Nonwovens Industry INDEX 08
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INDEX Awards Presented Tomorrow

One of the highlights of this year’s INDEX show will be the INDEX Award competition, which recognizes excellence in the nonwovens industry and highlights innovation in all parts of the nonwovens supply chain from raw materials to machinery to roll goods to end use products. Five awards will be presented tomorrow during a special ceremony. Winners will be named and a panel of finalists chosen by a specially assembled INDEX Awards jury, comprised of former company marketing and research and development experts as well as members of the media and academia.

Roll Goods
In the nonwoven roll goods category, the finalists are: Ahlstrom’s Disruptor Technology; DuPont’s Hybrid Membrane Technology (HMT) and Freudenberg’s TAU material.



Ahlstrom’s Disruptor technology is a nanofiber-based filter media that combines two mechanisms: electrokinetics and mechanical entrapment. Its main features include low pressure drop, high loading capacity and superior filtration efficiency.


HMT, launched by DuPont two years ago, is a nanofiber-based filter media containing continuous filament spun by a proprietary process. In addition to filtration media, this technology can be used not only in filtration but also in energy storage and allergen bedding. It can achieve particle capture in the range of 0.3 to 1.0 microns; does not rely on electrostatic charges to maintain filtration efficiency and features a luxurious feel and long lasting efficiency when used as pillow and mattress protectors.

Freudenberg’s TAU is a triple layer microfiber substrate leading to effective management of a reduced amount of impregnation liquid, thereby enhancing the wet feeling of impregnated wipes. A 100% synthetic material, TAU is comprised of bicomponent segmented pie fibers, split by water jets generating microfibers, and features superior cleaning performance, remarkable opacity, high strength and a cotton-like feel and drape.

Finished Products
Among the finalists in the finished products category is Johnson’s Baby Extracare wipes, a cleansing and moisturizing baby wipe that features a separate incorporation of cleansing and moisturizing materials. The wipes form an emulsion in situ that incorporates incompatible elements, lipid and aqueous.

Also nominated is Georgia-Pacific’s Clinell Sporicidal, which is a laminated nonwoven wipe holding a powder formulation that rapidly releases active ingredients upon wetting. These wipes hold a multicomponent powder formulation that is stable until wetted, creating a practical delivery means and an effective and environmentally benign biocidal composition.

Nanospider Acoustic Web from Elmarco Ltd. is a composite material including carded polyester fibers and PVOH nanofibers, offering unique sound-absorbing characteristics. Three times lighter than conventional materials, Nanospider Acoustic Web features excellent acoustic properties, especially below 1000 Hz, good heat insulation properties and easy and safe manipulation and processing.

Marketing Acheivement
Finalists for the marketing achievement category recognizing the most original marketing campaign for a product made from or incorporating nonwovens are Z-männle mascot, a short animated movie aiming at combining J.H. Ziegler’s company logo with product features as well as the company’s philosophy.

Also up for this award is Nice-Pak International and its Halo advertising campaign promoting a line of moisturized wipes in a miniature format. This innovative campaign targets women of all ages and lifestyles and makes extensive use of the internet and direct mailing.

Raw Materials
ExxonMobil Chemical’s Vista­maxx melt spinnable elastomer is one of the finalists in the raw material category. Highly elastic and processable on conventional polymer-to-web machinery, Vista­maxx is easy to process without machinery modifications. The result is a product that is adaptable in feel, touch and drape and can be bonded easily to polyolefin nonwovens and films without adhesives.

Also a finalist in the raw materials category is Reemay Liberty with Microban antimicrobials. The polyester spunbond filter media incorporates silver-based antimicrobials in the sheath of a tri-lobal bicomponent fiber. This product features innovative design of the sheath core tri-lobal bicomponent filament, an effective and low cost use of silver ions, located at the fiber surface and has filtration properties consistent with the needs of pools and spa filters.
    
Finally, EastOne from Eastman Chemical Company is a heat stable, melt extrudable, water dispersible copolyester that can be used for the production of microfibers. This water-soluble polymer can be removed from multicomponent filaments and can be extruded with a variety of thermal plastic polymers. Recovery with this product is possible, generating a wasteless, environmentally friendly process.

Machinery
Nominated is neXdetect from Andritz Kusters, which is a measuring system for the detection of invisible chemical applications on nonwovens. This high-speed, sharp equipment can determine exactly the position and width of stripes of chemical applications; allows fast and precise adjustment of the stripe coating equipment and differentiates the identification of the applied finish pick-up.

Martin Automatic’s Martin DR Roller Technology uses frictionless magnetic forces rather than bearings to drive rolls. This DC-driven system features ease of handling of very light webs as one DC motor drives several rollers. Additionally, the roller inertia is mechanically compensated for.

Elmarco Ltd. is a finalist in the machinery section with its NS Lab nanofiber laboratory production device, which is easy to operate and maintain. This device uses environmentally friendly solvents for applications in filtration, hygiene, medical and sound absorption and also features increased productivity in comparison with existing devices.