Technical Fibre Products (TFP), a manufacturer of advanced nonwovens, will double their current production capacity through the installation of a state-of-the-art third manufacturing line. This significant financial investment comes in response to increasing demand for TFP’s innovative nonwovens across all markets.

This latest planned capacity expansion will constitute a significant capital investment to develop and install the new state-of-the-art forming line. The line will be based on the current proprietary wet-laid technology, as used on the existing machines, to ensure the continued guarantee of the highest quality nonwovens. The new machine will be engineered to extend production capability beyond the current constraints; a key modification will be an increase in production width to over two-meters.

“The installation of a third production line at TFP is an exciting and necessary step to meet rapidly increasing demand and facilitate the delivery of the company’s successful growth strategy,” says Martin Thompson, managing director of TFP. “The installation of the new line is expected to be complete in summer 2015 and represents the latest step in an accelerated program of capacity and capability improvements for the company. This includes the installation of a state-of-the-art nano-coating line at TFP’s U.S. manufacturing facility and the commissioning of a high specification flat bed laminator to enable in-house material conversion. The third nonwoven machine will provide a stepwise increase in capacity to support sales growth and provide the opportunity to access new markets for which current production constraints have been a limitation.”

The wet-laid nonwoven technology used is unique in its design, its roots lying in the papermaking processes used by TFP’s parent company James Cropper, who produce the paper for the Remembrance poppies and are globally known for their luxury packaging papers. The unique design of the process enables TFP to manufacture nonwovens with an exceptional uniformity of fiber dispersion at areal weights from 2 g/m² to in excess of 3500 g/m². A wide diversity of fiber types can also be processed; encompassing carbon, aramid, glass, polyester, thermoplastic and metal coated carbons, as well as more speciality fiber such as quartz, silicon carbide and pure metals.

This fiber range and their associated properties enables TFP’s nonwovens to be used in a variety of applications across industries ranging from aerospace and defense to automotive, energy, industrial, construction and healthcare. Typical applications include delivering a high quality and functional surface finish in composites, providing high temperature thermal insulation and passive fire protection, as well as offering solutions for cryogenic storage and power generation.