Advanced finishing, coating and dyeing technologies support customer trials from laboratory evaluation to production
The Monforts Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) at the company’s headquarters in Mönchengladbach continues to provide textile manufacturers with facilities for testing new fabrics, finishing processes and technologies under production-scale conditions. Initially opened in 2013 and subsequently expanded, the 1,200-square-metre centre brings together full-scale finishing equipment, laboratory systems and process expertise.
The ATC houses two full MONTEX finishing lines, a THERMEX range for the continuous dyeing of denim and other woven fabrics, a full colour kitchen and several laboratory-scale systems for smaller batch trials.
“The ATC allows our customers to test their own textiles and technical fabrics on Monforts dyeing and finishing machines under fully confidential, real production conditions,” says Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole Croonenbroek. “Using the results from these trials, we are also able to make recommendations for improving many fabric finishes.”
Technical Textile Processing
A dedicated MONTEX line at the ATC has been designed to provide a controlled environment for technical textile processing. Technical textiles can require different properties and performance characteristics depending on their end-use, ranging from digitally printed soft signage and carbon fabrics for high-performance composites to filter media for extreme temperatures and flame-retardant barrier fabrics.
According to Monforts Textile Technologist Saskia Bollhöfer, manufacturers may need to process a succession of materials with significantly different specifications, making flexibility and rapid changeover important considerations.
The technical textiles line incorporates a four-chamber, horizontal-chain MONTEX stenter and an explosion-proof coating application chamber. This enables treatments involving organic solvents and other volatile materials to be carried out under controlled conditions.
The line can process materials at temperatures of up to 320°C and can treat the top and bottom faces of selected materials at different temperatures during a single pass. This capability can be applied to products such as floorcoverings, where the textile face and rubber backing may require different temperature treatments, as well as PVC flooring with chemical foams and blackout roller blinds with heavy backings.
The equipment also supports applications involving organic solvents in the pharmaceutical sector, including treatments that require specific temperature control to preserve the effectiveness of the treatment.
Baldwin TexCoat G4 Integrated for Digital Spray Applications
The technical textiles line has also been equipped with a Baldwin TexCoat™ G4 digital spray unit. The system is available for customer trials, including applications involving advanced sustainable finishing chemistries supplied by Archroma.
BW Converting’s Baldwin TexCoat G4 can apply softeners, antimicrobials, durable water repellents, flame retardants and other water-based chemicals to textile surfaces. When combined with MONTEX stenters, the system can reduce water, chemical and energy consumption by up to 50% compared with traditional pad application processes.
“The new TexCoat installation is making an important contribution to what we can achieve and we are excited to be working together with Archroma and BW Converting to bring further transformative change to the dyeing and finishing space,” says Bollhöfer.
Knitwear Finishing
A second production line at the ATC has been designed for conventional knitwear processing and is based around a MONTEX stenter with vertical chain return.
Knitted fabrics generally require careful handling because of their higher elasticity compared with many woven materials. The MONTEX stenters provide low and controlled tension during fabric handling, together with thermal treatment designed for knitted materials.
The line is also equipped with the Monforts Eco Applicator, which replaces a conventional wet-on-wet padder with trough and roller techniques for controlled application of liquids and coatings.
The system reduces the moisture content of fabric entering the stenter from around 60% with a conventional padder to 40% with the Eco Applicator. It also provides a short fabric path between the coating unit and stenter.
The Eco Applicator can be used to apply finishes to one or both sides of a fabric, including separate finishes to each side or specific areas. The system can therefore be used across woven fabrics, denim and delicate knitted materials.
THERMEX System Supports Dyeing and Energy Recovery
Almost 1,000 Monforts THERMEX hotflue dyeing systems are currently operational in key manufacturing countries, with more than 150 using the Econtrol® process.
Econtrol® fixes reactive dyestuffs into fabric through a one-step dyeing and drying process using a controlled combination of steam and air. The pad-dry process takes approximately two to three minutes at temperatures between 120°C and 130°C, with relative humidity of 25–30%.
The THERMEX line at the ATC has recently been equipped with the Monforts Universal Energy Tower, a standalone module designed to recover heat from the exhaust air flow of thermal processes. Depending on exhaust air volume and operating temperature, the system can deliver energy savings of up to 25%.
“The current focus of the industry is very much on cleaner processes in order to meet the commitments on sustainability made by the major fashion brands and with further regulations already in the pipeline,” says Croonenbroek. “This is calling for new investments that enable a significant reduction in resource consumption to be achieved, but that are easy to integrate into existing production systems. THERMEX lines running Econtrol fit the bill perfectly.”
From Trials to Industrial Production
The Monforts ATC provides manufacturers with an opportunity to evaluate fabrics, finishes and processing methods using full-scale production technology before introducing them into their own mills.
Customer trials can be used to determine machine settings, temperatures, dwell times and application parameters, while also assessing potential effects on energy, water and chemical consumption. The resulting production data can support decisions on process implementation and further investment.
The centre is also being used to investigate approaches related to lower resource consumption, new finishing chemistries and specialised textile performance. Customers can work with Monforts technologists across areas including apparel fabrics, technical textiles, coating, dyeing and thermal finishing.
“The ATC draws on all of the know-how of our company in respect of fabric processing,” concludes Bollhöfer. “It gives customers the opportunity to work with our specialists and our latest technologies to establish solutions that are not only technically achievable, but practical and economically viable in production.”
The facility therefore provides a link between laboratory evaluation and industrial production, enabling textile manufacturers to test processes, establish production parameters and evaluate new technologies before implementation at commercial scale.