Today, a world without wet-laid nonwovens is impossible to imagine. Absorbent, tear-resistant and adaptable, wet-laid nonwovens are ideally suited for wound dressings, hygiene products and cosmetic items. They are also found in clothing, electronics, construction and agriculture. Primarily, these kinds of products are manufactured using a hydrodynamic process, which means they are first dispersed in water and then dried. In this case, the manufacturing process is similar to papermaking with long fibers. However, it also differs in crucial aspects.
Wet-laid nonwovens are manufactured using a process that requires a combination of machinery from textile production and papermaking. As such hybrid machines can be used in the textile and paper industries, they need to comply with the safety standards of both. Up until now, each specification had to be individually assessed, evaluated and implemented, making the process for delivering safe machinery time-consuming and complex.
The first international safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machinery
Now, for the first time ever, a single customized international safety standard, ISO 22291, applies to wet-laid nonwoven manufacturing facilities. Voith’s own internal plant safety standard for wet-laid nonwoven machines was used as a basis for the new standard and was further developed with Trützschler, the leading manufacturer of textile and nonwoven machinery.
In addition, in another first, since August 2023 this ISO safety standard has been listed as a harmonized standard (DIN EN ISO 22291) for wet-laid nonwoven machinery in the Official Journal of the European Union. By implementing this standard, manufacturers and customers demonstrate that they follow recognized best practices.
“Our goal was to set the safety standards for wet-laid nonwoven machinery at the highest possible level. Working together with Trützschler and Austrian Standards ensured we were able to further develop Voith’s internal plant safety standards into the first-ever state-of-the-art global standard for this field. The process was long but totally worth it. Now, manufacturers and customers of wet-laid nonwoven machinery have a comprehensive and clear basis to implement uniform technical and legal safety measures in the best interest of all parties involved,” says Markus Straub, Director Group Standardization at Voith Paper.
“In wet-laid nonwovens production, two worlds come together. Working with Voith and Austrian Standards, we have combined the safety requirements of paper and textile machinery to create an internationally recognized standard. Innovative technologies demand innovative standards. We would like to thank our partners for this successful collaboration,” says André Kück, CE-Coordinator at Trützschler Nonwovens.
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