GRAZ - International technology group Andritz will be presenting its latest nonwovens production solutions for wipe applications at the international World of Wipes (WOW) 2022 conference, scheduled for June 27 to 29, in Chicago.
As Andritz notes, sustainability is a serious responsibility for the entire industry and will continue to be so for years and decades to come. As part of its response, Andritz has developed the “We Care” sustainability program which combines all ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives, goals, and achievements under one roof. “We Care” takes a multi-dimensional, comprehensive, and practically oriented approach towards sustainability, the company says.
In terms of technology for the production of sustainable and cost-effective wipes, Andritz offers various nonwoven processes such as spunlace, Wetlace and Wetlace CP. It also accompanies nonwovens producers in the move towards 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.
Hydroentanglement has the advantage of being able to bond any kind of fibres without the use of chemical binders or thermal fusion. It is, therefore, the most suitable bonding process for natural fibres, such as pulp, cotton, hemp, linen, flax and bamboo. 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.
Andritz has also 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.
In terms of R&D and service, Andritz now 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 centre 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 similar to an Andritz Wetlace CP line and combines both spunlace and wetlaid technologies. Customers can move forward to greener options while maintaining a high level of product quality, in particular by achieving high CD strength and good linting properties.
