Raw Materials
The Fiber Year 2020 – Rising investments in manmade fiber feedstocks
World fiber supply was balanced between natural and manmade fibers a quarter of a century ago but the latter considerably gained momentum afterwards, holding a current market share of more than 70% in recent years. Consequentially, corresponding feedstocks have been expanded likewise. Massive investments in Chinese industry will increasingly impact today’s major supplying nations. Nylon …
COVID-19 adds urgency in the move toward technology with remote capability
For the past few years now, Industry 4.0 concepts have been introduced by the leading European suppliers of technologies for the production of synthetic fibers and nonwovens. In 2020, some of these new ideas have been tested to the full. Most notably, remote support services to customers have not just been in demand, but proved …
At CIMFC, long-term investment and innovations fuel the future
At the 26th China International Manmade Fiber Conference (CIMFC 2020), September 8-9 in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, experts and executives said that the manmade fiber industry’s long-term strategy, technological innovations and industrial upgrading were strong responses to the challenges brought by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Attendees & event details The CIMFC 2020 was for …
Next generation of non-phthalate Ziegler/Natta catalyst for polypropylene
Polypropylene (PP) is widely used in textile applications such as carpets and diapers. The end-uses and production processes require polymers with the highest purity. PP is produced using a Ziegler–Natta catalyst (also called a heterogeneous catalyst), which is not 100% isotactic – it typically contains 3% atactic/amorphous polymer. Our new generation of non-phthalate Ziegler–Natta catalyst …
Rice and wood – building for the future on Japan’s natural resources and fiber legacy
Many of Japan’s major corporations began as fiber manufacturers, and their expansion has been decades long, typically involving diversification into other fields such as chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, real estate, etc. Asahi Kasei, Kuraray, Teijin, Toray Industries and Toyobo, for example, all emerged as manufacturers of viscose rayon in the 1920s and have remained …