Tara Olivo, Associate Editor08.01.23
Berry Global
Berry Global has ATB capabilities in Europe, Asia and North America. The Berry Global Center of Excellence for carding and fluid dynamics understanding is based in Terno d’Isola, Italy, where it has multiple ATB production lines. Berry has additional ATB capacity installed in Nanhai, China, and Benson, NC.Berry’s ATB is mainly used in multiple applications at all subsegments of absorbent hygiene products (AHP): babycare, femcare and adult incontinence. Robert Garcia, R&D, Application & Product Development Director, EMEIA Hygiene & Healthcare, Nonwovens, Berry Global, says this is driven mainly by three properties: softness, flexibility in raw materials and bulkiness.
“In regard to softness, ATB – together with spunlace – are the softest nonwovens in the market,” he explains. “There is still a significant gap in bulkiness and smoothness compared to. spunbond – including new bico crimped spunbond. The fact that spunbond requires bonding patterns while ATB does not, is one of the reasons for such a superior performance in softness of ATB versus spunbond.”
Based on this unique softness, ATB carded nonwovens are mainly used as a topsheet and backsheet for high-tier products.
An additional benefit of ATB compared to spunbond is the flexibility to combine different raw materials. “A couple of examples are the increase of bonding and sealing performance by using polymers with lower melting points for premium pants, and 3D ATB embossed solutions that get benefit of the superior resiliency in comparison to spunbond solutions,” Garcia says.
Another major application where Berry’s ATB is used in hygiene is the acquisition distribution layer (ADL). “In this case, it is mainly about the bulk of the ATB nonwoven which creates a void volume that permits fast inlet times,” he says. “The space provided by the bulk of the nonwoven permits the liquid to be spread across the core without collapsing the SAP.”
Outside of hygiene, Berry is also focused on air filtration since ATB permits engineering very unique combinations of air permeability, thickness and pressure drop. The ATB filtration business at Berry in Europe has tripled since 2020, according to Garcia, excluding the impact of the Covid pandemic. “This growth reflects Berry Global’s ongoing commitment to seizing opportunities and creating new products, building upon our expertise in carded technologies.”
Berry’s Global Center of Excellence in Terno d’Isola was consolidated over the last five years. This started with the installation of a new state-of-the -art ATB line with flat oven designed to produce high quality low basis weight materials and it continued by multiple investments mainly in four areas: (1) to increase the capacity of spooling of ATB materials to reduce the cost-in-use to Berry’s customers, (2) to better prevent and control contamination, (3) to increase the recycling content and (4) to automate and digitalize the packaging according to industry 4.0 new standards.
Additionally, Berry has invested globally (in Europe, China and North America) in technology for producing three-dimensional embossing and apertured nonwovens. “For these solutions, ATB nonwovens provide the best platform for enhancing both softness and 3D visual effect because of the properties explained before,” he says.
Describing growing opportunities for ATB, Garcia says the technology has expanded significantly in Asia in the last few years. There, he says, the regular topsheet is ATB while in the rest of regions, spunbond is the type of nonwoven most typically used. “This has been driven by a big production capacity that has reduced price gap versus spunbond. The market keeps moving to thinner fibers to increase softness.”
Meanwhile, in Europe, ATB is widely used as the ADL and the growth may come from premiumization of the market, mainly because of the bulk softness. “Berry has a privileged position as it can leverage emerging solutions from the Asian market which is the most advanced market in regards to softness,” he says.
Union Industries
Italian nonwovens producer Union Industries began nonwoven manufacturing with carded thermal bonded nonwovens in 1986, which is still operating today. After focusing for over 20 years on spunbond and spunmelt, and positioning itself among the key players, Union decided in 2019 to expand its product portfolio with a carded air through bonded line, which was installed at its Radomsko, Poland, site in 2020.With its air through bonded line, Union is targeting topsheet, backsheet and ADL applications. According to the company, this technology offers high softness and comfort. Also, thanks to Union’s state-of-the-art double carded technology, it is possible to manufacture high homogenous and soft webs that create a more textile appearance. Union believes that there will always be an interest in more premium products, which air through bonded materials offer due to their softness and bulkiness.
Like all nonwoven technologies, the air through bonded market in Europe is extremely competitive, but Union says it differentiates itself through specialties and customized products.
Fitesa
Fitesa, a major global nonwovens producer, has air through bonded capacity installed in Brazil, the U.S., Europe and China. Fitesa’s ATB capabilities serve mostly the hygiene market, with acquisition and distribution layers (ADL) and topsheets for the baby care segment. “ATB nonwovens have a unique combination of loft and softness, which make this product especially suitable for liquid management,” says Mariana Mynarski, corporate marketing, Fitesa. “However, we understand that ADL performance is highly dependent on the core structure, so Fitesa is prepared to offer a broad range of substrates for this application, including resin-bonded, films and laminated fabrics.”According to Mynarski, ATB nonwovens will continue to have space in applications and regions of the world where high loft and softness are a priority over cost.
On the sustainability side, she says ATB nonwovens, like other carded materials, have a mature portfolio of renewable and recycled raw materials (fibers), with the additional benefit of not using extra materials such as binders in their composition. “On the other hand, the production efficiency is lower than that of spunlaid nonwovens, and the construction requires the use of specific fiber combinations that may not be the best design for the waste management systems at the location where the product will be discarded after use. To help customers tackle all these relevant questions, Fitesa uses a proprietary CO2 calculation tool. This tool, which has been externally assured, helps customers define the most sustainable nonwoven for their specific needs.”
When describing the market for ATB nonwovens, Mynarski says the overall macroeconomic scenario will continue to drive cost-reduction initiatives in the short-term, challenging ATB nonwovens to compete with more cost-efficient technologies. “In this scenario, ATB nonwovens will continue to rely on their unique properties, which other technologies have been trying to replicate without success for many years.”
Merkas
Based in Istanbul, Turkey, Merkas, a member of Hassan Group, has four carding and air through bonding lines with a wide range of web forming and bonding capabilities including multi-layer options. With these lines, Merkas serves the hygiene, filter and insulation industries.In the hygiene industry, products like baby diapers, sanitary napkins and adult incontinence products reach the best level of performance thanks to the superlative liquid handling properties of the Hygenius branded Merkas-Carded Air Through Bonded (ATB) Acquisition Distribution Layer (ADL), according to Hakan Sisman, deputy general manager, Merkas. This super soft and bulky type of ATB is also preferred as a topsheet and facing for hygiene materials.
In the insulation industry, Merkas’ materials are preferred for their thermal conductivity efficiency and sound absorption properties.
Meanwhile, the three-dimensional structure of ATB nonwovens with special fiber blends prevents the passage of dust with an easy air flow.
Merkas recently installed a new ATB line which is now up and running. Prior to this, the company installed one of the fastest spooling lines for the hygiene industry.
The company is also focusing on environmentally friendly production and started up a project of producing its own solar electric energy which will be ready by the end of the year.
Merkas is capable of blending various “green fiber” types including bio based and natural fibers. Additionally, the scraps from Merkas’ production process are also being converted to a new value by sister company Siteks. The scraps are shredded into fibers again and are fed into the felt process which serves the automotive and white goods industries, he says.
According to Sisman, transport cost issues in recent years have affected the industry negatively. “ATB nonwovens are bulky and affected too much from transport costs,” he says. “New line deliveries have also exceeded more than one year for new investments during and after the pandemic. The inflation rates all around the world are high and this has changed the buying habits of consumers. We need to be more predictable than usual because of the fast changes in the world.”
Freudenberg Performance Materials
Freudenberg Performance Materials, one of the world’s largest nonwovens producers, has air through bonding capabilities at production sites worldwide. Around 40-60% of the company’s lines are equipped with it (in combination with spunlaid and staple fiber technology).Freudenberg uses air through bonding for materials that are suited for applications in the carpet, apparel and automotive industries.
Out of 100% energy used in a standard air through process, only 5% is used for the actual fiber-to-fiber bonding, says Dr. Frank Heislitz, CEO, Freudenberg Performance Materials. The remaining 95% of the energy is used to heat up air as energy transfer media – and therefore process related waste. “Hence, Freudenberg has been improving its air through technology for years and optimized this relation,” he says. “In addition, the company has been working on decarbonization by using green energy like hydrogen gas and head recovering for the last two to four years.”
According to Dr. Heislitz, the circular economy is the driver for the use of air through bonding technology and the resulting products. “Thanks to their mono polymer base they are easy to recycle and easy to use as recycled material,” he adds.
Compared to other bonding processes like chemical binder bonding, air through bonding has a better sustainable profile. “Binder bonding includes the use of chemicals, water and energy,” says Dr. Heislitz. “In addition, it has limited recyclability. However, binder bonding technology is needed to create certain other characteristics and Freudenberg works closely together with customers and suppliers to improve this technology as well.”
Shalag
Israeli nonwovens producer Shalag expanded its ATB business in 2019 with the acquisition of Texsus, an Italian maker of air through bonded nonwovens and laminated materials. The deal included sites in Italy and North Carolina. Today, Shalag has air through bonding lines in Israel, the U.S. and Italy with an overall yearly capacity of 60,000 tons. Recently, Shalag started-up a new line in Italy targeting soft air trough bonded substrates and sustainable products.Shalag’s main application for its ATB materials is the hygiene market, including ADLs, topsheets, liners for backsheet lamination and frontal tape. “ATB are ideal for topsheet and backsheet applications since it assures a superior softness thanks to its bulkiness (cushioning softness), smoothness and textile touch,” says Ilan Pickmann, CEO of Shalag. “ATB are also ideal for ADL applications since it assures a good fluid handling and acts as a dry barrier between the wet core and the skin.”
Softness, visual appeal, dryness, as well as thinner design are driving growth for ATB nonwovens. “We see a need for comfort and skin wellness,” he says.
From a sustainability standpoint, ATB technology is highly flexible and assures the possibility to combine many kinds of fibers including natural, plant-based, post-consumer and biodegradable, in single or multiple layers just using a flux of hot air with no use of chemicals or water. Production waste can also be easily recycled in the process. “ATB perfectly adapts to a ‘less is more’ philosophy where specific fiber mix and structures can assure superior performances with lower basis weight and, consequently, reduced impact on the environment,” he says.
According to Pickmann, the ATB market is driven by the global economic situation, and post-pandemic it has been deeply affected by high logistic, raw material and energy costs.
TWE Group
TWE is one of the largest suppliers of air through bonded materials worldwide. Its capabilities cover monolayer to multilayer nonwovens and it has a broad range of basis weights made in various colors. The technology is allowing TWE to use any staple fiber available, from PET to recycled PET, PE, PP, PLA, viscose rayon, cotton, bamboo and other natural fibers.With this technology, TWE Group is targeting absorbent hygiene products (AHP) and its ATB materials are being used in baby diapers, adult incontinence products and feminine hygiene products (sanitary towels and panty liners). “The air through bonding technology allows for quick absorption and distribution of liquid, keeping the skin dry and preventing irritation since these materials are extremely soft and lofty,” says Kai Wulff, business unit director Hygiene & Healthcare, TWE Group.
TWE markets its acquisition distribution layers under the brand names ParaTherm Loft,DryWeb and Slim Core. Using thinner and lighter fibers in the process creates an even softer and loftier material which is used for premium backsheets and topsheets and is branded by TWE under the SoftCover range.
“Especially in the APAC region, laminated diaper cores, with its softness, are the leading system,” says Wulff. “The open structure of carded air through bonded nonwovens are used to carry the super absorbing polymers (SAP), enabling and supporting the swelling of the SAP in thin diapers. TWE has developed specialty solutions for the huge potentials in this application as well.”
At the same time, TWE is expanding its healthcare product portfolio with ATB nonwovens for applications in wound care.
TWE Group has made recent investments in this technology to meet growing demand. It has expanded its production capabilities with additional air through bonding lines in Meulebeke, Belgium. The investment, which was completed three years ago, has the largest width and speed using state-of-the-art technology. Another line is made to offer multilayer ATB nonwovens creating unique product properties and opportunities for its customers. Additionally, in Dierdorf, TWE installed both high-speed lines with best industry performance and specifically modified machinery to create super soft and lofty webs with outstanding flexibility to serve specialty markets and smaller lot sizes. At both locations the slitting and spooling equipment are the industry benchmark.
Meanwhile, in June, TWE Group and Obeetee Textiles (OTL) announced a strategic joint venture in which TWE and OTL, a leading manufacturer of nonwoven textiles in India, have entered into a 50:50 partnership. This joint venture will be named TWE OBT Private Limited.
In this collaboration, TWE has acquired a 50% shareholding in OTL, embarking on a partnership and setting the stage for growth in the Indian nonwovens market. The JV will be investing into setting up a new manufacturing facility to manufacture nonwoven products for the Health and Hygiene sector and will be driving growth and market expansion into this fast-growing segment.
The joint venture represents an equal partnership between TWE and OTL, with each company holding a 50% stake. This equity structure ensures a balanced and collaborative approach, leveraging the strengths and resources of both organizations. TWE Group has invested cash into the existing business for the 50% holding in the joint venture.
“With the recently announced joint venture with Obeetee Textiles, TWE will invest in a new plant and equipment in India, especially to support the fast-growing health and hygiene sector of the country and its neighborhood,” says Wulff. “The strategic alliance brings together the industry expertise, market knowledge and technical capabilities of both TWE and OTL. This synergy will drive innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness, enabling the JV to deliver exceptional value to customers.”
From TWE’s viewpoint, the growing opportunities for air through bonded nonwovens are driven by the increasing demand for absorbent hygiene products globally. “As the population grows (especially in APAC and MEA regions) and disposable income increases, education levels improving and with cultural changes, the market penetration is progressing. At the end, there is a higher demand for high quality and comfortable hygiene products,” says Wulff. “Different geographical and cultural preferences of end-users are driving AHP converters to adopt product designs to market needs. TWE is working closely with clients to develop and to offer tailor-made solutions and a wide range of nonwovens to meet the needs of the end consumers.”
Wulff adds that the market for air through bonded nonwovens is characterized by steady growth. “The increasing demand for hygiene and healthcare products, especially in emerging markets, is driving the growth of the AHP market as such and therefore also for ATB nonwovens. Additionally, the focus on sustainability in the industry is also contributing to the growth, as more companies and consumers are looking for environmentally friendly alternatives. Though there is competition from other bonding technologies, TWE believes in the superiority of carded air through bonded nonwovens to the benefit of hygiene products and at the end for the betterment of its users and all of us.”