“At Oerlikon, we provide resource-saving technology for use in practically all spinning mills for synthetic fibres worldwide. According to Georg Stausberg, Chief Executive Officer of the Polymer Processing Solutions Division and Chief Sustainability Officer of the Oerlikon Group, “Our commitment for the future is to continue to expand the zero-waste production approach and take care of achieving our customers’ and our own sustainability goals.” In the future, it will just be a matter of sustainable improvements, according to one of the world’s top producers of technology and plant solutions for the manufacture of man-made fibres.
Recycling and the circular economy? enabling customers to accomplish more with less pollution from textiles is growing. To address the Above all, European politicians are creating a comprehensive plan for a regulating circular economy as there are growing mountains of used clothing. Additionally, the textile sector is making a name for itself with cutting-edge techniques for recycling synthetic fibres. But there is still a long way to go before the textile industry becomes sustainable.
The consumption of textiles inside the European Union (EU) is already the fourth-largest source of adverse environmental and climate change impacts, according to the European Environment Agency. Continuous textile development is a significant factor in this; according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, between 2000 and 2015, the world’s textile production nearly doubled. And by 2030, it’s anticipated that annual consumption of clothing and shoes would have increased by a further 63%. 102 million tonnes, up from the current 62 million, says the European Environment Agency.
Oerlikon is heavily invested in Worn Again Technologies in light of this market expansion. The British partnership is concentrating on a solvent-based recycling method that may be used to recycle PET plastics as well as end-of-life textiles made of polyester and polycotton blends into circular raw materials and fibres (polyester and cellulose). For this, Switzerland is building a sizable demonstration system for upcycling 1,000 tonnes of textiles annually. Because we think Worn Again Technologies’ solution is incredibly promising and because they are encouraging cooperation between the various producers along the value chain, we support technological innovators like them. Recycling only functions in a circular system when all participants cooperate,” emphasises Stausberg. “The time for closed-loop strategies and the corresponding sustainable technologies is now. Let’s talk about it at ITMA,” he says, already anticipating the future.However, Oerlikon also sets high standards for sustainability. Stausberg: “We have applied high standards of innovation to our own operations and practises, which is not surprising. Oerlikon has been developing pilot programmes for a while, and we plan to adopt as many of them as we can across the entire firm. We have already achieved CO2 neutrality at our site in Liechtenstein, which serves as our model for fulfilling this pledge, thus we are dedicated to doing the same at all of our locations by the year 2030. Our objectives also include meeting the criteria and sourcing all of our electrical energy from renewable sources. ‘Zero Harm to People'”
To connect the start and finish of the linear textiles industry and to close the loop, technical innovation is necessary in addition to regulatory actions. Fiber-to-fiber recycling is a key example of a circular technology in this context. This method was only recently employed to recycle just 1% of the world’s discarded clothing into fibres for new clothing. According to McKinsey market researchers, if all of the technical recycling potential is used and more textiles are collected, 18 to 26% of textiles might be recycled by 2030. To do this, manual operations will need to be automated, clothing waste will need to be qualitatively separated, buttons and zips will need to be taken off, and fibre compositions will need to be clearly defined – all at a lower cost. Separating mixed fibres remains a challenge. barrier as well. The recycled materials also need to be acceptable for spinning, produce useable yarn, and allow for further processing, such as dyeing. Despite these difficulties, there are encouraging solutions in the works, even though some of the processes have not yet reached a stage where they can be used commercially.
Technology provided by Oerlikon Barmag for rPET enables users to save million tonnes of CO2 annually. For customers in China and Asia, Oerlikon Barmag unveiled a homogenizer recycling line in 2022. With this line, bottle flakes and film scrap may be combined, extruded, homogenised and melted to create polymer melt or chips. It makes it possible to accurately change the polymer quality of waste film or recycled bottles to meet various downstream extrusion requirements. or techniques for injection moulding
The VacuFil system from the Oerlikon Barmag joint venture, BB Engineering, is another rPET solution. A special and cutting-edge PET recycling system, VacuFil combines controlled intrinsic viscosity (IV) modulation with gentle large-scale filtration to produce consistently excellent rPET melt quality. In 2022, BB Engineering introduced the Visco+ filter, a patented important component of the VacuFil system that can be readily included as an update and allows for accurate IV setup and pure melt using vacuum. The primary quality attribute in PET recycling and rPET processing is IV. It controls how well materials melt during manufacture and defines the characteristics of the finished goods; it is therefore crucial to the recycling process. The Visco+ method is trustworthy, testable, and 50% more quickly than standard liquid-state polycondensation systems.Fast fashion, population increase of about 3% annually, and numerous more causes all contribute to the enormous need for textile fibres. International studies predict that the demand for polyester staple fibres will reach 20 million tonnes globally in 2025, which is almost 33% greater than the amount of production observed in 2013. Resource- and environment-friendly manufacturing techniques are critically essential for the future in light of apparent climate change and its effects on people and the economy. The margins of fibre producers are currently being affected by high production costs. Here, it is noteworthy that both energy and polymer prices have dramatically grown, but water is also a key resource nowadays that is usually in short supply and hence expensive. As of now Oerlikon Neumag will present its innovative EvoSteam method, which many process experts believe could enable the creation of more sustainably produced staple fibres in the future, to interested trade visitors at this year’s ITMA in Milan. With reduced energy, water, and polymer usage while maintaining the superior fibre quality required by downstream processes and high production volumes, the new development aims to reduce operating expenditures (OPEX) and the carbon impact.
new substances?
There are also significant obstacles for novel materials when we consider, among other things, the legislation of the European Union. In that context, the Green Deal can only be implemented if fresh EU policy frameworks give investors confidence in their money.
“In the polymer processing sector, we must come to terms with a resilient, closed circular economy for textiles and packaging, for instance, while stepping up recycling efforts for the raw materials. Here, new materials also present opportunities, which we, as a manufacturer of machines and a firm that specialises in plant engineering, will take advantage of. However, the costs of bio-based polymers like PA 5.6 and biodegradable polymers like PLA, PBAT, and PBS are not yet competitive when compared to non-biodegradable, petrochemical-based polymers like PE, PET, and PP. In contrast, bio-based materials, particularly those used in the packaging industry, already have qualities that are competitive. It seems that the market for compostable fabrics will stay specialised, says Stausberg.
But one thing is certain: we will be able to transform almost any material using both current Oerlikon technologies and emerging innovations. into a final product that is attractive from an ecological standpoint. Consumers will ultimately provide the answers to the economic questions. Once more, technology is allowing us to improve the planet, according to Stausberg.
Do digitalization and traceability go together?
The EU aims to lead the world’s circular economy by promoting textiles that are sustainable and compatible with closed loop systems. By 2030, textile products sold in the EU must be more resilient and recyclable, mostly made of recycled materials, free of dangerous compounds, and produced in accordance with social and environmental standards. Additionally, the creation of a digital product passport and the revision of the European Textile Labelling Act are included here: Players collaborate to implement the closed-loop principle and other crucial environmental needs. The value chain must also adhere to new informational requirements about the makeup of textiles. Oerlikon will display its own digital technology options as well as those that have been evaluated for use in Oerlikon products in conjunction with a number of partners during the event.The term “digital twin” was first used and understood for the following circumstances in 2014 by NASA’s Michael Grieves and John Vickers: For example, the simplest digital twins map an actual machine’s digital inventory list in order to be able to deliver precisely matching spare parts for a plant tailored to a particular customer. Digital twins that depict the kinematics and/or dynamics of a machine or plant are at the other end of the complexity spectrum. Oerlikon Barmag will exhibit a full WINGS POY at ITMA. kinematic model of the winding head in the digital twin. All necessary machine parts were modelled as rigid bodies and joined together using joints and contact bodies for this purpose. Forces and moments were used to imitate the real-world actuators. Similar to this, touch bodies and related collision bodies replicate the sensors. This kinematic model makes it feasible to virtually map every process that takes place while a winding head is in use. As a result, customers can receive quicker and more affordable production solutions.
The Digital Academy’s market launch is just the beginning.
An interactive, customised, modular, and time-flexible training paradigm has all of these characteristics. the requirements and Sessions should be independent of place and time, and the content should be adapted to the specific student’s needs. The Oerlikon Digital Academy is putting this idea into practise. The role-based e-learning courses in the digital online training centre, which is accessible through the myOerlikon.com e-commerce platform, cover topics including operation, maintenance, and repairs. They are currently applicable to the Oerlikon Neumag BCF S+ and S8 machines. Operating employees, process engineers and technicians, and quality assurance officers are the main targets of the training. From ITMA onward, the Oerlikon Neumag BCF S+ and BCF S8 systems will support the Digital Academy learning materials. All subscribers will have access to new content as it is regularly added.
Barmag Oerlikon An ACW Wings
How may a modification raise Oerlikon? Barmag POY yarn production process quality while minimising energy use, waste, time, and staffing? Oerlikon will debut its eagerly anticipated upgrade—ACW WINGS drawing fields—at ITMA. Existing technologies may constantly be improved. With its complex adaptations for initial string-up and yarn transfer, the Advanced Craft Winder (ACW), which was introduced in 1998, was incredibly convincing. In 2007, WINGS took its place as the new benchmark. However, many ACW and WINGS winders are being operated practically side by side in some places due to Oerlikon Barmag technology’s long lifespan. Please construct a WINGS drawing field over our ACW winders, customers pleaded with Oerlikon! For the first time ever, it will be displayed at an exhibition in a hybrid format at ITMA, combining a WINGS sketching field with virtual Winder ACW.
Robot for wiping Oerlikon Barmag
For the stability of the process and the quality of the yarn, the spin packs must be regularly cleaned. The procedure can be automated using Oerlikon Barmag’s wiping robots, which can be retrofitted to many spinning factories. This has significant advantages because it lowers the yarn break rate by up to 30% and increases process stability and uptime. The use of silicone oil spray cans has been reduced by 90%, and the overall use of silicone oil has decreased by 15% to 20% as a result of wiping robots.ATY yarn of the highest calibre is produced on the new JeTex by BB Engineering. It combines cutting-edge components made by Oerlikon Barmag with a novel texturing technique created by BB Engineering as a crucial component. Ensure quick production, the intended results, and the product’s quality.
Pumps Oerlikon Barmag
In the production of textiles, gear metering pumps are highly common. This is mostly because many systems are being updated to increase their effectiveness and specialisation. Oerlikon Barmag pumps are used in this situation since they are the ideal choice for almost all applications. The Oerlikon Barmag spinning pumps are square or round, high-precision gear metering pumps used to make continuous filaments. Applications include the pre-stage manufacture of aramid fibres or carbon fibres for reinforced composite materials with low weight and excellent resilience. The various fibres are utilised in a variety of fields, including aviation, safety products or sporting goods. At ITMA, there will be two sizable 3D models for aramid and spandex on display.
Nylon Oerlikon HycuTEC
High-end charged meltblown filtering media are produced using Oerlikon Nonwoven’s HycuTEC inline charging technology. It was presented in March and later won the 2022 FILTREXTM Innovation Award. The fact that the nonwoven material that was not treated by HycuTEC required 40% more polymer (fabric weight) to attain the same filter performance than the meltblown media treated with the technology was one of the factors in HycuTEC’s success. In other words, it is simpler to fulfil filter specifications while minimising manufacturing waste. Due to the removal of a second drying step and the large reduction in energy and water usage compared to conventional hydro-charging methods decrease in filter material pressure drop. The first hydro-charging technology that can be simply adapted to current systems as a plug-and-produce component is called HycuTEC.
