Autefa Solutions reports that thedemand for geotextiles isgrowing with the globaleconomy and stringent

government regulations are reinforcingtheir usage.

The main advantage of nonwovenscomes from their economic production,with output of up to to 1,800 kg/h, thecompany says. The demand is now forlighter weight products of between 90-120 gsm without compromisingstrength, although Autefa’s technologycan be engineered to produce weights ofup to 1,600gsm.

The company manufactures bothsingle machines and full lines fornonwoven needlepunched staple fibregeotextiles, as well as needle looms forspunbonded geotextiles and scatteringmachines and needle looms for geosyn-thetic clay liners.

StylusThe Autefa Stylus needle looms can besupplied in width of up to 8.5 metres,for the production of roll goods of up toseven metres.

They are based on the long-standingexperience of the former Fehrer in Linz,Austria, and characterised by the Varilipticelliptical needling drive. This remains aunique solution in terms of draftreduction and improved MD/CD ratiovalues for all quality grades and thehorizontal stroke is infinitely adjustableduring the needling process. Unlike othercommercially-available machines, theStylus requires just a single compact drive.The Variliptic drive increases the servicelife of the needles and minimises the riskof needle breakage, optimises the surfaceof the fabric, while also protecting fibresand minimizing the needle wear.

Maintenance-free gearboxes furtherreduce production costs.

The design of these machines enablesvibration-free running, with needledensities of up to 30,000 needles permetre and stroke frequencies up to2,000 rpm in continuous operation.

Futura CardWith one main cylinder and a highnumber of carding points, Autefa’s WebMaster Futura card has a productioncapacity over 500 kg/h per metre of cardwidth. A focus in the development of thelatest version has been on easymaintenance, with an opening system onhigh-precision linear bearings, ensuringthat after closing, all rollers are exactly inthe same position as before. All majorparts – the feeding group, first maincylinder, transfer group and doffers – areon separate carriages, connected by asingle screw on each side and forming achain to which full access for cleaning andmaintenance is extremely quick and easy.

ToplinerThe company’s Topliner crosslapper incombination with WebMax web profilecontrol and Autefa’s profiling system serveto fully determine web uniformity andcompensate for the ‘smile effect’ that canresult from material shrinkage, withresulting cost savings in raw materials.

The two drafting zones of theWebMax allow a slight pre-draft and aprecise draft of the web in the seconddrafting zone. This is a further guaranteeof constant quality at high productionspeeds. The Topliner is distinguished by ashort web path for precise layering andwhen running at high lapping speeds,internal web accumulators ensure aweight-neutral and straight-edged web

deposit in the reversal point of thelayering carriage.

In geotextile lines, the web drafter andfelt drafter are essential for the activedraft and web homogenisation.

Product optimisationAt its Nonwoven Competence Centre inLinz, Austria, Autefa has industrial scaleweb forming and bonding technologiescovering all customer requirements inrespect of application-oriented productoptimisation. Five needle looms areavailable for trials, providing theopportunity for the evaluation of fibres, blends, wires and needles andallowing process development forspecial applications, performance andquality optimisation.

As part of China Hi-Tech GroupCorporation (CHTC), Autefa Solutionsrepresents the combined know-how ofthe former companies Autefa, Fehrer,F.O.R, Octir and Strahm in one group,with key technology sites in Austria,Germany, Italy and Switzerland. SNW

Lighter weight products with no compromiseon strength are driving the growth ofnonwoven geotextiles, says Autefa.

Economic solutions

GEOTEXTILES

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