The broad ANDRITZ product portfolio covers state-of-the-art nonwovens and textile production technologies such as air-through bonding, needlepunch, spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid, converting and textile finishing.

What’s been happening at ANDRITZ since INDEX 2017?

ANDRITZ Diatec, Italy now part of the ANDRITZ GROUP

With the acquisition of ANDRITZ Diatec, ANDRITZ enlarged its product portfolio to include state-of-the-art converting lines for the hygiene, lamination, medical and food pad sectors. A wide range of special machines and technologies for the production of baby diapers and pants, adult incontinence underpants, adult diapers and pants, adult light incontinence products, sanitary napkins, panty shields, food pads, medical and laminating applications extend the supply and value chain of ANDRITZ. The converting process for hygiene products requires premium quality standards, high capacities, and top-level production efficiency by reducing labor costs and machine downtime. Every detail is essential. This is why customers can develop and run trials on ANDRITZ pilot facilities to optimize raw materials, roll goods and final product applications.

At INDEX 2020, ANDRITZ Diatec will present its new adult pants line, which offers top-class components and an innovative technology process. The growing market for adult incontinence products has resulted in a state-of-the-art process with highest quality standards, such as the development of ultrasonic side seam solutions with excellent results in terms of bond strength and system reliability. The machine speed no longer limits quality bonds. As a result, operations and size changes are faster and easier. The modern forming system for higher SAP concentration and the turning and placing system guarantee maximum process stability and put customers’ adult pants at the top of the adult hygiene market. Learn more at INDEX.

Trends and Innovations in the hygiene machinery business

Sustainability is more than just a trend in the nonwovens industry. It is a serious responsibility for the entire world for the years and decades to come. The strong demand to reduce the use of plastics, save energy and increase efficiency is a clear innovation factor for the nonwoven industry and has led to newly developed production processes. ANDRITZ has always invested in future-oriented technologies that reduce the use of the various substances and raw materials required as well as cutting energy consumption. For the hygiene business, ANDRITZ provides first-class air-through bonding, spunlaid, spunjet, spunlace and WetlaceTM machines, as well as converting technologies and corresponding services to meet these demands for years to come.

One great highlight of ANDRITZ at INDEX will be the introduction of innovative technologies for the production of “green”/biodegradable products. Such processes for the production of biodegradable wipes are achieving high performance entirely with natural and/or renewable raw materials. The added benefit of using a blend of fibers, like wood pulp, short-cut cellulosic staple fibers, viscose, cotton, hemp, bamboo or linen, without chemical additives or binders results in a 100% biodegradable fabric, thus meeting customers’ needs exactly as well as supporting the strong tendency to move away from plastics and synthetics.

In response to the demand to save raw materials, ANDRITZ will be presenting its neXline spunlace for lightweight fabrics. Decreasing weight per square meter while maintaining high MD and CD tensile strength is the main challenge. Indeed, fibers account for a substantial part of the production costs. Very high productivity is needed for the lighter fabrics required with perfect uniformity. ANDRITZ provides the well-known TT card web forming and the high-performance Jetlace hydroentanglement units that can more than fulfill these challenges. The spunlace roll goods may achieve weights of 25 gsm and even less for ultralight spunlace fabrics, and web uniformity is excellent.

Another highlight at INDEX will be the latest technology developments in the spunlaid sector. Besides the well-known calender technologies, ANDRITZ also delivers Spunjet technologies, finishing solutions, and state-of-the-art dryers. Customers can produce the exact fabric characteristics they need with superior ANDRITZ technologies. The patented nonwovens process called Spunjet is the in-line hydroentanglement of continuous filaments, creating a new generation of spunlaid nonwovens with unrivalled bulkiness and softness compared to standard spunbond fabrics. Spunjet offers customers the best properties ever achieved in existing and new nonwovens applications.