial and anti-fungal technology co-developed alongside their virology partner, HeiQ. HeiQ helps improve the lives of billions of people by adding functionalities to all kinds of materials through scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding.

Posted February 8, 2022

Source: Meryl Medical

Wacker Uses Biomethanol In The Manufacture Of Silicone-Based Textile Softeners

MUNICH, Germany — February 2, 2022 — The Munich-based chemical Group WACKER is now applying its resource-efficient silicones production concept to the manufacture of textile softeners. With immediate effect, three functional silicone fluids are available as “eco” products: WETSOFT  eco LV 810, WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1100 LV and WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1300 LV. Instead of fossil methanol, WACKER uses plant-based methanol for the manufacture of these products. The method, which is based on the biomass balance method used in production, has now been certified by T V Nord according to the REDcert  standard.

Functional silicone fluids have a decades-long successful track record as softeners in the treatment of fibers, yarns or textile fabrics. They anchor to the fiber surface, forming silicone segment loops, which reduce the friction between the fibers, making textiles feel soft and fluffy. This also improves their care, wearing and processing properties.

The most important starting materials for silicone manufacture, and therefore for manufacturing textile softeners, are silicon and methanol. Methanol is first converted to methyl chloride, and then reacted with elemental silicon in the Müller-Rochow process to form a mixture of different methylchlorosilanes, which are important starting materials for silicone production. In this process, WACKER uses both petrochemical and plant-based methanol. The ratio in the methanol mix can be exactly calculated for each product by means of the biomass balance.

WACKER now also uses this approach for its silicone textile softeners WETSOFT  eco 810 LV, WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1100 LV and WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1300 LV. The methanol required for production — exclusively certified biomethanol from straw, grass cuttings or other plant residues — is determined using a biomass balance method. The organic raw materials used for functionalizing the silicone polymers, such as polyether, are also offset with corresponding amounts as specified in the REDcert  standard. This ensures that all of the silicone fluids in the eco portfolio are based entirely on methanol derived from renewable plant sources. The method and the raw materials used are checked each year as part of an external recertification.

Eco and fossil-based products differ only in the way that the methanol component is manufactured. The structure and product properties are otherwise identical. For formulation of the ready-to-use textile auxiliaries, eco products are emulsified in water and mixed with other active substances, just like standard grades. They can be applied by the padder or exhaust process as usual.

  • WETSOFT  eco 810 LV is a self-dispersing polyether-aminofunctional silicone fluid with reduced volatiles content. The fluid provides textiles with the soft hand that is typical of silicones, without affecting their absorbency. WETSOFT  eco 810 LV is therefore particularly well suited for treating towels, underwear and T-shirts.
  • WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1100 LV and WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1300 LV are made of polydimethylsiloxanes with amino side groups and reactive chain ends. In addition to their outstanding effect as softeners, they also offer a certain amount of protection against moisture and stains — a major advantage for pants, shirts or table linen. WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1100 LV is particularly well suited for treatment of synthetic or mixed fabrics. WACKER  FINISH eco WR 1300 LV is ideal for viscose or for natural fibers such as cotton or wool.

Posted February 8, 2022

Source: Wacker

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