From Nov. 10-12, Truetzschler Nonwovens, Truetzschler Card Clothing and Voith are hosting a three-day digital event as a way to connect with existing and potential customers and to discuss new products and promising technologies.

The show is about everything that is needed to make hydroentangled nonwovens for perfect wet and dry wipes: machinery and line concepts, wires, processes and raw materials. The event features a virtual tour, videos, presentations and the ability to connect with experts from Truetzschler and Voith.

Sustainable and eco-friendly nonwovens for wipes is a major theme of the virtual show. An annual world production of approximately 1.8 million tons makes wipes the second largest nonwovens segment.

Nowadays the majority of available products are spunlaced nonwovens made from a polyester/viscose fiber blend. Polyester, as polypropylene, are petroleum-based fibers and could be subject to regulations in more and more countries in the coming years. The European Commission regards PET and PP fibers as “micro plastics”” and as a threat to the environment. The commission urges the industry to look for eco-friendly, alternative fibers. Time has come to wander off the beaten path.

Sustainable fibers – cotton and natural fibers instantly pop in the head. But also viscose and lyocell fibers fall into the non-plastics category. All these fibers are proven and at hand, but they often cost too much for everyday products.

Truetzschler Nonwovens and its partner company Voith present another promising raw material of natural origin: paper-grade pulp. This fiber type is cost-effective and makes beautiful biodegradable baby, body and flushable wipes when combined with viscose or lyocell fibers.

The wet-laying spunlaying – WLS – technology is the choice of the day. Several of their WLS lines are already running. An alternative is the brand-new CP – Carded/Pulp – technology for combining a pulp with a carded web layer. Wet CP/spunlacing lines offer enhanced flexibility. Carded/spunlaced nonwovens, wet-laid/spunlaced materials and CP composites can be made on the same line.