Friday 10 February 2017

Start-up of new production facility for Bemliese™ spun-laid rayon

Asahi Kasei’s Fibers & Textiles SBU completed the addition of new production facility for Bemliese™ cupro continuous-filament nonwoven fabric in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan. Commercial operation of the new facility began on February 1, 2017.
Bemliese™ is the world’s only cupro continuous-filament nonwoven fabric. It is composed of regenerated cellulose fiber made from cotton linter, the fibers around cotton seeds. These natural origins make Bemliese™ the ideal material for a wide range of applications—in the skincare and medical fields, as wipers for industrial and commercial use.
Sold in markets around the world, Bemliese™ is enjoying particularly strong demand growth in skincare applications. As such demand growth is forecasted to continue, the decision was made to construct a new production facility. With the completion of the new facility, production capacity for Bemliese™ increased by approximately 1,500 tons/year.
Moving forward, the Fibers & Textiles SBU will continue to expand production capacity and enhance the production infrastructure in order to strengthen the Bemliese™ supply configuration in line with additional growth in the global market.

Location
Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan (at the site of the former polyester plant)
Product
Bemliese™ cellulose nonwoven fabric
Capacity
Approximately 1,500 tons/year
Groundbreaking
December 2015
Start-up
February 2017


Raw Material

Photo:Cotton linter

Fabrics
Photo:Fabric patterns



Fibres
Photo:Filament diameter

Bemliese only uses the short fibers (unused) around the seeds that were not previously used.  The process was developed in the 1960's and first commercialised in 1973 and marketed as a cotton nonwoven.

Photo:Filament spinning to roll winding


The original production process enables these fibers to be turned into material with higher functionality than regular cotton.

http://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/bemliese/en/what-bemliese/index.html

Tuesday 7 February 2017

Kelheim Fibres has new and well-established products at Index17

 Viscose speciality fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres presents a mixture of new and well-established – and further enhanced – products at index17 in Geneva.

Flushability remains one of the most important topics. With their flat short cut fibre, Viloft®, Kelheim Fibres offers the first viscose fibre for rapidly disintegrating wet wipes. Nevertheless, the Bavarians do not rely on the performance of the fibre and their experience of more than 10 years in this area alone - quite the opposite in fact: together with the local wastewater authorities and renowned pump manufacturer WILO, comprehensive tests on products containing Viloft® were conducted in 2016. “We wanted to go one step beyond the requirements of the flushabilty guidelines and we see what actually happens in practice - that is to say down in the sewage system. In contrast to traditional (spunlace) wipes, which led to clogging and blocked pumps, wipes made of Viloft® have passed the test with flying colours. Furthermore, our close cooperation with the wastewater authorities has made clear to us how much damage to the sewage systems is really caused by incorrectly disposed wet wipes. The increased maintenance costs amount to almost 200 Mio € per year in Germany alone – and, at the end of the day, these costs are paid by the consumer”, says Matthew North, Commercial Director at Kelheim Fibres.

In addition to their rapid disintegration, which eases the load on the pumps, wet wipes made of Viloft® and wood pulp are compostable: they consist of 100% cellulose and are fully biodegradable.

Hygienic fibres remain another important topic for the world-leading manufacturer of viscose fibres for the tampon industry. Their patented, extra absorbent speciality fibre Galaxy®, highest hygiene standards as well as a deep understanding for their customers’ needs enable long-lasting peer-to-peer partnerships. The ”External Business Partner Excellence Award 2016“,recently received from P&G, is proof of this. Nevertheless, the innovative fibre experts step up to new challenges, too.

Kelheim Fibres’ in-house R&D has developed a new fibre named Electra, which can be used in a wide range of applications for the dissipation of static charges. Currently, Kelheim is testing the possible use of this fibre in connection with sensitive electronic components. Kelheim Fibres displays these products and more functionalised speciality fibres at booth no. 2415 at index17 in Geneva. media information,

Press Release - 2017-02-06