Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown nonwovens systems fulfil the very highest quality requirements when manufacturing high-end materials for filtration applications and medical products. © Oerlikon.

A leading Asian large-scale manufacturer of manmade fibres and polymers has invested in a new Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown system. The recently-signed contract comprises a 2 beam system for manufacturing filtration nonwovens – predominantly for medical products such as face masks – with a nominal capacity of up to 1200 tons of nonwovens per year. The commercial production launch has been scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020.

The 2-beam system has an operating width of 1.6 metres and is equipped with the new patented Oerlikon Nonwoven electro-charging unit. “The Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown technology is recognized by the market as being the technically most efficient method for producing highly separating filter media made from manmade fibres, particularly in conjunction with electrostatic charging and with extremely low-pressure loss,” Oerlikon says. Electro-charging the filter nonwovens allows the manufacture of sophisticated EPA- and HEPA-class filter media as well as media that comply with the requirements of N95, FFP2 and FFP3 class respiratory masks.

The demand for filtration nonwovens for medical applications has risen tremendously across the globe since the outbreak of the Sars-CoV-2 (coronavirus) epidemic, presenting all manufacturers with huge challenges. “We are currently receiving inquiries from all over the world for our system concepts,” explains Dr Ingo Mählmann, Vice President Sales & Marketing Oerlikon Nonwoven, talking about the current situation. “To improve the supply situation, we have changed our prioritization in favour of considerably shorter delivery times for meltblown systems, so that customers can now be supplied even faster and also with very short lead times.” A meltblown system will be commissioning at the site of a leading Western European nonwovens producers as early as the second quarter of 2020. This system will be deployed exclusively in the manufacture of nonwovens for respiratory masks.

Due to the current state of emergency with regards to the local supply of face masks, Oerlikon Nonwoven is currently using its own laboratory system to produce electrostatically charged filter media which are being sent to local small businesses and companies for the manufacture of face masks. “We are thrilled to be making a contribution towards fighting the pandemic, particularly in the local vicinity of our production site in Neumünster”, adds Rainer Straub, Head of Oerlikon Nonwoven.

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