Welcome to IN-LINE with FI-TECH Welcome to our fall issue of "In-Line with Fi-Tech." We've put together an issue that we hope you'll find informative and useful as a reference on the latest technological developments in the textile industry. Please let us know if there are any particular types of articles that you would be interested in seeing in future issues of "In-Line with Fi-Tech." We've recently expanded our staff so that we'll be in a position to serve you better. I hope you'll join us in welcoming Jim Opalka, Randy Wise and Deborah Johnson to the Fi-Tech team. James Opalka, a mechanical engineer with a bachelor's degree from Clarkson University, has been hired as a sales engineer. He will service accounts in the Mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. Mr. Opalka formerly was a sales engineer with Ingersoll-Rand's Air Compressor Division. William Randy Wise, a veteran of 21 years with Reynolds Metals Co., has joined Fi-Tech as Marketing Coordinator for the Spare Parts Group. He will have responsibility for spare parts sales and support. He formerly was a project manager / customer service associate with Reynolds Metals. Mr. Wise joins his brother, Keith Wise, who has been with Fi-Tech for 21 years. Deborah Johnson, who has more than 17 years experience in business support, has joined the team in a sales and management support role. Her experience will give us added depth in our office support team. Please feel free to let us know if there are any ways we can serve you better. We're looking forward to seeing you at one or all of the upcoming fall exhibitions. Jeffrey G. Bassett TISSEC '98 - For the latest in parts, supplies and accessories Greetings from the Fi-Tech Spare Parts Group! We're very excited to announce that we'll be a part of the new textile market place. That's right, the Fi-Tech Spare Parts Group will be represented at The Textile Industry Supplies and Services Exhibition and Conference (TISSEC '98) at the Palmetto Expo Center in Greenville, SC, October 20, 21 and 22. This is a great opportunity for textile manufacturers to get to know us better and to review the latest in parts, supplies and accessories. As a leading supplier of OEM spare parts for European-made equipment, our goal is to provide manufacturers with a virtual link to Europe's leading suppliers through our extensive spare parts sourcing program for industry relate equipment. Because we're in daily communication with many European firms, we can alleviate many of the pitfalls and headaches you may have come to associate with the quest for the correct spare parts. Visit us at booth 210. We welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how Fi-Tech can fill your spare parts and service needs. See you there!!! K '98 - to Open October 22 "Success by Innovation" is the theme for this year's K '98 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition at the Düsseldorf Fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany from October 22nd through 29th. Fi-Tech is pleased to report that the following principals will be participating in this year's show: Filtertechnik GmbH (hall 7 - stand 7 A 45) Filtertechnik, a leading manufacturer of stainless steel wire mesh filter screens for use in polymer extrusion systems, manufactures a broad range of sizes and configurations including bound screens up to 6.0 m long. Nuova Protex SRL (hall 14 - stand 14 A 77) Nuova Protex will be promoting their complete line of low speed winders for monofilament, tapes, raffia, strapping tape, ribbons and many other products wound at speeds up to 500m/min. A demo unit will be on hand to demonstrate their capabilities in winding precision monofilaments with dancer arm tension control. Reifenhaüser GmbH & Co. (hall 15 - stand 15 A 21) Reifenhaüser will be on hand to discuss turnkey manufacturing plants for spunbond, meltblown, composite nonwovens, monofilaments and strapping tape. In addition, a number of lines will be in operation at Reifenhaüser's plant in Troisdorf. Bus service to and from the fairgrounds will br provided. Sikoplast Maschinenbau (hall 7 - stand 7 A 42) Sikoplast will promote their expertise in supplying turnkey plants to recycle all types of thermoplastic wastes. Systems include sorting, cutting, granulating, washing, drying, extrusion, filtration, pelletizing and bagging (or storage). Zimmer AG (hall 7 - stand 7 D 39) Representatives will be on hand to discuss Zimmer's technology for the supply of turnkey engineered plants for the production of PET and PA resin, SSP plants for bottle grade resin, spinning plants for filament and staple fibers and plants for engineered plastics. For registration information, please contact: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Ph: 011-49-211-45608370 Fax: 011-49-211-45608515 Internet: www.k-online.de

Get a closer look with ROD MICROSCOPES from ZENTES UNITEX Do you have something that needs a closer look? We have just the right precision instrument for the job. In textile processing, there are many daily tasks where a pocket microscope can be indispensable. In every application, from fiber extrusion, spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, and quality control, your personnel are constantly faced with the need to take closer look at what is happening. These handy microscopes can be used for counting threads in a weaving pattern, measuring crimp frequency in staple fiber, checking for damage on an embossing roll pattern, checking bonding points in nonwovens fabrics, and countless other applications. Zentes Unitex, of Hanau, Germany, has provided precision microscopes from Uhl for more than 15 years. One of the most versatile types is the SM Series of Pocket Microscopes. These compact, precision instruments can be configured with a variety of options. The options include a pen light, interchangeable eyepieces and lenses, and measuring scales from 2 to 10 mm (with graduations from 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm). The eyepieces are available in powers of 5x up to 20x, which allows a range of magnification of from 12.5x up to 100x, when used in conjunction with the standard lenses provided. Let us customize a pocket microscope for your particular application, or purchase the complete kit of optional features. The prices are reasonable, the quality is impeccable and they save time and money in the process. Autefa Crosslapper News . . . Autefa has added a third model to its Topliner Series of Crosslappers, the CL4004. The Topliner Series, incorporates the most advanced technology available in the market today. Its superior AC/Servo driving technique, durable, long-life aprons and maintenance-free design mean reliable operation day-in and day-out. With the addition of the CL4004, the Topliners Series now covers the speed range from 80 meters/min. to 150 meters/min.: the CL4000 operates at speeds from 80-100 meters/min.; the CL4002 from 100-125 meters/min.; and the CL4004 from 100-150 meters/min. And as with its Crossliner Series of Crosslappers, Autefa offers profiling on all models. In October 1998, Autefa will deliver a Topliner CL4004 to the new lab facility at Dilo Systems Group in Charlotte, NC. Currently under construction, the lab will house the new needlepunch line, which will include Trutzschler opening equipment, a Spinnbau H-Card, and Autefa Topliner CL4004 with 2.5 card working width and 3.5 m layering width and Dilo looms including the new Hyperpunch with horizontal feed. This equipment will be available for customer trials in January 1999. The Dilo Systems Group would like to announce that Darrell Norris has joined the company as the new Customer Service Manager for DSG in North America. Darrell will be responsible for DSG complete installations in North America. He will also assist with customer trials at the new lab facility. The Dilo System Group (DSG) members include Oskar Dilo Machinenfabrik, Autefa Machinenfabrik and Spinnbau GmbH, which is jointly owned by Dilo and Autefa. Melt Blowing Technology Advances State-of-the-art melt blowing technology has advanced to a new plateau with the introduction of Reifenhäuser's new technology - a turntable die head, full insulation, high-hole-density die tips, electrostatic web treatment, and inclined web collector. The turntable die head makes it possible to vary the width of the web from full width down to 75%. The result is an increase in web density and a more uniform product with smaller pores. Therefore, lighter weight webs can achieve results comparable to heavier weight webs - thereby offering savings in raw material cost. Further costs savings are realized in energy cost savings with the fully insulated die head. The special insulation also provides a stable temperature profile of the melt blowing die. In fact, Reifenhäuser is the only manufacturer that offers a fully insulated melt blowing die body. Other new developments include Reifenhäuser's new high-hole-density die tips for use in high-end filtration products which can increase capability to 50 hole per inch; a new electrostatic web treatment which can prolong the endurance of melt blown filter media; and a new inclined web collector, which by changing the impact angle of the fibers on the collector belt can slow the laydown speed of the melt blown fibers in order to produce a more lofty product. Purolator Filter Products Purolator Products Facet Filter Products Division produces a variety of state-of-the-art filtration products for the synthetic fibers industry. Purolator manufactures Poromesh® and Porofelt® polymer filter elements, Poroplate® screen packs, and Poroplater air quench media. Purolator polymer filters are designed for high temperature and high corrosion processing applications. The end fittings are electron beam welded. This welding process eliminates heat distortion, oxidation and sensitization on the elements. Competitive filters use other welding methods that damage the element and reduce the life of the filter. The filter cores are designed to withstand 250 psid pressures and are electro-polished to remove all metal burrs. The filters are all made of 316L stainless steel, which is ideal for highly corrosive applications and temperatures up to 850 degrees F. Finally, the Poromesh® and Porofelt® polymer filters can be made in all standard sizes as well as custom lengths. Poroplate® extruder packs and screen packs have superior features over standard mesh filters. They are made of multi-layer composites of wire mesh and/or fiber metal felt. The different layers are diffusion bonded to form monolithic laminates. This allows consistent filtration with no media migration under pressure. The filters are stronger due to the bonding, there is no porosity changes as pressure increases, and they offer longer life. In fact, under certain conditions, the filters can be cleaned and reused. Poroplate® Quench Media consist of multiple layers of precision woven, stainless steel mesh, arranged at calculated angles to form thousands of microscopic flow pores. The layers are sintered together to produce a durable, rigid product. It is available in sheet form for cross flow applications and in radial form for inflow and outflow air quench systems. They are easily cleaned for reuse. The media provides uniform laminar quench air to the fibers, suppresses flow surges, and is unaffected by temperature and humidity changes. It is one of the few media in use that is designed specifically for air quench applications.