Four finalists have been nominated for the prestigious fourth annual Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics Conference (RISE) Durable Product Award, which will be awarded to a durable nonwoven product chosen for its innovative use of nonwoven fabric and/or technology that is commercially sold and used in the consumer or industrial marketplace. The finalists will make presentations during the second day of the three-day RISE & N3M Conference. The event is organized by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry and Elmarco Inc., a manufacturer of electrospun nanofiber equipment, is a Platinum Sponsor of the N3M symposium.

The final RISE Award recipient will be chosen by conference attendees who are composed of technical and marketing executives in the nonwoven/engineered fabrics industry. The winner will be announced February 11.

The four RISE Durable Product Award finalists are:

CT Meltblown Filter Cartridges: Conversion Technologies
Conversion Technologies International, West Unity, OH, used thermal bonded end caps and springs to eliminate the need for resin and adhesives in its latest filter product. This results in a completely green construction filter product that fills a market need in an elegant and cost-effective manner, according to Eric Rowley, company representative.  “Most filters start with a fabric or paper wrap, added to a core, added to other processes,” he says. “We manufacture the core and the continuous filter media in a single operation that eliminates costs and sanitation issues and improves quality.”

While this is not the only filter made from spunbond polypropyelene, the addition of a production floor quality control and an in-house porometer, provides advanced functionality for the customers.

“We knew that a need existed, that the physics were possible and the technology was available,” Rowley adds. “We responded to a product need that was functional, built to specifications, with capacities for production to achieve a cost effective product.”

AAMI Laminate: Polymer Group Inc.
PGI’s highly breathable AAMI 4 laminate is a unique surface treatment that, when applied to a nonwoven, enables a company to produce film-based composites with outstanding barrier properties and comfort. The combination of advanced nonwoven technology and impervious film technology ensures intrinsic barrier of the laminate while transporting moisture from body to the outer surface of the fabric at optimum speed.

Initial applications for the technology have been in the medical market.

“This product has addressed concerns of viral penetration and epidemic outbreak in all and any potential environments,” co-founder Krister Erlandsson says. “Understanding the customers’ need for a cost-effective solution has enabled us to quickly gain market penetration in the surgical gown and protective apparel markets although we see the potential for this technology in a range of applications.”

As a leader in the high performance surgical gown market, PGI is always conscious of its customers’ needs for better protection and improved comfort. Customer communication led to this unique combination of vital protection and comfort demonstrating the desired balance of softness, strength, breathability and affordability.

This product was developed at PGI’s Asian Center of Excellence in China by a team led by Erlandsson Kevin Jin. Patents are pending in Asia and North America/Europe.

BiComponent Spunbond: Fitesa
Fitesa’s bicomponent spunbond contains bioPE and polylactic acid, giving nonwovens customers a 100% biobased sustainable spunbond nonwoven with the optimum balance of softness and strength suitable for typical spunbond polypropylene applications. Additionally, this “development allows for a 100% biobased solution on conventional melt spinning equipment popular in the industry today,” says Steve Chester, technical service and development manager. “Finally, the bicomponent structure delivers a product that most converters can ‘drop-in’ to their process in place of standard spunbond polypropylene.”

The material offers customers a sustainable alternative in a diverse range of applications such as agriculture and landscaping, industrial wipes and disposable soft goods. Chester says its development was precipitated by consumer interest in “green” or sustainable product options and a growing demand for products made using renewable resources. “We know that petrochemical based solutions will have to be replaced eventually,” he says.   “Most of the large consumer product companies have established sustainability initiatives, for example P&G, SCA and Kimberly-Clark.”

Fitesa also offers a PP/PLA bicomponent spunbond which is a nonwoven with 50% biobased content for applications requiring laminating or seaming to other polypropylene components and is working on the development of a nonwoven using 100% PLA is currently under development.

Ellitica Loom: Texnology
The Ellitica Loom from Texnology is a patented system for needling without dimensional distortion that allows a nonwoven product to form from a homogeneous fiber web that has been neither carded nor airlaid. In doing this, multiple process steps were eliminated resulting in a radical lowering of investment and manufacturing costs.

The company founder, a longtime nonwovens manufacturer, developed the technology after becoming frustrated by the limited needling technology available in the marketplace and set out to develop an extremely user friendly loom that features simple component changes and ease of maintenance. Texnology has advanced the cost effectiveness of elliptical needling, which has normally been associated with a premium investment cost. “Elliptial motion is now achieved through the use of a simpler, more affordable machine design that maintains the highest production and quality standards,” the company says.

The second generation of this technology will be unveiled at ITMA 2015 in Milan, Italy. n