Beaulieu Engineered Products Announces Customer R&D, Capacity Support

New Products and Innovation

Beaulieu Engineered Products Announces Customer R&D, Capacity Support

New pilot line for joint R&D projects with customers
More high-tenacity fibres for growing Geotextiles segment
New PET-core-BICO Fibres deliver on softness and ultrasonic bonding trends for resilient, high loft hygiene nonwovens

During ITMA 2019, Beaulieu Engineered Product announced a new, fully operational pilot line supporting R&D projects for industrial and hygiene applications. It will also support the development of innovative fibres for new markets and applications. Beaulieu Fibres International’s (BFI) pilot line answers increasing customer demand for co-developments. It is extremely flexible and can replicate any type of staple fibre spinning technology, using different type of polymers and additives, and different type of cross sections. More capacity on horizon to boost cost-efficient, strong Geotextiles New high tenacity staple fibres capacity will be available from the end of 2019 at BFI’s Italian plant. BFI’s high tenacity fibres HT8 offer unique high tensile strength without compromising on elongation. The fibres provide opportunities to reduce geotextile system cost by maximising machine efficiency and ensure desired performance at reduced weight - up to 15% compared with standard geotextile fibres. New PET-core BICO staple fibres bring loft to Hygiene products The fibres are available in a dtex range from 1,3-6,7dtex/40mm in both polymer-configurations PP/PET (Polypropylene / Polyethylene terephthalate) and PE/PET (Polyethylene /Polyethylene terephthalate). The specific use of PET in the core improves the resilience/loft of the nonwoven. The use of PE in the sheath provides softness as required in top sheets, for example, while the configuration with PP in the sheath answers the requirements for ultrasonic bonding. Fibres come in an antimony (Sb)-free version, as required by the latest hygiene safety regulations. Realising 100% recyclable sustainable needlepunched fabrics BFI’s new and unique polyolefin staple fibre UltraBond eliminates the need for latex or other chemical binders to consolidate nonwovens, contributing to a fully recyclable system. The award-winning innovation opens up a new path to create 100% PP needlepunched fabrics which meet the same performance requirements while reducing the end-of-life environmental impact. CO₂ emissions are reduced by 35% over the full production process during fabrics’ production. Renewable natural resources for carpets - biomass-balance EqoBalance® PA6 yarns Following their pioneering introduction in mid-2018, Beaulieu Yarns is seeing interest increase in 2019 in its drop-in alternative for carpet manufacturers. EqoBalance® yarns support the global goal of strong, immediate CO₂ emission reduction, allowing a reduction of up to 75% of CO₂ eq/kg compared to Beaulieu Yarns’ fossil-based products. These Green Product Award winning yarns deliver the same quality and performance as the fossil-based equivalents, and enable carpet manufacturers to contribute to a sustainable future through less use of fossil resources and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Beaulieu Yarns’ EqoBalance® is the very first yarn certified by TÜV Süd as meeting the new REDcert[1] standard on the “use of sustainable biomass for material purposes in the chemical industry”. Karena Cancilleri, Engineered Products, Beaulieu International Group, comments: “Textiles have expanded well beyond apparel. At ITMA 2019, we shared pioneering solutions and practical co-development support to enable diverse industries to take a more innovative and sustainable direction in their future applications.”