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. It will also debut a hybrid sketching field using WINGS and a virtual ACW Winder for the first time at an expo.
Creating a circular economy within the textile value chain, offering energy-efficient technologies, using digital solutions to support a sustainable production, processing new materials, and finally the traceability of all products and the recycling of raw materials used are the current challenges that the entire textile industry must address, according to the Switzerland-based Oerlikon Group.
the Oerlikon Groupleading supplier of high-precision flow control component equipment and complete polymer processing system solutions. The Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division offers nonwoven production systems, BCF and staple fibre lines, texturing machines, polycondensation and extrusion lines, and manufactured fibre filament spinning options. With production, sales, distribution, and service organisations, the division provides customer service through its technology brands, Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag, Oerlikon Nonwoven, and Oerlikon HRSflow, in around 120 different countries.
Oerlikon will exhibit in Hall 1, booth B211, where it will present its technological solutions in an original manner while providing first responses to pressing concerns about the present and the future. “At Oerlikon, we provide our cutting-edge technologies for resource-saving use in nearly all man-made fibre spinning machines in theworld. Georg Stausberg, CEO of the Polymer Processing Solutions Division and Chief Sustainability Officer of the Oerlikon Group, stated, “Our commitment for the future is to continue to extend the zero-waste production strategy and take care of reaching 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
The pollution caused by textiles is growing significantly. Above all, European lawmakers are creating a comprehensive plan for a regulating circular economy to address the mounting mountains of old apparel. Moreover, the textile sector isbeen creating a name for itself with cutting-edge techniques for recovering 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. According to the European Environment Agency, the yearly consumption of clothing and shoes is predicted to increase by further 63 percent by 2030, from 62 million to 102 million tonnes.
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’ approach is incredibly promising and because they are encouraging cooperation amongst the various companies along the value chain, we support technology innovators like them. Recycling only functions when all participants work together to create a circular system, stressed 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.
InHowever, Oerlikon also sets high standards for sustainability. It is not surprising that we have applied high standards of innovation to our own operations and practises, according to Stausberg. 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 criterion of “Zero Harm to People” and sourcing all of our electrical energy from renewable sources.
To connect the beginning and the end of the process, technical innovation is needed in addition to regulatory actions. linear textiles sector and to complete the circle. Fiber-to-fiber recycling is a key example of a circular technology in this context. This method was only recently used to recycle just 1% of worn clothing globally 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 percent 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. Another challenge is still separating mixed fibres. The recycled materials must also be acceptable for spinning, produce useable yarn, and allow for further processing. treated, or coloured. Despite these difficulties, there are encouraging solutions in the works, even though some of the techniques have not yet reached a stage where they may 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 precisely adapt the polymer quality of waste film or recycled bottles to the needs of various downstream extrusion or injection moulding operations.
The VacuFil system from the Oerlikon Barmag joint venture, BB Engineering, is another rPET solution. VacuFil is an original and creative product. PET recycling line that combines tailored intrinsic viscosity (IV) management with gentle large-scale filtration for dependably 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+ process outperforms traditional liquid-state polycondensation systems by 50% in terms of reliability, verifiability, and speed.
Production of polyester staple fibre is revolutionised by the EvoSteam process.
Textile fibres are in high demand: population expansionFast fashion as well as many other causes are driving this demand, which is increasing by about 3% annually. International studies predict that the demand for polyester staple fibres will reach 20 million tonnes globally in 2025, or about 33% higher than the amount produced 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.
At the ITMA in Milan this year, Oerlikon Neumag will introduce its newEvoSteam process, which many process experts consider to be a catalyst for future staple fibre manufacturing that is more environmentally friendly, to interested trade visitors. 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 Resources
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.
We must establish a sustainable, closed circular economy for textiles and packaging in the polymer production sector. for instance, while also significantly increasing the amount of materials that are recycled. Here, new materials also present opportunities, which we, as a maker of machines and a firm that specialises in plant engineering, will take use 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, said Georg Stausberg.
But one thing is clear, he continued, “We will be able to convert almost any raw material into an ecologically appealing end product using present Oerlikon technologies and future advances. Consumers will ultimately provide the answers to the economic questions. Once more, technology is allowing us to improve the planet.
traceability and digitization
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 in the value chain must also adhere to new information standards about in order to achieve the closed-loop concept and other significant environmental criteria. 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.
Utilising the Oerlikon Barmag Digital Twin to look into the future
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 system at ITMA. Digital twin of the POY winding head using kinematic modelling. 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.
debut of the Digital Academy in the market
An interactive, customised, modular, and time-flexible training paradigm has all of these characteristics. according to the requirements and general circumstances ofSessions should be independent of location and time for each student, and the content should be customised. 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 can Oerlikon Barmag POY yarn be upgraded? Increasing manufacturing process quality while reducing energy use, waste, time, and staff? 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, numerous ACW and WINGS winders are being operated literally side by side in some regions due to Oerlikon Barmag technology’s long lifespan. Please construct a WINGS drawing field over our ACW winders, customers pleaded with Oerlikon! A hybrid display combining a WINGS sketching field and a virtual ACW Winder will be made at ITMA for the first time.
OerlikonRobot that wipes 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. A 90 percent drop in the use of silicone oil spray cans and a 15 to 20 percent decrease in overall silicone oil use are other ways that wiping robots assist in indirectly reducing waste.
For POY and FDY, a new air-texturing line
ATY yarn of the highest calibre is produced on the new JeTex by BB Engineering. It incorporates a newly created, unique texturing system. by BB Engineering as a vital component with cutting-edge parts from Oerlikon Barmag to guarantee quick production speeds, the desired 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. The pre-stage manufacturing of carbon fibres for reinforced composite materials with low weight and high resilience or the production of aramid are examples of potential uses. fibers. The various fibres are employed in a variety of fields, including aviation, sporting goods, and safety devices. At ITMA, there will be two sizable 3D models for aramid and spandex on show.
Nylon Oerlikon HycuTEC
High-end charged meltblown filtering media are produced using Oerlikon Nonwoven’s HycuTEC inline charging technology. The 2022 FILTREX Innovation Award was given to it after it was introduced in March. One of the factors HycuTEC received the honour was the fact that the technology allows meltblown media to be treated, which uses 40% less polymer (fabric weight) to achieve the same filter efficiency as nonwoven material that has not been treated. In other words, it is simpler to fulfil filter specifications while minimising manufacturing waste. The device drastically lowers hydro-charging costs when compared to competing approaches. water and energy consumption due to the elimination of an additional drying process and the lower pressure drop in the filter material. HycuTEC is the first industrially manufactured hydro-charging solution that can be easily retrofitted to existing systems as a plug-and-produce component.
