Hangzhou Nbond Nonwoven, located in Zhejiang province, China, successfully started up a new flushable wipes production line in April 2015. The new production line is the first one on the Chinese market to use the innovative wetlaid spunlacing (WLS) concept of the HydroFormer and AquaJet technology, developed by Voith Paper and Trutzschler, respectively. Only three days after start-up, the operating speed of 200 m/min was reached.

“We were completely satisfied by the know-how and experience of Voith and Truetzschler. Thanks to the professional ability and excellent professional dedication of their technicians, the project ran both quickly and smoothly,” says Zhang Jie, general manager of Nbond.

With the combined efforts of Nbond, Voith and Truetzschler, it took only five months to complete plant construction, installation and commissioning. The production line uses wetlaid technology with cellulose fiber as raw material for the production of flushable wipes and is Nbond’s 8th line. With a 3750 mm wire width and 250 m/min design speed, Nbond produces flushable wipes within a basis weight range of 50-80 gsm and will achieve an annual capacity of up to 15,000 tons. The flushable wipes will have excellent dispersibility and are 100% biodegradable.

Voith supplied a key component, the HydroFormer, which builds on Voith’s long expertise in the pulp and paper industry and allows the nonwovens to be produced entirely from cellulose, a renewable raw material, as well as the entire stock preparation, the approach flow system, auxiliaries and onsite service. An entire automation and control package was included as well. Truetzschler, meanwhile, supplied the well-known AquaJet technology, a drum dryer and a winder, which were adapted to the needs of the wetlaid spunlacing process.

This resource-efficient production line will play an important role for Nbond in strengthening its market position in China and even on the global non-woven fabric market. Nbond was founded as a member of the Robam Group in 2007 and has since become a world-leading enterprise in the wetlaid nonwoven fabrics industry.