ENTECH is specialized in staple fibres and in the way to obtain them through different Extrusion Technologies (Short Spinning, Long Spinning).
The whole Staple Fibres Process is carried out as per the following in-line steps:
- Raw materials storing and unloading;
- Extrusion and spinning;
- Quenching and draw-off;
- Tow drawing,
- Crimping
- Drying and thermosetting
- Cutting;
- Packing
Short Spinning: from step 1 to 9 inline
Long Spinning: from step 1 to 3 inline + 4 to 9 offline
The Staple Fibres Process involves different melt-viscosity polymers, mostly PET (Polyester) and PP (Polypropylene) which are commonly used for the production of fibres by melt-spinning. Sometimes the production of staple fibres needs several polymers. A single fibre type can be composed by two polymers that are combined during the extrusion (co-extrusion): they are bi-component fibres characterized by a component melting at lower temperature.
One-step Staple Fibres Process (Short Spinning) is usually used to obtain PET/PP staple fibres: it involves a great quantity of holes in the spinneret (more than 80,000). The throughput of spinning has to be matched with drawing and other steps, and this is why low spinning speed is needed. The speed of the Short Spinning Plants was, and in many cases is, 160 m/minute but thanks to the R&D activity ENTECH is able to supply high speed plants running up to 250 m/min and to install spinnerets with up to 135.000 holes, highly increasing the capacity.
The staple fibres can be used to produce nonwovens fabrics by carding process, obtaining products with the same final applications of Spunbond fabrics. Therefore they can be used for: roofing waterproof membranes for the buildings, geotextiles for landfills, railways, tunnels, civil engineering, hydraulic works roads, airports and so on, carpet backing and disposable medical products (Hygiene), Automotive.