AUTEFA’s advanced systems for nonwoven manufacturing

TM-Dec-12-134_1AUTEFA Solutions is a group of three machine manufacturers active in the field of textile machinery and consumer goods. These are AUTEFA in Friedberg, the Austrian sister company Fehrer in Linz and the Italian company F.O.R./OCTIR in Biella.

With its centres located in Friedberg (Germany), Linz (Austria) and Biella (Italy), AUTEFA Solutions is positioned at the heart of Europe. From these locations, machinery and systems are exported to customers around the world. The group also has branches in the US and China.

Over 250 workers are employed at the three AUTEFA Solutions locations in Friedberg, Linz and Biella. The company is expanding and its manufacturing capacities are being extended. Construction of new buildings is planned in Friedberg and Biella. All machines sold are designed and manufactured in Europe.

AUTEFA Solutions stands for innovation and new development in all areas. A team of designers and technology experts have been working together successfully for years and have been supported by a large number of new employees in the last few months. The future of the group is focused on growth and expansion of its three European sites.

TM-Dec-12-135_1AUTEFA Solutions delivers complete lines as well as individual machines for nonwoven manufacturing. The scope of products includes preparation machinery, carding machines, as well as random carding machines, needle looms and crosslappers. It represents companies with a long tradition and a history of years of successful participation in the market.

The Stylus needle loom is equipped with the innovative Variliptic drive system. Purely vertical and elliptic motion sequences are implemented with just one drive by the corresponding offset settings in the two eccentric gears which make up the drive system.

The Variliptic drive system enables high production speeds while also ensuring a gentle needling of the nonwoven fabric. This is particularly important during the first process step, the preneedling. The system optimises the surface of the nonwoven fabric, while also protecting fibres and minimising the needle wear.

Thanks to its modular design, the flexible Stylus needle loom can be used for all applications. The needle bars can be changed quickly so that extended downtimes are avoided.

The i-point simulation program contributes to the improvement of surface properties, tenacity and product characteristics through the computer-based generation of customer-specific or product-specific needle patterns. At the same time, i-point is used for the computerised development of new products. This avoids long series of trials and production downtimes.

The Stylus needle loom represents the next generation of successful Fehrer needle looms. The Stylus is available in machine widths from 2 m to 8.5 m and can be used in all areas of nonwoven production.

Airlay Card K 12 DIRECT

TM-Dec-12-136_2The Airlay Card K 12 DIRECT utilises an aerodynamic principle which results in three dimensional fibre orientation and total randomisation. Total fibre randomisation enables isotropic web strength.

The aerodynamic principle results in maximum product quality, economical production and reliability from a single source. The system is suitable for production of top quality webs in a weight range of 80 to 6,000 g/m².

Due to the direct transfer from the chute feed to the Airlay Card without an additional opener, the fibres are gently opened up and formed into the nonwoven fabric.

The Airlay Card K 12 DIRECT is a short and compact machine that offers advantages like reduction of filter size and exhaust air, lower energy consumption, reduced space requirements and gentle fibre treatment.

The flexible Airlay Card K 12 can be used for all fibre types. These are all kinds of man-made fibres, viscose, cotton, cotton blend, jute, flax, hemp, regenerated waste and special fibres.

WebMax

TM-Dec-12-136_1Weight accuracy in the bonded lapped web is the most requested quality feature for a modern nonwoven installation. WebMax, together with the Crosslapper Topliner, produces a counterweight profile to the ‘Smile’ profile on the layering belt of the Crosslapper during carded web production.

With the WebMax, the carded web weight is altered at the Crosslapper infeed and, via the layering carriage control, the carded web is deposited on the layering belt in such a way that the lapped web weight is controllably lighter in the edge areas than in the centre areas. This concave weight profile therefore compensates the weight changes resulting from material shrinkage and ensures the highest possible weight evenness in the final product.

By improving the lapped web profile, WebMax also provides a reasonable reduction of material consumption.

The precise co-operation between web infeed and web lapping ensures exact profiling of the carded web with a straight edged layering pattern.

Crosslappers Topliner from AUTEFA Solutions stand out, thanks to their high production speeds and the high quality webs. When the Crosslapper is used in combination with the WebMax control system, a saving of 20 per cent can be made on material. This is achieved through the reduction of fibre usage via weight reduction at the edge areas of the nonwoven fabric.

The ‘Smile’ effect – the increased thickness of the nonwoven fabric at the edge areas – is achieved by means of drafts and an uneven material shrinkage during the bonding of the nonwoven fabric. The WebMax also comes into play here, compressing the carded web and periodically drafting of the web taking into account the Crosslapper width. The precise placement of the drafted zones on the conveyor belt is particularly important as it enables the weight profile to be created in line with the ‘Smile’ effect.

The Injection Card uses the aerodynamic principle to gently treat fibres when opening them, and in parallel, the new carding concept avails itself of some of the advantages of the cotton card and of some of those of the traditional card, with workers and strippers. The carding effect is improved, the recycling of fibres is totally negligible, and the isotropy of the product is increased. All the advantages make the Injection Card the most suitable for high-production Spunlace lines.

The new generation of Injection Card, called Injection Card PLUS, has improved performance and enables easy maintenance and optimised reliability.

All the developments made over the last few years have taken into account the need for highly efficient and powerful drive systems. AUTEFA Solutions has continuously optimised the air control of the individual machines, saving energy through the use of modern engines and a low load on the filter units.