Freudenberg Nonwovens at TechTextil

During the international press conference for the specialist media which took place on the first day of the TechTextil 2013 trade fair Bruce Olson, CEO of the Freudenberg Nonwovens Business Group, outlined the new strategic orientation of the company belonging to the Freudenberg Group. In keeping with its motto “The Solution Engineers – Wherever you are”, Freudenberg Nonwovens presented its broad spectrum of product innovations in all market segments, from the latest generation of Viledon® battery separators and the steady stream of new applications for Evolon® microfilament technology to the new Vildona® Airliner 2.0 in the footwear industry.

Megatrends such as urbanization and energy storage motivate and drive developers at Freudenberg Nonwovens. Dr. Christoph Weber, Head of Separator R&D Department at Freudenberg Nonwovens, presented the company’s solutions for high-performance batteries in the shape of the latest development in separators for Lithium-ion batteries: “This is an ultrathin nonwoven with a special surface coating which outperforms conventional separator materials especially in terms of thermal and mechanical stability. These Vildeon® separators provide the needed improvements in battery technology that play a key role in the safety, reliability and service life of large Lithium-ion batteries for emerging mobile and stationary applications.”

12 years after Evolon® microfilament technology was launched, Freudenberg Nonwovens is investing some €5 million in expanding production capacity at the plant in Colmar, France. From the end of October production will be raised to 3,000 tonnes/year. Jean-François Kerhault, Business Section Manager Evolon®, presented the numerous applications and versatile properties of Evolon® at the press conference. Evolon® is a revolutionary chemical free fabric for anti allergy bedding, the microfilament structure provides outstanding cleaning and lint free properties which makes Evolon a perfect cloth for high-tech wiping, the scratch free characteristics of the fabric offer the best surface protection for the transport of sensitive parts like for example in the automotive or electronic industry. The latest applications relate to LCD wet wipes, sport & bath towels or eco-friendly printing media; banners at the exhibition booth provided a good demonstration of Evolon®’s performance as a printing substrate. Evolon®’s features can be enhanced by all traditional textile finishing processes.

With 300 times more breathability than conventional membranes, Vildona® Airliner 2.0 has exceeded all expectations as a shoe insole. The technology is based on a substrate, in this case a spunlace nonwoven, in which a superabsorbent polymer is anchored using a chemical reaction. At the same time as Techtextil was taking place, an agreement to cooperate with a leading Turkish brand Greyder®, as an addition to the existing technology partnership with the Deichmann Group, was concluded. And that is just the beginning: “Other major brands are also extremely interested in this revolutionary shoe technology,” Simon Browne, who is responsible for the shoe business in Europe, said.

Diaper Design Optimisation

Carlos Richer of Richer Investments (USA) dominated the opening day of this year's INDA VIsion Conference in Orlando with a first-class workshop on diaper design and production for new entrants, especially those in the developing economies.  He commenced with the biology resulting in the production of urine and how the quantities produced vary with fluid intake, age and climate.  He  moved on to practical  diaper designs and factors affecting absorbency, retention and leakage before considering skin irritation, comfort and the ways to optimise diaper design for different markets.  He concluded with a tour of the latest constructions and some speculation about future products. Noteworthy points follow:

·         Whereas on a normal day 62% of fluid is lost as urine, 18% as sweat, 16% as respiration and 4% as faeces, on a hot day sweat increases to 30% at the expense of urine. This reduction in urine output is more pronounced and more important for design in the under-developed markets.

·         Disposable diaper sales decrease in hot sunny weather due mothers preferring to use washables when they can be line dried – at least in markets where disposables penetration is lower than in the USA.

·         Most new diaper producers define their absorbency for a medium size and then adjust the capacity for other sizes in proportion to baby’s weight.  However, a 2kg baby produces about 200mls urine/day and a 26kg baby produces 1650 ml/day from a much larger bladder.  Mls/kg/hour of urine should be considered and this goes down as baby grows.

·         Diapers are worn for 4.5 hours on average before changing but this increases to 6.5 hours as baby grows and varies dramatically with culture.  Japan and Korea change much more frequently.

·         Probability of diaper leakage decreases as the amount of urine absorbed increases.  This is because leakage failure is usually occurs on first urination through the cuffs due to poor construction.

Suominen increases its spunlace production capacity...

Suominen, the global leader in nonwovens for wipes, will invest approximately EUR 2.5 million in the capacity expansion at one of its assets at the Windsor Locks plant in Connecticut, USA. The investment increases Suominen’s capacity to produce value added nonwovens products, particularly for the growing segment of flushable products.

“We have decided to proceed with this investment in order to be able to answer to our customers’ increasing demand. We will further strengthen our position in the wipes market, and particularly in this market segment, and the investment will expand the production capacity of our proprietary HYDRASPUN® Substrate technology”, says Jean-Marie Becker, Executive Vice President of Suominen Nonwovens.

“The investment highlights our commitment to the wipes market and is in keeping with our strategy to further increase the share of value added products in Suominen’s portfolio”, adds Nina Kopola, President and CEO of Suominen Corporation.
The investment is aimed to increase the production capacity of Suominen’s Hydraspun® Substrates. Suominen’s Hydraspun® Dispersible Substrate is a product defined as flushable as defined by industry guidelines developed by INDA and EDANA, the industry associations.

The market for flushable products is growing in many regions across the globe and Suominen is, by implementing this investment, addressing both the current and future demand.

Suominen Corporation Press release 18 June 2013 at 15:00 (EEST)

... and Suominen divests Codi

Suominen Corporation has divested its wet wipes business unit, Codi Wipes, to the Value Enhancement Partners investment company. The deal further strengthens Suominen’s strategic focus on nonwovens and clarifies its corporate structure. Due to the divestment, Suominen revises its outlook concerning the Group net sales development in 2013.

The sale of all Suominen’s shares in its subsidiary, Codi International BV, to Cogitandum BV, a subsidiary of Value Enhancement Partners, has been confirmed today. Codi International is a leading European wet wipes producer located in the Netherlands, with net sales of nearly EUR 50 million in 2012.

The estimated acquisition price is in total EUR 9.2 million. The final acquisition price will be contingent on the financial performance of Codi International in 2013 and on other conventional terms and conditions of the transaction. Due to the divestment, Suominen will recognize, in accordance with the IFRS 5 standard, a loss of approximately MEUR 16 in the second quarter result of 2013 of its discontinued operations. Previously, Codi International has been reported as part of Suominen’s Wiping segment. The transaction has been approved by the local works council. The closing of the transaction is still dependent on the fulfillment of the conditions precedent by both parties.

“Divesting Codi Wipes business unit is very well in line with our “In the Lead” strategy as the deal clarifies both our corporate structure and our position in wipes value chain, particularly in relation to our nonwovens customers. We can now concentrate even better on further strengthening our competitiveness in nonwovens”, Nina Kopola, President and CEO of Suominen Corporation says.

“Due to our major expansion in nonwovens, the strategic role of an own converting unit has clearly diminished from 2003, when Codi International was acquired. For Codi International, this transaction assures an owner with strategic interest to develop the company further”, Nina Kopola continues.

“Codi International holds a very strong position in the European wet wipes industry with a highly automated production that provides some of the highest quality converting possibilities in Europe. The fragmented market and growth in upcoming markets presents opportunities to increase the scale of the company and to diversify its production into more geographies and products, thereby also potentially being better able to serve its globally operating customers. We look forward to realizing the growth plans together with management”, Kenneth Tjon, Managing Partner of Value Enhancement Partners says.

After the closing of the deal, Suominen will operate two business units, Nonwovens and Flexibles, which will be reported in two separate reporting segments.

Due to the divestment, Suominen revises its outlook concerning the net sales development for 2013. Suominen expects that the full year 2013 net sales of its continuing operations will remain at the level of 2012. Previously, Suominen had stated that its net sales for the full year 2013 would remain at the level of 2012.

TENCEL®ePower for EDLC applications

The botanic fiber TENCEL® enhances the performance of electrical separators in advanced demanding electrical applications. The latest TENCEL® innovation – TENCEL®ePower – will revolutionize the double-layer capacitor industry.

The fourth European Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) held in Strasbourg/France from June 24-28, 2013 will examine the advanced battery market with a focus on the activities and needs of European automakers. For the first time, the Lenzing group will exhibit at AABC presenting innovative solutions in the fields of energy storage, power and substrate density.

As Lenzing fibers are made from wood, they are naturally absorbent and pure. These properties make them ideally suited for numerous nonwoven applications including technical end-uses. During its appearance in Strasbourg, Lenzing will focus on the botanic fiber TENCEL® enhancing the performance of electrical separators in advanced electrical applications. Most high-capacity energy storage devices contain separators with the main purpose of optimizing ion transport. Refined TENCEL® supports this task. The micro-fibrillar structure prevents short circuits and failures whilst improving capacity and performance in advanced technical applications*.

In addition, Lenzing will present the latest innovation TENCEL®ePower which is the sustainable solution targeted at the new energy market for use in electrodes in high performance capacitors. The technology behind is based on a combination of TENCEL® fibers from Lenzing and the proprietary technology of Nanocarbons LLC, Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA). A new pilot line for activated carbon for electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) derived from high purity TENCEL® has been built and is sampling for pre-market development. Exceptionally high capacitance values are obtained from a unique tailored structure based upon TENCEL®. The superior purity of TENCEL®ePower is the basis for enhanced stability and operating life of EDLC cells.

Lenzing press Release 11/6/2013

* These EDLC separators were first developed by Courtaulds Research in conjunction with Nippon Kodoshi in Japan in the early 90's.  Click here for more information.

Viscose Fibres with a Fingerprint – a New Product from Kelheim Fibres

Protecting products against forgery, product traceability, supply chain control and legal protection against fraudulent warranty claims: product security is becoming increasingly important in a globalised economy.

Kelheim Fibres, experts in manufacturing viscose speciality fibres, offers an innovative solution: In cooperation with Tailorlux, the specialist for anorganic phosphors, Kelheim has developed a viscose fibre “with a fingerprint”.
To achieve this, luminescent pigments from Tailorlux are incorporated in the viscose fibre matrix during the spinning process – so the pigments are intrinsically bound to the fibre and durable. Tailorlux produces customised pigments in a range of more than 300 billion combinations, each with its own individual spectrum.

Fibres incorporating these pigments bear their characteristic spectroscopic fingerprint in the body of the fibre; the fibres – as well as the products made using them - can be precisely identified and are therefore impossible to forge.
Validation is by light spectroscopy, a widely recognised and uncomplicated method. The pigment can be detected in a non-destructive or a destructive examination (for example in the ash of a product). For quick checks in the field, Tailorlux offers a simple hand scanner.

Kelheim Fibres’ latest development is primarily aimed at the paper industry: Viscose fibres can be easily integrated in the papermaking process and remain – together with the pigments incorporated in the fibre - in the paper. Thus loss of pigments in the process is a thing of the past!

More possible applications can be seen in the textile or nonwovens industry – namely whenever products need an invisible but unique identification mark. These fibres can ensure the traceability of filters or other products for example – or they can help to control the compliance of predetermined supply chains in the textile industry.

Kelheim Fibres is able to manufacture diverse types of viscose fibres incorporating Tailorlux’ luminescent pigments, based on the customer’s specific needs, which allows a perfect match to the end product and to the customer’s production process.

Sustainability and the Consumer: Green Marketing Statistics

Lee Ann Head, VP Research, Shelton Group has explored “sustainability” from the viewpoint of the average consumer.  Asked what do you think Sustainable means in the phrases Sustainable Products or Sustainable Practices the top 6 of widely varying answers were “No Idea” (21%), “Long lasting and Durable” (14%),  “Environmentally safe and friendly” (10%), “Renewable – easily replaced” (10%), “Preserves resources – non-depleting” (7%), “Keeps going” (7%).  Only 7% came close to the Meeting our needs while preserving the ability of future generations to meet theirs definition which the EPA favours. 

70% of those questioned were searching for Greener products, mainly to reduce energy use (71%) , but also for Home Cleaning (61%), Laundry (59%), Kitchen towels (58%), food (47%) and personal care products (46%).  How do they identify Greener products? Mainly by reading the ingredients list and the claims on the packs, but some do their own research on the web and believe the recommendations of Certifiers such as “Energy Star” and “Good Housekeeping”.  However, due to the recession they were losing interest in green products which did not have an immediate payback and felt that most Green home cleaning products were disappointing.  They were also rejecting toilet paper and kitchen wipes which claimed to use recycled paper and try to justify a premium.  For the consumer, recycled means cheaper.

So, convenience and comfort continue to trump the environmental arguments and people want products with fewer chemicals and more Made in the USA content.  More want personal care products with fewer chemicals rather than more bio-biobased content.

Perhaps of most interest was the emergence of end-of-life disposal as an issue this year.  74% thought the producer should take responsibility for end-of-life disposal and 61% thought the retailer should.

Asked whether the consumers’ view of disposable diapers was changing as a result of the changes evident in this survey, Ms Head thought they were not.  The convenience of disposable diapers far-outweighed any negative thoughts about their sustainability or disposal.

Polymeric Delivery Systems for Sustainable Nonwovens

Robert Lochhead, Professor and Director of the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials at the University of Southern Mississippi couldn’t get to Orlando but provided a voice-over for the slide show which was mainly a review of the latest patents of interest to sustainable nonwovens. 

• He proposed reducing the water content of lotions for wet wipes by using Shinoda’s 1964 principle of phase inversion to make more concentrated emulsions.
• USP 8327579 B2 (Dec 2012) proposes using waste nonwovens with PU foams to make floating islands which protect small fishes and could be pre-seeded to grow crops.
• US Application 2013/0012093 A1 suggests using fibres made of polyethylene extended with vegetable waxes to deliver perfumes etc.
• US 8268738 B2 (Sept 2012) from Kimberly Clark proposes overcoming the brittleness of PLA spunbonds by using PEG plasticiser compatiblized with maleinized PP.
• US Application 2011/0152818 A1 suggests cellulose acetate butyrate/polyhydroxybutanoate to make thermally bondable nonwovens
• US Application 2011/0300382 from P&G suggests making nonwovens from alkyd resins made spinnable into fibres by vitrification.
• US Application 2013/0023608 A1 proposes using biobased thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic starches to make bicomponent fibres.
• US Application 2013/0023176 A1 proposes making nonwovens from the currently wasted coir fibre from coconut farming.
• US Application 2012/0027838 A1 covered ingestible nonwovens made from Ethylex 2035 starch used as a carrier for drugs.

There were numerous applications for patents from P&G on dissolvable fibres comprising surfactants, PVA polymers, plasticisers and rheology modifiers under the headings “What if nonwovens could be detergents”, “Nonwoven shampoo”, “Nonwoven laundry detergent”.

INDA 2011 Statistics Highlights

Rory Holmes, Past President of INDA provided the latest (2011) INDA statistics:

• Of the 1817 kt on nonwovens produced, 964kt were spunbond, 598kt carded, 165 kt airlaid and 90 kt wetlaid. 
• 638kt of the spunbond was PP (SB or SMS). Polyethylene accounted for 54kt and was presumably mainly Tyvek.
• 314kt of the carded was needlepunched, 201kt spunlaced and 83kt thermal or resin bonded.
• By 2016 the total tonnage will rise to 2329kt, 1270kt of which will be spunbond.
• For Disposables, hygiene nonwovens will grow from 370kt in 2011 to 416kt in 2016, medical from 166 to 194kt, wipes from 309 to 414kt and filtration from 171 to 213kt.  Oil Sorbents will grow from 59 to 75kt.
• For Durables over the same 5 years, automotive nonwovens will grow from 53 to 76kt, furniture/bedding from 90 to 130kt, geotextiles from 125 to 141kt and agricultural from 30 to 37kt.

New quality standards for Adult Incontinene products

Nancy Muller, Executive Director of the National Association for Continence (NAFC) pointed out that the US wastes $750bn/year in health care spending, including $210bn on unnecessary services, $190bn on unnecessary administration, and $130bn on inefficiency.  Fraud accounts for a loss of $75bn.  Savings are sought and one of these relates to the Medicaid Nursing Home Waiver whereby the State saves on Nursing Homes by covering the cost of community-based long term care.  This means helping the family to look after elderly relatives. Often the home-based carers themselves are elderly, physically impaired and in need of education about inco management and the available products.

Skin gets increasingly vulnerable with age and skin-care for incontinence sufferers is a key problem.  Even with skilled nurses in excellent long-term care homes, incontinence-related skin erosion and ulceration is a serious problem.  So, as care moves into the community, State authorities are concerned that they could be overwhelmed by such problems and admit to having no idea what type of products they should be recommending to minimise the issue. 

NAFC has therefore pulled together a group of suppliers (K-C, SCA, Attends, First Quality, Medline, PBA) and State Authorities ( CA, MA, MN, SC, and TX) who have teleconferenced  monthly for the last 2 years.  They have rejected the ISO “absorbent capacity is key” philosophy and are incorporating threshold performance standards and recommendations for strikethrough time, rewet weight and retention under load.  The numbers vary according to whether the briefs are “Standard” or “Premium” priced, and whether the wearer suffers from Light/Moderate or Moderate/Severe incontinence.  Recommended values for a medium size – presumably measured on the whole pad - range from 35-60 seconds for strikethrough, 0.5 to 2 gms for rewet and 250-400gms retention.

6 sizes are recommended; all components must be FDA/OSHA/EPA approved; closure systems must allow multiple use; and the garments must be breathable without leaking.  Test results are to be shared between States and there will be regular audits to reduce product variability and prevent inferior products being used.