TextileFuture has visited the booth and passed near at different occasions and noted that the booth was always crowded with trade visitors, discussing machinery and projects.
As at previous ITMA exhibitions, DiloGroup was showing a fully functional needling line on a booth space of ca. 1.150 m². This way, we wanted to highlight the importance of the European ITMA show in regard to new developments and machines which represent the state-of-the-art. It is also an indicator for the importance of needle felting technology as a whole, which is, according to the annual production weight, the most important webforming and consolidation process for staple fibres.
As a leading group of companies, Dilo emphasizes the central position this technology takes in the worldwide nonwoven production. Needled products can be found in many applications such as floor covering, automotive interior linings, technical needlefelts, filtration media, geotextiles, mattress, bed and upholstery, wipes and paper machine felts.
Any type of fibre material can be processed, short or long staple, fineness from 1 up to several hundred dtex and area weights from 30 g to several kg/m². This wide range of parameters generates a great variety of products, a unique feature of needle felting technology.
By large investments in research and development, DiloGroup contributes significantly to the exploitation of new applications based on increase in production capacity, improvement of quality features and increased efficiency in the production process. At ITMA in Barcelona we have set a new focus on the further development alongside existing well-known technical components. After ITMA, these machines will be available in our Textile Research Centres for trials and demonstration.
Here follow the details of the novelties shown at the late ITMA 2019 in Barcelona:
Efficient Fibre Preparation with I4.0 Modules
Fibre preparation with further developments and modifications to improve operation of the bale opener (fast fibre changeover), carding willow and fibre dosing.
Universal Card Feeder “UniFeed” with Fine Opening Stage
The UniFeed vibration chute principle includes components for a precise fibre distribution in cross and longitudinal direction and requires low space in width and height including the fine opening stage. The cross profile of the web mat before the card ensures a precise matching of the edges in the longitudinal profile of the crosslaid web. In combination with the VQC card with double transfer and double doffer rolls, these components can be seen in our extended Textile Research Centre after the show.
High-Speed Crosslapper with Precision Laydown Technology
The card is followed by the refined crosslapper HyperLayer “NT”, an example of high speed, high precision crosslapping design. The precision of the laydown even at high speed up to about 190 m/min. and a layering width of about 4 m makes this extraordinary machine very suited for use in hydroentanglement lines. Currently there is no comparable crosslapping technology, which can achieve these values, in regard to speed and precision, and also for viscose fibres. The Dilo crosslapper HyperLayer HLSC 30/40 will be installed and available for trials in a hydroentanglement line in the new Textile Research Centre of Messrs. Trützschler in Egelsbach after the show.
Compensation Apron FC-II
A high speed crosslapper needs aprons to compensate for speed differences between cross apron of the lapper and constant infeed of the needleloom. This high-frequency start-stop- adjustment is realized by our new “FC-II apron” with double arrangement.
New Web Forming Technology – really innovative
A series of individual web forming units which operate according to the aerodynamic web forming principle shows how fibre masses can be placed with 3D topology on a base web so that the correct amount of fibre is placed at the positions where in technical parts, such as automotive, stretch and strain concentration can be expected. Thus thin areas following the moulding process can be prevented and strain concentration in the force transmission area can be balanced. This Dilo development is in conjunction with the research project “optiformTex” of Chemnitz University, the STFI (Sächsisches Textilforschungs Institut e.V.) and further companies including VW and Sachsenleinen.
This 3D-Lofter technology can also be used “inversely” to fill in thin areas in web mats before the card, especially when these are fed to “direct cards” without crosslapper or aerodynamic web forming unit. This improvement to the web mat leads to a more uniform fibre mass distribution in the web leaving the card or the airlay machine. According to theoretical considerations it is possible to increase the uniformity by about 40 %. The study is continued under the name “IsoFeed” in the enlarged Textile Research Centre of DiloGroup in Eberbach.
Another possible application of this 3D-Lofter technology could be in extended colour patterning of floor coverings, in the mattress and bed industry, in apparel and shoe production. This innovation opens a wide potential of web forming possibilities by “additive textile manufacturing”.
Hyperpunch – Progress for Better Economy and Higher Stitch Distribution Uniformity
A new and more simple realization of the kinematic needle beam movement for reducing detrimental draft and increasing the throughput speed makes the current elaborate Hyperpunch technology also interesting for universal use.
Revolutionary Needle Patterns
The combination of Hyperpunch with the new needle pattern “6000X” results in a more uniform stitch distribution at preneedling. In a complete needle felting line this effect of more evenness can be further improved by using the new needle pattern “8000X” which can be considered as a breakthrough for a considerably improved stitch distribution evenness.
Especially when producing flat needle felts which are used as decorative material in the automotive interior, this great advantage will be evident. The DI-LOOM HαV Hyperpunch needle loom will also be available for demonstration in our Textile Research Centre after the show.
Diloline 4.0 – Internet of Things
DiloGroup showed at ITMA 2019 several development modules to illustrate the future potential degree of automisation in nonwoven production. The I4.0 modules are meant to facilitate operation and to improve data transparency in production, operation control, quality and maintenance. The solutions offered by DILO, “Bale Timer”, “Smart Start” for a fully automatic starting aid or “DI-LOWATT” for energy savings, are supplemented by Siemens based solutions which can be chosen via app and data Cloud “MindSphere”.
We would be pleased to welcome you in the near future to our new Textile Research Centre in Eberbach, Germany. This facility is being enlarged by 800 m² to a space of ca. 3000 m² and will include all the machinery on display in Barcelona.