Solutions for Carded Nonwovens - Oerlikon Neumag - Oerlikon Textile

I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Fiber Journal
SINCE 1986
WORLDWIDE REPORTER FOR THE MANMADE FIBER, TECHNICAL TEXTILE AND NONWOVENS INDUSTRY APRIL 2009
Oerlikon Neumag Offers Solution
for Carded Nonwovens
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Extensive Review of Latest Recycling Technologies
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COVER STORY
Oerlikon Neumag One Step Ahead –
Solutions for Carded Nonwovens
BY KEN NORBERG, EDITOR
Part of Oerlikon Neumag's carding workforce in "their" Carding Competence Center in Linz.
With the establishment of
its Carding Division,
Oerlikon Neumag has
demonstrated that its objectives are
not limited to the acquisition and
integration of a number of traditional
brands. Indeed, at a variety of levels
the company is working on the further
development of individual
processes, which are then combined
to form intelligent and function-oriented,
overall solutions for the production
of carded nonwovens.
Seven years ago, no one could have
predicted that today Oerlikon
Neumag would number among the
world’s leading suppliers of machines
and lines for the production of nonwovens.
Indeed, Oerlikon Neumag is
now the only supplier in the market
to offer solutions and technologies for
spunmelt, airlaid and carding, which
constitutes the three most important
nonwoven production processes.
Activities relating to machines
and lines for the production of nonwovens
from staple fibers are concentrated
in the so-called Carding
Division, which has emerged from
the highly traditional Fehrer, FOR,
Octir and Autefa brands purchased
by Oerlikon Neumag in 2004 and
2005, and integrated into the
Nonwoven Business Area.
Reprinted with permission of International Fiber Journal ww.fiberjournal.com
NEW MODULAR CARD DESIGN
The northern Italian town of Biella
is home to the FOR and OCTIR companies,
two pioneers in the carding
machine sector that both possess over
a century of experience, and currently
operate under the name Oerlikon
Neumag Italy. In addition to fiber
preparation machinery and lines,
Oerlikon Neumag Italy manufactures
nonwoven cards. Cards constitute one
of the most important machines in the
carding process, as they play a decisive
role in determining the feed quality of
the fiber web.
Over the years, FOR and Octir
have decisively influenced the carding
machinery market with a diversity of
innovative solutions. One example in
this regard is the injection principle,
which has proven highly effective
worldwide in connection with high
production speeds like those achieved
with hydroentanglement bonding. A
second innovation is the double doffer
principle for the transfer between preand
main carding, which is familiar
under the name “Webmaster”.
Nonetheless, the earlier cards
from Octir and FOR still offered
potential for improvement with
regard to their mechanical engineering
realization. Under Oerlikon
Neumag this potential has been pinpointed
and the design of the cards
subjected a radical rethink and fundamental
modifications. The result is
function-oriented machines based
on a modular design principle. Using
new, systematic methods of design
and modern know-how management,
the existing model types were
subdivided into functional modules
and systematized with regard to their
design and technological effect. The
result was a study completed with
the support of leading universities,
which enabled the development of a

machine concept, in which function
and design enjoy a clearly defined
direct relationship.
The cards of today are thus divided
into nine functional groups:
Feeding
Intake regulation
Drafting unit
Preliminary opening
Transfer
Main carding
Doffing cylinders
Web doffing
FUNCTIONAL CARD MODULES
Various standardized modules are
available for each of the nine functional
groups. The modules are combined
in various functional units in
line with the desired final application
and performance.
This results in numerous customer
advantages:
Improved reproducibility: only
proven modules are employed
Greater flexibility: module
exchange permits modifications
to a variety of applications
Scalability: settings are
reproducible
Simplified setting and
maintenance: new setting and
maintenance solutions, e.g. “Easy
Opening” for the simple opening
of the setting points
Variable nonwoven structure:
several takeoffs are available for
the production of differing
nonwoven structures
CROSSLAPPING WITH WEBMAX
Another decisive element in the
nonwoven production process is laying.
Autefa crosslappers, which are
manufactured in Friedberg, have
proven themselves in hundreds of
production plants worldwide and
number among the best machines on
the market.
The optimization of the web uniformity
of the nonwoven profile is
achieved by the Webmax profiling
line, which is based on the targeted
reduction of the thickness of the
FOR Injection Card ready for test runs in the Carding Competence Center.
nonwovens between the card and the
crosslapper and the deposition of
these thin areas near the web edges.
The latest crosslapper drive technology
enables the precise use of this
control even at the highest laying
speeds. In addition, web shrinkage
during needling can be regulated by
the automatic feedback of the web
thickness measurement signals at the
end of the process.
One of the core competences: Needle Punching
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COVER STORY
ENGINEERING CAPABILITIES
The Linz location of the former
Fehrer AG is not only responsible
for the development and production
of needle punching machines, but
also forms the competence center
for complete lines. This is because
the takeover of leading companies
from the nonwoven industry and the
further development of individual
technologies does not offer an automatic
guarantee of the supply of

COVER STORY
Profile with WebMax: The concave weight profile on the delivery belt will be compensated
again by the following bonding process.
Profile without WebMax: The classic weight distribution in a needled lapped web shows the
typical higher weights in the edge areas.
successful complete lines. For this
reason, a diversity of measures have
been implemented, in order to not
only supply customers with
machines on a one-stop shopping
basis, but also with optimized and
matching components and processes.
To this end, a separate engineering
department has been created for
the carding sector on the basis of the
experience in the realization of
large-scale projects gathered by
Neumag, which 15 years ago started
to expand its technical engineering
competence in the field of fiber
plants for the textile industry.
This experience has now been systematically
transferred to the nonwoven
sector with the result that the
current engineering range on offer is
regarded as exemplary within the
industry. In addition to detailed line
and process design in accordance
with customer requirements, these
engineering capabilities include
extensive contractual guarantees with
regard to product quality and plant
performance and even encompass
complete, turnkey plants.
CARDING COMPETENCE CENTER
In addition to specialist engineering,
Linz is also home to a Carding
Competence Center, which was
opened in 2006 and contains a complete
carding line for testing purposes.
The carding line consists of fiber
preparation, a FOR WM 2+2 card, an
Autefa Topliner crosslappers with
Webmax, two needle looms and a
winder. With a working width of 3.5m,
the laboratory line offers all the prerequisites
needed for the emulation of
commercial production conditions.
Following the opening, the Carding
Competence Center has been expanded
in systematic fashion through the addition
of an aerodynamic V21R – K12
card, a FOR injection card with EVO3
for high-speed processes, a structuring
needle loom, and a needle loom for
high-speed applications. This extensive
range of equipment means than virtually
every field of application can be cov-
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ered and apart from in-company development
work, the Carding Competence
Center specializes in customer demonstrations
and trials. The presentation of
quality data and production performance
on the basis of individual customer
settings and product specifications
is one of the most important prerequisites
for the provision of potential
customers with sustained and convincing
evidence of the performance capacity
of Oerlikon Neumag products.
However, the Carding Competence
Center is only one element in the successful
development work at the Linz
location. In addition to further
advances relating to the carding
process as a whole, the Oerlikon
Neumag Austria development department
is also working on innovative
needling technologies.
DEVELOPING NEXT GENERATION
A central focus in this regard is on a
new and forward-looking generation
of needle looms. Moreover, innovative
solutions are being developed to assist
customers with the optimization and
improvement of their current production
processes. One example in this
connection is the simulation and optimization
of needling structures.
In cooperation with leading institutes
in the field of simulation technology,
an optimization of the needle
distribution is possible, which
accounts for all the process parameters
of the actual process and thus
ensures the targeted developed of
customized needle distributions for
various applications without the
need for complicated testing. For the
first time, this tool allows the targeted
and rapid optimization of needlefelt
structures according to individual
customer specifications.
Oerlikon Neumag will be represented
at the Techtextil in Las Vegas
with an information stand (no. 503),
in order to present visitors with the
latest developments in the field of
nonwovens production.
IFJ
For more information contact: Oerlikon Neumag
Zweigniederlassung der Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG
Tel: 49 4321 305 888