
A wetlaid nonwoven is a sheet formed by dewatering a fiber suspension on a wire base. In papermaking, i.e., using pulp as the starting material, the associated wetlaid technology is considered one of the oldest nonwoven formation processes. Depending on the source, the first findings date back to around 140 BC-AD 100. On this basis, an important branch of industry with far-reaching fields of application has grown up in the meantime in a high symbiosis between tradition and innovation. Today's modern plant technology is highly specialized in materials and processes and operates at enormously high throughput rates. Wetlaid nonwovens are therefore no longer to be found only in classic paper. The fields of application range from adhesive carrier films, for example, to packaging material and even banknotes with watermarks and security features directly integrated into the process. In technical wetlaid nonwovens, the technology fields around battery components, fuel cell elements, filtration layers, and function-integrated material solutions, e.g., EMI shielding function, are significant.
The machine is designed on a small pilot line scale. On the one hand, this ensures sufficiently high productivity to enable subsequent scaled processing trials (e.g., demonstrator production). On the other hand, the highest possible flexibility and a quick change of investigated material variants and process parameters are ensured.
The main working range of the pilot line refers to the following parameters:
The research focus of Fraunhofer IGCV is primarily in the field of technical staple fibers. The processing of recycled carbon fibers is a particular focus.
Current research topics in this context include:
Other current research topics, as well as topics currently under development, include:
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