Staple FORCE S 1000 promises new market potential
With a specially designed production line, Oerlikon Neumag is addressing the growing need of manufacturers of polyester and polypropylene staple fibers to also be able to make small production units in a cost-effective manner. Staple FORCE S 1000, which was recently unveiled at the industry trade fair INDEX in Geneva, achieves this with an exceptionally high production speed of 1,000 metres per minute along with simple and fast handling, which shortens changing times and significantly reduces surplus quantities.
With a production capacity of 15 tons per day, the system enables manufacturers of man-made fibers to deliver on demand and expand to markets for special applications. Manufacturers of nonwovens can also directly profit from Staple FORCE S 1000. The system facilitates the cost-effective integration of fiber production into in-house production.
“Moving forward, we intend to apply our broad technological expertise in man-made fibers to achieve further growth with machine and system solutions for special applications,” explains Mr. Stefan Kross, CEO of the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Segment.
The global market for man-made fibers such as polyester, polypropylene and bicomponents used in the production of nonwovens grows around five per cent each year. In 2015, total demand is expected to amount to 3.2 million tons for carded nonwovens alone. They are primarily used in geotextiles for civil engineering, in filtration materials, for application in the automotive industry in insulation and interiors, and for numerous special applications. The market requires both smaller production quantities that can be delivered on short notice and cost-effective manufacturing processes. Up until now, these requirements were incompatible.
While demand requires average daily production of 15-20 tons of fibers per production line, today’s production lines are designed to produce significantly larger quantities, which makes them less flexible. “With the Staple FORCE S 1000, we can close the gap between demand, which is focused more on daily production, and cost-efficient production. At the same time, by integrating fiber production into operations, we enable downstream manufacturers to better co-ordinate product development and also improve quality control,” adds Mr. Stefan Kross.
The key to cost-effective, flexible operation is the system’s compact design. The Staple FORCE S 1000 (FORCE stands for Fibers on Request and Compact Engineering) is designed for simple, fast handling. It offers significantly faster changing times compared with conventional production lines. This, in turn, markedly reduces waste.
Another central component of the system’s cost efficiency is its production speed. At 1,000 metres per minute, it achieves speeds not seen before in one-step processes. To this end, Oerlikon Neumag adapted a stretching process that has been successfully used in carpet yarn plants for years. By omitting the steam and water-bath processes, the new procedure uses significantly less energy and water, which saves money and is better for the environment. The additional investment costs are also minimal.
The extremely compact system only takes up 450 sq. metres of floor space and can be installed on a standard industrial floor. Special machine foundations are not required. “With Staple FORCE S 1000, we’re setting new standards for synthetic staple fibers in terms of cost efficiency, flexibility and compactness,” Mr. Stefan Kross reveals.