Oerlikon Nonwoven has commissioned a further high-performance meltblown system with an ecuTEC+ electro-charging unit at NOWOtex GmbH in Eichenzell, Germany.

NOWOtex specialises in needled nonwovens and the new meltblown line will allow it to expand its product portfolio by producing polypropylene filter nonwovens which are particularly suitable for protective masks. Not only has the coronavirus pandemic increased demand for protective masks, but the domestic manufacture of these products is also being promoted and supported by the German Government.

Using the new meltblown system, NOWOtex will be manufacturing filter nonwovens that can be used to produce up to 600 million operating room filter masks or 300 million highly-effective FFP2 masks per year.

The system has been optimally equipped with the ecuTEC+ electrocharging unit for the production of mask nonwovens and its spinning process excels at achieving homogeneous nonwoven properties and running metre weights.

“Thanks to our excellent collaboration, the system has been operating under stable production conditions for several weeks now, with optimum nonwoven quality of the very highest standards,” said Vincent Bach, managing director of NOWOtex.

The line is also suitable for manufacturing other high-end filtration nonwovens for industrial applications.

“The Oerlikon system offers us maximum flexibility, allowing us to not only manufacture nonwovens for masks,” said Bach. “Demand is huge and we are now launching our new NOWOmelt product range which is providing our clients with an even broader range of options.”

“Many systems exclusively designed for nonwovens for mask production were commissioned during the pandemic, but we are focusing on sustainability,” added Ingo Mählmann, senior vice president of sales and marketing Oerlikon Nonwoven. “Our meltblown systems have been designed so that they can be converted for other applications – both quickly and without great expense. This means that our customers are well-equipped for future requirements.”

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