Voith and the nonwoven fabric expert Truetzschler Nonwovens have delivered a new system for specialty paper production to the Spanish paper factory Papel Aralar.
In December, the PM 5 successfully started up and is now stably producing adult and baby wet wipes that are completely plastic-free, flushable and biodegradable, a characteristic that conventional wet wipes do not have.
With the recent investment, Aralar now has two WLS lines with a total production capacity of 45,000 tons/year.
“The successful start-up of PM 5 is an important step forward in our company’s sustainability strategy,” says Senén Amunarriz, CEO of Papel Aralar. “And it is Voith’s innovative papermaking solutions and know-how that are contributing to this success. Our decision to invest in this state-of-the-art new production line was driven by the forecast growth in demand for biodegradable substrates for wet wipe production.”
“We are happy and proud to partner with Papel Aralar and to provide them, together with Truetzschler, with our efficient and sustainable papermaking technologies,” says Marcos Garcia de la Torre, Managing Director Voith Paper Spain. “Thanks to the Aralar-Truetzschler-Voith team and the close collaboration we were able to carry out a smooth and timely start-up.”.
HydroFormer and AquaJet for high-performance Wet-Laid Spunlacing
As a full-line supplier, Voith supplied the BlueLine stock preparation, the main components of the XcelLine paper machine and a comprehensive automation and control package from one single source. The HydroFormer, which is one of the main components of the new system, draws on Voith’s extensive experience in the papermaking and pulp industries.
With this technology, the suspension is heavily diluted to produce nonwoven materials made completely of cellulose, a renewable resource. Besides the HydroFormer, Voith has supplied the BlueLine stock preparation, a master reel, and the wet end process for the new system.
Truetzschler Nonwovens completes the production line with the well-proven AquaJet in an innovative configuration for hydroentangling (spunlacing) and an energy-efficient multi-drum dryer. The many years of expertise and experience of the Truetzschler company form the basis of the web bonding and drying components that have been adapted to the needs of the wet-laid process.
About Truetzschler
With about 3,000 employees, Truetzschler is one of the leading textile machine manufacturers in the world. Truetzschler specializes in machines, systems, and accessories for spinning preparation, nonwovens, and the chemical fiber industry. Founded more than 125 years ago, the company is headquartered in Moenchengladbach, Germany. It has additional locations in Germany, India, China, Brazil, the USA, and Switzerland.
Truetzschler Nonwovens is a division of the Truetzschler Group with a focus on complete production lines and machinery for hydroentangled (spunlaced), through-air and chemical bonded nonwovens. Its range of products includes solutions encompassing the entire nonwovens process chain from fiber preparation, web formation, web bonding, and finishing to drying and winding.
About the Voith Group
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, oil & gas, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has more than 20,000 employees, sales of € 4.2 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.
The Group Division Voith Paper is part of the Voith Group. As the full-line supplier to the paper industry, it provides the largest range of technologies, services and products on the market and offers paper manufacturers holistic solutions from a single source. The company’s continuous stream of innovations facilitates resource-conserving production and helps customers minimize their carbon footprint. With its leading automation products and digitalization solutions from the Papermaking 4.0 portfolio, Voith offers its customers state-of-the-art digital technologies to improve plant availability and efficiency for all sections of the production process.
