International technology group Andritz supplied and recently commissioned two new refining and cottonizing lines for Van Robaeys, France. These fully customized teXline bast fiber lines enable the company to increase its production of textile fibers from flax.

With the new lines, Van Robaeys is responding to the growing demand from the French market for cottonized and high-quality textile fibers from natural sources. Europe is the world’s largest producer of flax fibers, showing a 133% increase in flax cultivation areas between 2010 and 2020.

The Andritz teXline bast fiber lines can process up to 800 kg/h of fiber and use state-of-the-art equipment to ensure a high degree of flexibility throughout the fiber processing operations.

These lines are the seventh and eighth Andritz cottonizing lines for Van Robaeys, with the first having been in operation for 50 years.

“It has been a real pleasure to collaborate with the Andritz textile experts again, 50 years after purchasing our first Andritz line. With our new equipment, we benefit from the latest bast fiber processing technology and significantly increase our capabilities in the production of high-quality fibers,” says Pierre D’Arras, CEO of Van Robaeys.

Van Robaeys is a family-owned company producing flax fibers for the spinning industry. Its extensive expertise in flax scutching dates back to 1919. The recent investment supports the company’s efforts toward sustainable and zero-waste fiber production.

Andritz has many years of expertise in technology for the decortication of straw from bast fiber crops, as well as for refining and cottonizing fibers and shives for further processing. This premium quality fiber is ready to be used for nonwoven or spinning processes in the textile industry.