Bondex will expand its manufacturing capacity to increase its needlepunch nonwovens output and capabilities  thanks to a new investment at its headquarters in Trenton, SC. The new line will be supplied by the DiloGroup in Germany and designed to meet the growing demands of the filtration, PPE and other industrial markets. In addition to needlepunch nonwovens, the  company makes hydroentangled and thermal bonded nonwovens for a wide range of applications.
 
“As a proud member of Andrew Industries Limited, a privately owned U.K. multi-national manufacturing company, our mission is to bring value to our customers through superior service, innovation and product quality,” says company president Brian Little. 
 
Bondex has been producing technical nonwovens with carded thermal bond technology since 1997, serving markets including reprographics, electrical insulation, filtration, medical and home care. In 2017, Bondex launched its hydroentangled technology, specifically designed to produce heavier weight nonwovens for industrial filtration and other specialty products. Bondex’s Hydrolox® family of filtration media offers the industrial filtration market a new range of performance, which meets the changing needs of today’s industry. 
 
This new line, which is expected to be fully commercial in the fourth quarter of 2021, is designed to run a variety of fiber types, fineness and staple lengths in a large weight range. Its components include fiber opening and blending, carding, crosslapping, drafting, needling and finishing and is meant to be a workhorse producer of needled felts for roll goods up to 90 inches wide in both fiber-supported and scrim-supported products.  Innovative solutions are adapted to this efficient and economical production system with an emphasis on the uniformity of fiber distribution as well as material savings effects. Individual customer requirements and applications can be met through this complete in-house nonwoven production process. All components of the line were installed by Dilo as a general contractor and engineered and assembled to suit the high standards of Bondex in order to provide a state-of-the-art, economical production line for high quality nonwoven products, according to the company.  
 
“This investment now gives Bondex manufacturing capabilities of three types of technical nonwoven fabrics including thermal flat and point bond, hydroentangled and needled,” says Ted Andrew, chairman of Andrew Industries. “ In addition to these three nonwovens manufacturing technologies Bondex has peripheral equipment for chemical impregnation, heat setting, calendering, singeing, laminating and slitting as well as extensive laboratory equipment used for quality control and product development activities.”