Techtextil 2017
09.05.2017 - 12.05.2017 — Hall: 3.1 Stand: E 24
Contact details
The Nonwovens Institute
General Information
The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at NC State University is the world’s first and only accredited program for the interdisciplinary study of engineered fabric. The Institute is a public-private partnership with over 60 corporate members. NWI’s activities are overseen by an Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) composed of all member companies.
NWI’s mission is to develop, educate, and train the next generation of professionals. The institute serves as a central resource and support center for education, research, engagement and economic development for the nonwovens industry in the United States, and beyond.
Institute’s research programs are organized into core research and non-core research. Core research programs focus in 5 key pillars:
Materials & Materials Characterization (what to use, and how to analyze)
Polymer Processing & Extrusion (how to make)
Engineered Structures (what to make)
Modeling
Health, Safety, and Sustainability
These programs are supported primarily through membership dues. The results of the research are proprietary to member companies of the Institute. This information is placed in the public domain, through presentations and publications, poster presentations, software, and patent disclosures, only after the approval of the Industrial Advisory Board.
Non-core research programs focus on one or more of the above objectives but are carried out for an individual company. Single company sponsored programs can be proprietary and are made public only if the sponsoring company agrees.
The Nonwovens Institute carries out an active program of technology transfer supported by funds from the State of North Carolina and its industrial members. This program seeks to disseminate technology & know-how developed by the Institute. Such programs are provided in the form of:
Company specific training and assistance
Various courses taught at plant sites
Workforce Training Programs
Industrial internships
Focused seminars, symposia, and conferences
One-on-one consulting
Product Development
The Institute provides analytical and product development services using its onsite laboratories dedicated to fiber, fabric, and polymer characterization, spunbond and meltblown, pilot lines with bicomponent fiber capability, carding, cross-lapping, force spinning, electrospinning, needle punching, hydroentangling, thermal bonding, and spunbond/melt blown/carded web composite capability.
A new Advanced Spunbond and Hydroentangling pilot facility will open at The Nonwovens Institute in April 2017. The new facility, made possible through support received from NC State University and in collaboration with Reicofil, Andritz, Hills, A. Celli, KeyStone Corporation and others, will represent the most advanced state-of-the-art technologies combined to provide a unique test bed for education and industry.
The new facility will house a Reicofil 1.0-meter-wide bicomponent RF®4 spunbond line with the addition of equipment from supporting partners - including Hills bico or mono filament die packs, two unwinds, an Andritz thermobonding calendar, two Perfojet hydroentanglement units, a kiss roll, a through air dryer, and a high speed A. Celli winder and slitter.
Analytical facilities offer the ability to analyze and evaluate materials performance according to many industry specific standard test methods.
The Institute also offers product incubation through its non-profit arm, LINC, LLC. LINC is a non-profit organization wholly-owned by, and operated in furtherance of the purposes of, the NC State University Partnership Corporation. LINC is a manufacturing incubator focused on commercializing niche high-value technical nonwoven products developed at the Nonwovens Institute at NC State.