International technology group ANDRITZ has recently commissioned two new refining and cottonizing teXline bast fiber lines for Van Robaeys, France. These customized lines are designed to boost the company’s production of textile fibers from flax in response to the growing demand for high-quality, natural textile fibers in the French market.
Europe is the largest producer of flax fibers globally, with cultivation areas increasing by 133% between 2010 and 2020. The ANDRITZ teXline bast fiber lines employ cutting-edge machinery to provide a high level of flexibility and can process up to 800 kg of fiber per hour. These lines represent the seventh and eighth cottonizing lines from ANDRITZ for Van Robaeys, with their initial ANDRITZ line operating for five decades.
Pierre D’Arras, CEO of Van Robaeys, expressed pleasure in collaborating with ANDRITZ textile experts again, noting the benefits of the latest bast fiber processing technology in significantly increasing their high-quality fiber production capabilities.
Van Robaeys, a family-owned company with expertise in flax scutching since 1919, is committed to sustainable and zero-waste fiber production, as demonstrated by this investment. ANDRITZ has extensive experience in technology for decorticating straw from bast fiber crops, refining, and cottonizing fibers and shives for further processing, and producing premium quality fiber suitable for nonwoven or spinning processes in the textile industry. ANDRITZ bast fiber technology can process various natural fibers, like hemp, kenaf, and jute. The technology offers high flexibility for nonwoven and spinning processing, better fiber quality, process expert support, and a flexible process to produce high-yield, high-quality fiber and shives.