Thies iMaster dyeing units are energy efficient
Portugal’s leading quality knitwear dyeing and finishing specialist, atb Acabamentos Textais de Barcelona Lda Barcelos, near Porto (and Etevimol Knitting Company are forming the group) is achieving significant energy and dyestuff savings with its recently installed three purpose Thies iMaster H2O dyeing units
Etevimol Knitting Company is reputed for its high quality knitwear since its foundation in 1977, it is vertically integrated since 1988 through establishing atb as a dyeing and finishing sister company to additionally ensure more direct quality control and guarantee faster response times. Today the group is producing the latest high quality fashion knitwear fabrics. The company is familiar with German Thies as the first units of six jets in 1985 and they remained operational until 1998. The actual investment forms part of the on-going modernisation programme to further improve quality and by becoming more energy efficient in order to cut costs and to become more competitive also against Asian competitors.
Late last year atb took delivery of its first 200 kg capacity iMaster H2O dyeing unit late last year and a further order for two additional 400 kg units are placed with Thies.
Màrio Mano declares: once the first iMaster had been installed, we recognised the unit’s versatility, being able to handle a wide range of materials and blends, with includes cotton/viscose, polyester/modal, modal/cupro, wool/polyamide, 100% micro modal, 100% micro viscose, 100% wool and wool/viscose/linen. For the first time a production of 600 t of linen was produced for the summer collection. The unit is also capable to produce 95 % jersey modal and 5 % lycra blend and this is not the easiest to handle. All this has been made possible with the self-cleaning automatic filter, conventionally done manually, and now saving both energy and labour costs.
Sales director, Miguel Domingues, states that the company is working at liquor ratios as low as 2:4 and 1:5 which is to compare with previous norms of 1:7 and 1:8 thus achieving significant savings on utilities such as electricity, steam, water as well as dyestuffs. In addition to the self-cleaning filter there is also an anti-pilling technique applied for clean surface treatment on very high capacity knitwear. For more sensitive articles, e.g. very lightweight knitted fabrics at 60-100 gm/m2 and for those with viscose the new Thies unit is at service and the reduced tension on knitted goods for these lightweight knits is achieved with the iMasters new winch technology.
Atb initially started as a commission dyer but offered around 2006 its own collection, but many of that time commission customers are still loyal to the company. Today, the own production accounts for 85 % – 90 % and is exporting around 87 %.