Dave Rousse, president of INDA, the association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and Karen McIntyre, editor of Nonwovens Industry, presented IDEA Achievement Awards in six categories yesterday at IDEA19. Five of the six finalists were chosen, by the nonwovens industry, from three finalists. These finalists were chosen from dozens of entries by the INDA Technical Advisory Board.

The awards recognize brilliant innovations in the nonwovens and engineered materials industry. Awards were named to the finalists in five categories—equipment, raw materials, roll goods, converted product short life and converted product long life. Additionally, a sixth award, the IDEA19 Entrepreneur Award was presented to Procter & Gambles Ventures to their vision to promote entrepreneurs in several categories involving nonwovens.


The winners were:

IDEA 19 Equipment Achievement Award – Best new equipment introduction
A.Celli Nonwovens S.P.A.: A.Celli Vision System (DMS 4.0)
Currently, vision inspection systems are installed at the end of the nonwoven forming line, before the pope winder and have the target of checking the quality of the newly formed sheet. The solution that A.Celli has developed and presents consists in installing a camera inspection system after the slitting s ection and as close as possible to the winding point, in order to be able to inspect the sheet immediately before winding. This new location for the camera system allows the inspection of the web just before it becomes part of the reel and to certify the roll to be free from defects: not only the defects coming from the forming process but also any other imperfection that might be added in the later stages.

Some the most relevant advantages obtained by the installation of a vision system inside a rewinder. include: detect all the defects of the sheet due not only to the formation of the sheet, but also to the later roll handling and web handling process; the system can verify that the rewinder operator has effectively removed the defects detected by the first vision system (and / or by the metal detector), installed upstream of the winder; check that no longitudinal folds are formed during the slitting and rewinding process.; heck that the strips, due to aerodynamic effects, do not skid to the right or left, compromising the flatness of the side of the reels, and therefore the quality of the reel.; check the quality of the cut edges in order to monitor the wear of the blades that create these cutting edges; check whether a cutting unit has stopped cutting, compromising the good quality of all the reel doffing ; measure the width of the strips and measure the width of the “neck-in” between the various strips; monitor and maintain the reel quality index consisting of the constant width of the wound web


IDEA®19 Roll Goods Achievement Award – Best new roll goods introduction
Fitesa: Fitesa 100% BioBase PLA Soft
Fitesa’s 100% bio-based materials combine comfort with sustainability. This bio-based material is made from renewable, compostable resin with a soft touch that is superior to standard polypropylene spunbond materials and other BioBase spunbond products. PLA is a renewable source resin produced from the lactic acid extracted from plants’ glucose. Fitesa applies state-of-the-art technology to process this material into spunbond fabrics. Its monopolymer composition makes recycling easier compared to bicomponent structures and a proprietary soft bond pattern makes Fitesa 100% BioBase PLA Soft one of the best sustainable solutions in the market.


IDEA 19 Raw Material Achievement Award – Best new fiber/raw material introduction
Lenzing AG: Veocel Lyocell fibers with Eco Cycle Technology
Lenzing AG will present a technology that enables the production of lyocell fibers using a blend of wood and recycled cotton waste as a raw material. Key benefits are the reduction of the virgin feedstock as well as a reduction of pre-consumer waste from the textile industry. The final fiber product keeps its full performance compared to a standard lyocell fiber.

IDEA 19 Short-Life Product Achievement Award – Best new disposable product utilizing engineered fabrics
Callaly: Tampliner
Callaly’s Tampliner is a new tampon innovation, designed by a gynecologist and developed by a garment specialist. It’s the only period product to combine three components into one—a high quality organic cotton tampon that won’t shed, a soft organic cotton mini liner that folds between the labia to provide extra protection without the bulk of a pad and a breathable virtual applicator that keeps the finger clean during insertion and neatly wraps the tampon on removal.


IDEA 19 Long-Life Product Achievement Award – Best new durable product utilizing engineered fabrics
Soteria Battery Innovation Group: Soteria Battery Architecture
Existing lithium ion batteries use solid foil current collectors and plastic film separators. When damage or a defect occurs, the current collectors deliver the battery energy to the defect in a short period of time, generating heat and melting the plastic separator which sends the cell into thermal runaway. Soteria is using a new architecture based on nanofiber nonwoven separators (made from fibrillated lyocell reinforced with aramid fiber) that will never ever melt or shrink and current collectors that are made from metallized plastic film that retreat in the presence of a defect like a fuse. In addition, they eliminate over 90% of the copper, reducing weight and cost and increasing energy density.

INDA and Nonwovens Industry has been jointly sponsoring the IDEA Achievement Awards since 2001.