Reifenhäuser Reicofil spunbond nonwoven, meltblown and composite lines are world-leading in the production of hygiene, medical, technical, barrier and filtration nonwovens of the highest quality. REICOFIL® lines are designed and manufactured according to changing market demands and individual customer wishes. At this year's K, the Reifenhäuser subsidiary presents their newest developments for the market: "Nonwovens are normally thin and smooth. Our High Loft Spunbond offers unique possibilities for the manufacture of thick, soft nonwovens that have the potential to unlock new areas of application for our customers," notes Michael Maas, Operations Director Research & Development at Reicofil.
The hottest topic in the hygiene market today is a strong demand for bulky and soft nonwovens. It is an Asian-driven trend with influence on the European and US diaper markets: These soft touch applications play an increasingly important role, especially in top sheet and back sheet applications where mid-segment product ranges are being gradually squeezed out of the market by premium products. Michael Maas comments: "In the future, our customers will have to offer soft nonwoven products all over the world. It is critical to their businesses to adopt developments early and to be innovative. We already started years ago to develop the technology basis for softer products. Today we are able to offer various solutions for different customer needs."
The New Standard: High loft
Voluminous nonwovens generally consist of self-crimping fibers. With Reicofil bico technology, filaments of two different raw materials are produced in a side-side structure and are subsequently bonded using hot air or a special embossing calender. The result: A premium nonwoven used as top and backsheet in premium diapers. "Our technology is reliable and efficient. This is essential. It offers a perfect balance of production costs and product properties," observes Michael Maas, summarizing the advantages for the customer. With its High Loft process, Reicofil offers a technology platform for the production of especially bulky and soft nonwovens.
The process for 3D nonwoven production is subject to constant further development in the Reicofil Technology Center, the world's largest research and development center for the production of spunbond nonwovens. In Troisdorf, Reicofil development engineers have three high-tech lines at their disposal to carry out research in close cooperation with customers, institutions and other partners - to technically refine the High Loft process further.
There's another area in which Reifenhäuser Reicofil is more than progressive: "We will set The New Standard in packaging of bulk goods", states Michael Maas. "We are the market leaders in packaging for the most valuable good humans have - babies. So why not packing other goods as well?", comments Michael Maas, an expert on diapers as "baby packaging", inviting us to think about other packaged goods, too.
The "Rethinking Packaging" project is more than promising: The Reicofil team developed solutions for packaging bulk materials with nonwovens. "We have developed nonwoven cement bag prototypes. They work perfectly. Imagine transferring this solution to packaging all kinds of bulk goods – there is a gigantic potential for nonwovens in the packaging industry“, states Michael Maas. With its cement bag prototypes Reicofil demonstrated that there are enormous opportunities for packaging with nonwovens. "Our current development will wipe away paper bags and woven PP bags due to its superior performance per weight and its unbeatable price", says Michael Maas.
Reicofil's innovative approach in the packaging of bulk goods and 3D-nonwoven technology will be presented on the joint Reifenhäuser stand C 22 at K 2016 in hall 17 from 19 to 26 October in Düsseldorf.
The hottest topic in the hygiene market today is a strong demand for bulky and soft nonwovens. It is an Asian-driven trend with influence on the European and US diaper markets: These soft touch applications play an increasingly important role, especially in top sheet and back sheet applications where mid-segment product ranges are being gradually squeezed out of the market by premium products. Michael Maas comments: "In the future, our customers will have to offer soft nonwoven products all over the world. It is critical to their businesses to adopt developments early and to be innovative. We already started years ago to develop the technology basis for softer products. Today we are able to offer various solutions for different customer needs."
The New Standard: High loft
Voluminous nonwovens generally consist of self-crimping fibers. With Reicofil bico technology, filaments of two different raw materials are produced in a side-side structure and are subsequently bonded using hot air or a special embossing calender. The result: A premium nonwoven used as top and backsheet in premium diapers. "Our technology is reliable and efficient. This is essential. It offers a perfect balance of production costs and product properties," observes Michael Maas, summarizing the advantages for the customer. With its High Loft process, Reicofil offers a technology platform for the production of especially bulky and soft nonwovens.
The process for 3D nonwoven production is subject to constant further development in the Reicofil Technology Center, the world's largest research and development center for the production of spunbond nonwovens. In Troisdorf, Reicofil development engineers have three high-tech lines at their disposal to carry out research in close cooperation with customers, institutions and other partners - to technically refine the High Loft process further.
There's another area in which Reifenhäuser Reicofil is more than progressive: "We will set The New Standard in packaging of bulk goods", states Michael Maas. "We are the market leaders in packaging for the most valuable good humans have - babies. So why not packing other goods as well?", comments Michael Maas, an expert on diapers as "baby packaging", inviting us to think about other packaged goods, too.
The "Rethinking Packaging" project is more than promising: The Reicofil team developed solutions for packaging bulk materials with nonwovens. "We have developed nonwoven cement bag prototypes. They work perfectly. Imagine transferring this solution to packaging all kinds of bulk goods – there is a gigantic potential for nonwovens in the packaging industry“, states Michael Maas. With its cement bag prototypes Reicofil demonstrated that there are enormous opportunities for packaging with nonwovens. "Our current development will wipe away paper bags and woven PP bags due to its superior performance per weight and its unbeatable price", says Michael Maas.
Reicofil's innovative approach in the packaging of bulk goods and 3D-nonwoven technology will be presented on the joint Reifenhäuser stand C 22 at K 2016 in hall 17 from 19 to 26 October in Düsseldorf.
