Fraunhofer ITWM @ ITMA 2023
Dr. Dietmar Hietel (Fraunhofer ITWM), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Siriotek), and Giovanni Bettarini (bematic) (Source: Fraunhofer ITWM)
Nonwovens play a central role in a number of industries, including automotive, healthcare, medical, construction, and filtration. As demand for these versatile materials continues to grow, bematic, Siriotek and the Fraunhofer ITWM are now joining forces to enhance and develop air-lay technology for production of nonwovens. The joint project will be presented for the first time at the ITMA 2023, the trade fair for textiles technology, materials and innovation.
Based in Italy, Bettarini & Serafini S.r.l (bematic), Prato/Italy, have been developing and manufacturing nonwovens production lines for almost 50 years. The company provides turnkey solutions customized to specific production requirements. bematic bring their expertise in development and construction of nonwovens production lines to the project and will manufacture the new air-lay systems developed through the joint project.
Siriotek GmbH, Zurich/Switzerland, specializes in mechanical engineering and product development through practical application of virtual prototyping and testing. Throughout the project Siriotek engineers will use analysis, modelling and simulation to advance and optimize the design layout of the new air-lay system.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM, Kaiserslautern/Germany, in turn, contributes to the project with both knowledge and experience in the textile technology and process optimization, as well as know-how in mathematical modeling and characterization of air-lay processes for staple fibers.
The 3 partners aim to jointly develop the next generation of air-lay machines to ensure performance and quality in processing with staple fibers whilst reducing energy consumption, waste generation and carbon emissions. The collaboration brings together the expertise and innovation capabilities of three specialist players in their respective fields.
Faster, denser, more efficient
In air-lay processes, raw fibers (natural or synthetic) are opened up by a card roller and pulled apart, introduced into a forced air stream and directed onto conveyor belts. The randomly arranged fibers are then compacted by suction and finally bonded together through mechanical, thermal or chemical processes to achieve web consistency.
Through a collaborative approach, the partners are pushing the boundaries of air-lay technology to achieve higher production speeds, improved nonwoven uniformity and fiber utilization, and ultimately deliver solutions that are fully tailored to individual production requirements.
The project also aims to minimize energy consumption and environmental footprint without compromising performance. Through this collaboration bematic will be able to offer more efficient and sustainable manufacturing solutions, tailored to specific applications across automotive, construction, filtration and geotextiles.
From June 8-14, 2023, the project team will welcome industry representatives to their stand at ITMA in Milan/Italy to share details of the project.
Bematic = registered trademark
