NWI and Oerlikon Partner to Advance Meltblown Lab Technology

New collaboration boosts hydrocharging research and filtration innovation

The Nonwovens Institute and Oerlikon Nonwoven have formed a strategic partnership to expand meltblown hydrocharging capabilities, supporting advanced filtration media development and industry innovation.

The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at North Carolina State University has entered into a new collaboration with Oerlikon Nonwoven to advance meltblown laboratory technology. The announcement was made by Professor Raoul Farer, Executive Deputy Director of NWI and faculty member at the Wilson College of Textiles, together with Dr. Ingo Mählmann, Sales Director Nonwoven at Oerlikon Neumag, during ITMA Asia + CITME 2025 in Singapore.

Patented and award-winning: the hycuTEC hydro-charging system.

The partnership’s initial phase includes NWI’s investment in Oerlikon Nonwoven’s hycuTEC hydrocharging system, which will be incorporated into the institute’s current laboratory setup. This upgrade will allow NWI to operate a cutting-edge meltblown hydrocharging lab, enabling the development of next-generation products—particularly high-performance air filtration media. The initiative also offers significant value to Oerlikon Nonwoven’s North American customers by giving them access to hycuTEC technology for testing and product development in a research-driven environment.

Oerlikon Nonwoven’s patented hycuTEC system represents a major breakthrough for the filtration sector. The technology uses a fine spray mist of demineralized water to efficiently produce high-performance electret media, achieving an outstanding filtration efficiency of 99.99% at low pressure drop. In recognition of its innovation, the hycuTEC hydrocharging technology received the Edana Filtrex Innovation Award in 2023.