Olvasási idő: 2 perc
The different polymers have different prices (in € / kg) and certain advantages or disadvantages for the corresponding applications based on their chemical and physical properties.
As an example, here are some characteristic features. Polyester, for example, has high temperature and UV resistance, abrasion resistance and elasticity, but these are associated with higher raw material costs and a more complex fiber production process. Polyethylene offers a high resistance to many acids, bases, oils and fats, has good electrical conductivity, is soft to the touch and can be gamma sterilized, but the mechanical properties are lower than those of other man-made fibers. Polypropylene is an inexpensive raw material, chemically resistant, very hydrophobic, physiologically harmless and skin-friendly, is a little harder to the touch and cannot be gamma sterilized. The different polymers also have different melt temperatures and abrasion resistance.
This would make it desirable to be able to combine the positive properties of the different polymers. This has long been customary in staple fiber nonwovens, in that fibers of different polymers are used to produce carded nonwovens. The use of BICO fibers brought another step in innovation. Various polymers have already been brought together in one fiber during fiber production. These BICO staple fibers are then processed into nonwovens in the carding process. However, the process costs of the carding technology are significantly higher than those of the spunbonded process, so that the nonwovens produced with it are higher than the spunbonded fabrics in terms of cost. Therefore, the development was started to integrate the BICO filament technology into the spunbond process.
Faré, as one of the world market leaders for the manufacture of BICO fiber systems, has successfully integrated this know-how into the spunbond process. This means that BICO filaments, which are formed from different polymers, can now be used to build up the fiber web. For the medical sector, the polypropylene core can provide strength and economic efficiency, while the polyethylene sheeth provides the soft grip and gamma sterilization capability. For the construction sector, the polypropylene core offers cost efficiency and simple processing parameters, while the polyester sheath offers temperature and UV resistance as well as resistance to mechanical loads. The properties of the nonwoven can even be influenced positively by using different qualities of a polymer. This way, the elongation and strength levels can be specifically influenced by using polypropylene raw material variants with different melting indices (MFI). The same applies to targeted influencing of the fiber surface to improve the lamination ability. These are just a few selected advantages of the BICO spunbond process.
BICO spunbond technology thus offers the unique opportunity to develop nonwovens exactly to the quality requirements of the application areas based on the most cost-efficient process for the production of textile fabrics, the spunbond process, in a kind of modular principle.
Andreas Kirsch – Avexon Vliesstoff Beteiligungs GmbH