Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET) of Leeds, United Kingdom, has further developed its association with tech company Senbis Polymer Innovations of the Netherlands. Both companies have a proven track record in sustainability through technological innovation and have been collaborating on a variety of projects, FET said in a statement today.

FET has long been at the cutting edge in new applications and process development for melt spinning fibre extrusion and will design and provide pilot extrusion lines with unique capabilities to produce technical yarns as well as textile fibres, the company adds.

Senbis Polymer Innovations divides its activities between R&D services and the production of sustainable polymeric products. The company is investing EUR 5.5 million over the next three years in a testing facility for the development of sustainable plastics at different scales, ranging from laboratory to production. This will facilitate the acceleration and upscaling of future developments relating to sustainable plastics.

A Senbis spokesperson commented: “It is a welcome addition to our current facilities that focus on technical yarns. The new line now enables us to develop textile fibres from, for example recycled polymers or biopolymers.”

FET will provide two extrusion lines in separate phases in 2020-21 - a Monofilament line, including water baths, drawing frames, ovens, dimension sensor, monofilament winders and dedicated control panel - this will be followed by a Multifilament line, including the extruder set-up and the multifilament drawing and winding frame with control panel.

The new extruders and spinning machines will furthermore enable Senbis to manufacture bicomponent yarns. Another area of potential is the development of filaments and powders for 3D printing. “Our spinoff Innofil3D was acquired by BASF and is flourishing. We aim to continue to facilitate this growth by providing support from our R&D facilities,” Senbis said.

This investment confirms Senbis’ commitment to sustainability despite the uncertainty generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The spokesperson continued: “We are convinced that the sustainability trend, which only just started in the plastics sector, will only grow stronger in the coming years.”

www.fetuk.com