Oerlikon presented new staple fiber process at ITMA 2023
Visitors to the trade fair spoke about a pioneer for more sustainable staple fiber production. “This shows that our customers have understood that the EvoSteam process has tremendous potential and represents a huge step forward”, comments Martin Rademacher, Head of Sales Oerlikon Neumag, thrilled by the across-the-board positive trade fair feedback in Milan.
Performance in numbers
When developing the EvoSteam process, our engineers focused both on fiber quality and in particular also on sustainability, energy efficiency and reducing the consumption of resources. Compared to conventional staple fiber systems, an increase in efficiency of up to 12%, a reduction in production waste of up to 50% along with energy savings of up to 8% speak a very clear language. With water savings of up to 10 million liters per annum and a lowering of the carbon footprint by up to 20%, this Oerlikon system helps fiber manufacturers achieve their sustainability targets.
EvoSteam process dispenses with liquid baths
10 million liters less water: the function of the immersion bath is assumed by a carefully-coordinated set-up comprising godets and pulsed spray nozzles. Consequently, moisture is precision-metered and added to the process as required. Completely dispensing with liquid baths generates significant savings in terms of water, energy and spin finish, while simultaneously also increasing occupational safety and cleanliness at the production line. “In conventional drawing processes, large volumes of water are used to control the temperature and provide the requisite moisture in the fiber tow. At the end of the process, this water must be removed from the tow again, which is a very resource- and energy-intensive process”, states Martin Rademacher. “The sparing utilization of water enables a significant reduction in the requisite drying energy, which translates into a tremendous cost benefit for our customers.”
