Dilo needlefelt production line, working width – 7m. © DiloGroup

DiloGroup, a leading equipment supplier of complete lines for staple fibre nonwoven fabric production, will once again exhibit a complete operating production line at the upcoming ITMA 2019 trade show that takes place in Barcelona next month.

This line will illustrate improvements and modifications, as well as innovations in numerous machine design-engineering aspects. The complete technological process starting with fibre preparation via card feeding, to precise web forming and the new Hyperpunch Hα needling will be on display. Elements of Industry 4.0 have been incorporated to design the assisting operating system diloline 4.0.

In the fibre preparation phase with DiloTemafa components, the Baltromix Pro will show a faster blend changeover, which is a prerequisite for a higher throughput, the company reports. “An exact control of the filling level avoids idling or over-filling by feeding fibre bales with the aid of a ‘bale timer’. The sensor module DI-LoWatt assures fibre transport with a minimum of air and thus saves energy.”

Improving quality and savings

The current universal card feeder VRS-P Vibration Chute is supplemented by a fine opening stage to further improve feeding quality. After the VectorQuadroCard, the latest version of Dilo’s high-speed crosslapper HyperLayer will be featured, which is designed to allow “the highest throughput at small to medium layering widths and which is especially suited for hydroentanglement lines”.

The advantages of the elliptical needle beam kinematics of Hyperpunch technology is even better used in the Hyperpunch Hα loom – an economic version of the classical Hyperpunch technique, according to the manufacturer. The needleloom on show – DI-LOOM OD-II SLHαV – is equipped with the new needle pattern 6000X to give a homogeneous stitching distribution.

Needle arrangement 8000X for a more even needlefelt surface. © DiloGroup

In the field of textile additive manufacturing, the 3D-Lofter will offer further chances of fibre savings for needlefelts used in the automotive and other applications, because topologically distributed fibre masses can be positioned in the felt where needed by so called “individual webforming spots”, the company explains.

Smart manufacturing

diloline 4.0 includes a wide variety of “smart manufacturing” actions in collaboration with Siemens, which all aim at further simplifying operation, increasing transparency in web forming and consolidation thereby increasing efficiency. Production data are stored, documented and compared. An “alarm monitor” indicates disturbances. A production analysis documents the reasons for standstill times. This data can be used to avoid disturbances. Numerous information modules can be recalled via mobile apps and cloud data (mindSpheres).

“All these methods to control the machines and to generate production data will be helpful to further secure the complex functions within the production system independently of personnel and shift,” the company says.

www.dilo.de