Welcome to IN-LINE with FI-TECH Last year will not be one that many of us wish to remember: a slowing economy hit hard by the events of September 11 and the loss of thousands of textile jobs caused by a flood of imported textiles. We are left hoping for a much better outcome in 2002. Here, at Fi-Tech, we are looking forward to an improving economy as low interest rates spur investment. We are particularly positive about 2002 as we begin the year working with several new representations. In January, we began working with Ungricht GmbH of Mönchengladbach, Germany. Ungricht is the world's leading supplier of engraved calender rolls to the nonwovens industry. Another new representation is Hastem Transportbänder GmbH of Nördlingen, Germany which supplies proprietary plastic slat aprons for low speed conveying of nonwoven materials and fibers. We have also been busy in Mexico adding new suppliers to broaden our presence in the textile industry south of the border. In the first quarter, we began working with Fusos Torello of Torello, Spain which supplies replacement spindles for spinning and twisting equipment. We also started working in Mexico for MCH of Martorell, Spain. MCH manufactures dyeing and finishing equipment. In the second quarter, we look forward to launching a Spanish language version of the fi-tech.com web page to better serve our customers in Mexico and Latin America. Adding to our optimism in 2002 is the abundance of opportunities we will have to meet with our customers this spring at Needlepunch 2002, Techtextil North America, INDEX 2002, and the Fiber Producer Conference & Exhibition. We look forward to discussing the newest developments and products from our suppliers during these events. I hope you find this issue informative, and your feedback is always appreciated. Todd Bassett Ungricht Joins Fi-Tech Team Fi-Tech is pleased to announce that Ungricht GmbH & Co. KG has joined forces with Fi-Tech in the NAFTA region. Fi-Tech will be responsible for the promotion, sales and after sales service for the entire Ungricht product line. Ungricht Roll Engraver Ungricht, based in Mönchengladbach, Germany, is a world leader in the manufacture of heated, cooled and engraved rolls used in the production of nonwovens. Ungricht expertise includes: 1. Engraved Rolls or Re-Engraving of Old or Damaged Rolls: Ungricht uses all engraving technologies including laser in addition to special combinations of engraving methods developed in house. This includes special technology to engrave into the surface of hardened rolls. Ungricht is able to re-engrave rolls in as little as 2-3 weeks with complete turnaround time for a re-engraving being 9-11 weeks. 2. Repair of Localized Damage: Special tools for the repair of damaged rolls are stored in our Richmond, VA warehouse for quick response to repair requests. Technicians are available on short notice to effect repairs on rolls remaining in the manufacturing line in order to minimize downtime. 3. Mechanical Repairs: In-house capabilities include repair or replacement of shafts, ring gears, bearings or flanges. Complete roll grinding can also be handled in house without involving subsuppliers. 4. Complete Manufacture of Foulard Rollers: Ungricht manufactures complete stainless steel Foulard rolls including engraving into stainless surfaces. Counter rolls can be supplied in steel that is nickel or chrome plated or from stainless steel. 5. Complete Range of Coatings: Chrome, nickel, copper and all plasma coating technologies are available on request. Surface texturing into plasma surfaces is also available. Some key advantages that Ungricht has over other roll manufacturers include: All work except heat treatment and hot grinding is completed in-house under Ungricht control. Multiple shift operation minimizes turnaround time on repairs and re-engravings. Ability to supply complete new smooth or engraved rolls for most calenders at lower cost. For further details or information on your specific application, please contact us. Hastem Appoints Fi-Tech as US/Canadian Distributor We are pleased to announce that Fi-Tech has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Hastem slat transport aprons in the USA and Canada. Hastem Transportbänder GmbH of Nördlingen, Germany, is a worldwide leader in the supply of low speed slat transport aprons for the nonwovens, textile and finishing industries. In addition to the slat aprons, Hastem manufactures a complete range of spiked or needle aprons found in many fiber opening or fiber transport systems. Each apron is designed to meet the requirements of a specific application. Please call us today for OEM replacement parts for existing aprons. A questionaire can be provided to identify your current apron and to also assist you in specifying a replacement apron. They are especially suited for the transport of webs or waddings within the manufacturing process. Hastem transport aprons are commonly found in most nonwoven manufacturing lines involving carding, crosslapping, needling and other web forming and bonding processes. The patented Hastem apron system gives the manufacturer many key advantages based on the following design features: 1. Slat Profiles: Slats are constructed of durable PVC and nylon reinforced materials. The shape and surface features promote long life and efficient transport of webs. 2. Tooth Belts: High strength aramid belts combined with integrated drive teeth are the basis of the simple reliable drive system for the aprons. The drive belts hold the slats in place through a special interlocking design. Individual slats can be replaced as needed without removing the apron. 3. Endless Design: The aprons are made endless by an overlapping junction of the tooth belts secured with special screws. 4. Junction Profile: For applications with loose fibers, the space between the slats can be covered with a polyester fabric. This fabric, called the junction profile, prevents fibers from penetrating between slats. Techtextil North America Fi-Tech will participate in the upcoming Techtextil North America Show along with three key European Principals. The show will be held April 10 - 12, 2002 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Please visit us in Booth 429 along with Christoph Burckhardt AG, Ungricht GmbH and Enka tecnica GmbH. Fi-Tech will be on hand to assist customers with any of their needs for machinery or components used for the production of synthetic fibers and nonwovens products. Please stop by to see why Fi-Tech is your one stop source for equipment and components for fibers and nonwovens. Burckhardt, located in Basel, Switzerland, is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of pin rings and pin bars for the perforation and fibrillation of fabrics and films. Burckhardt designs perforating systems to produce various effects in nonwoven or woven fabrics as well as films or laminates. These effects range from imparting breathability to creating various 3D effects. Systems can be incorporated into an existing manufacturing process or set up offline in a secondary step. Ungricht GmbH will display information and samples of their complete range of capabilities for the production of embossing and bonding rolls. Being a full service engraver, Ungricht can offer its customers engraving of new rollers as well as offer repairs and/or re-engraving of used rollers. Ungricht has capabilities of design services as well for new products. All technologies for the design and manufacture of roller bodies for embossing or thermal bonding are under one roof in Mönchengladbach, Germany. This allows services such as CAD, galvanic coating, plasma coating, laser engraving or traditional engraving to fulfill all customers needs in house without ever leaving the factory. Ungricht also has a number of special technologies for engraving, which now permit customers to achieve new results quicker, from design inception to roller delivery, thereby allowing products to come to market in the shortest time possible. Enka tecnica will be on hand, from Heinsburg, Germany, demonstrating the latest in ³at-line² quality control monitoring equipment for the production of synthetic fibers. The Yarnscan family of monitoring devices include Fintec (Spin-finish check), Tenshead (Thread tension-force check), Tangletec (Tangling-process check), Fiberspeed (Thread-speed measurement) and Fraytec V (Filament Breakage monitor). Also on display, will be the Fraytec with Camera and the highest quality splicer on the market. Stop by to see how to increase your quality and profits through the use of Enka tecnica instruments, splicers and aspirators.

New Lab Line at Reimotec Producing Results A new lab line has been installed at the brand new Reimotec headquarters in Ober-Absteinach, Germany. Reimotec moved into the new facility in July 2001. Shortly thereafter, manufacturing of the new lab line began. The lab line will give Reimotec as well as their customers, the opportunity to develop new products and processes in the monofilament and strapping tape markets on a production size line. The development of strapping tapes with higher tensile strength from higher IV PET bottle flake, and the development of high speed monofilament lines are just a couple of goals that Reimotec has for its new lab line. Reimotec plans to commercialize its high tensile strength PET strapping tape product produced from bottle flake some time in the second quarter of this year. The company is already producing bicomponent monofilament products on the line. One of these products consists of a PA6 core and low melt sheath. This product appears to have great future potential in a number of markets. In addition, Reimotec is developing an on-line filament measuring system with direct feedback to its segmented die in order to control filament diameters to a tighter tolerance. Reimotec is a joint venture formed between Reifenhäuser GmbH and Motech GmbH. Reimotec is a supplier of turnkey monofilament and strapping tape lines and components thereof. The partnership was formed in January 2001 by the merging of the monofilament division of Reifenhäuser and Motech, a control systems innovator, in an effort to serve customers more effectively through a dedicated technical department and sales department while continuing to provide them with quality Reifenhä user extrusion equipment. Reimotec will be present at the Techtextile, North America in Atlanta, April 10-12. Their booth will be located in the German Pavilion. For additional information, please call your Fi-Tech sales representative. INDEX '02 - April 16-19, 2002 In just a few weeks, nonwovens professionals all over the world will gather in Geneva, Switzerland for INDEX '02. We are proud to announce that the following companies represented by Fi-Tech will be exhibiting at this premier event of the Nonwovens Industry. Autefa Nonwovens GmbH - Stand 1040 When first introduced 15 years ago at INDEX '87, the CROSSLINER represented a major breakthrough in cross lapper technology. Later another major advancement was made with the introduction of the TOPLINER. Autefa's patented profiling system is available on all CROSSLINERS and is a standard feature of the TOPLINER. The CROSSLINER and TOPLINER offer high production speed, high quality products, and low cross lapper maintenance. Their success established Autefa as a world leader in cross lapper technology. Autefa's newest innovations will be introduced at INDEX '02. Christoph Burckhardt AG - Stand 1020 Burckhardt, a Swiss company, will be exhibiting perforating tools for nonwovens. The perforating tools include pin rings, pin rollers and complete perforating units, including Burckhardt's latest generation of rotative perforating systems. Perforating can increase air permeability of nonwovens, create 3-dimensional volume, transform flat films into structures with nonwoven properties, and thermally bond combinations of web into composites. Newly developed perforating modules can be integrated into production lines for hygienic products, filter materials, film, and artificial leather. COFPA - Stand 4306 COFPA will present its complete line of plastic wire fabrics for forming, bonding, drying, patterning, transferring and conveying. COFPA gained a reputation as being a leading innovator of woven plastic wire fabrics used in nonwovens production by solving problems such as formation, release, seaming, durability and cleanability. COFPA is committed to continue to develop new, innovative products and to provide the finest quality customer service. Edelmann Maschinen GmbH - Stand 1560 Edelmann is a technology leader in automatic, high-speed winding and slitting systems for nonwoven fabrics. Its product offering includes master roll winders, slitter/rewinders, roll transfer systems, and winders with in-line slitting. Edelmann will showcase its latest solutions for high-speed winding and slitting of lightweight spunbond fabrics and winding and slitting systems for elastic spunlace fabrics. Enka tecnica GmbH - Stand 1132 Enka tecnica has long been recognized as a world leader in spinneret technology. Enka tecnica will feature its unique spinneret manufacturing capabilities including the ability to produce long plate spinnerets up to 6 meters long and melt blowing die tips up to 5 meters in length. Enka tecnica also produces spinnerets for melt spinning, dry spinning and wet spinning. In additional to spinnerets, Enka tecnica offers air aspirator guns, broken filament detectors and yarn splicers. Hastem Transportbänder GmbH - Stand 4203 Hastem will display a variety of quick-change slat transport aprons specially designed for nonwovens. Various slat profiles and surfaces will be presented, including slats with smooth surfaces, grooves, knurled, glass fiber reinforced, antistatic slats, and slats with soft PVC inserts. The soft PVC surface layer improves the adhesion for transporting nonwoven webs without the fiber (even microfiber) becoming entangled in the slats. A major advantage of the Hastem apron is the snap-on slats which makes it possible to replace individual slats without replacing the entire apron. Idrosistem Srl - Stand 2350 Idrosistem specializes in supplying water filtration systems for spunlace plants. Typical problems spunlace producers encounter with existing water treatment systems include clogged jet strips, fabric streaks, frequent replacement of filter bags, bacteria growth, loss of sand, and excessive water consumption. In contrast to the many inefficient water filtration systems currently in use, the patented non-clogging Idrosistem sand filter can achieve 99% reduction in suspended solids, 99% reduction in bacteria, and uses only half the amount of water for back washing with no loss of sand. Reifenhäuser GmbH - Stand 1220 Reifenhäuser needs no introduction. The commercial success of its first compact spunbond plant is well known to the industry, and no other manufacture of spunbond equipment comes close to having the extrusion experience of Reifenhäuser. At INDEX 2002, Reifenhäuser will present its newest technology for the production of spunbond, melt blown and composite fabrics, including breathable film composites Ungricht GmbH - Stand 2324 Ungricht is a new representation for Fi-Tech, effective January 1, 2002. Ungricht will use INDEX 2002 to announce many new developments, including increased capacity for calender roll manufacturing and engraving, new laser engraving for calender rolls, special engraving technologies for ultrasonic anvil rolls, new bonding pattern designs, and new roll repair services. Enka Tecnica - Fraytec V Enka tecnica has added the Fraytec V to the Fraytec Series of in-line sensors. The Fraytec V is similar in many respects to the Fraytec III. The measuring heads are built for functioning in the industrial environment. The surfaces are anodized, the parts that come in contact with the yarn are ceramic, and the cables connecting to the sensor head are spin finish resistant. There are two critical differences between the Fraytec III and the Fraytec V. : (1) The Fraytec V uses an infrared light barrier rather than fiber optic transmittal of light. The infrared light barrier is mounted above and below the yarn with a fixed distance from the yarn (3-mm, 4.5-mm, or 6-mm depending upon yarn denier). If a broken filament or fluff interrupts the light beam, the signal output is activated for 100 milliseconds. This signal will register on the counter as one fray. The smallest yarn diameter to be read by the Fraytec V is 7 microns, and the sensor head can detect frays up to a yarn speed of 8000 meters per minute. (2) The Fraytec V has a control card in the sensor head, that allows a direct connection to the PLC of the customers spinning machine. All signals indicating a broken filament can be captured and transmitted via the customers main control bus for use in tracking yarn quality. Fraytec sensor heads may become coated with finish oil and dirt. The Fraytec V sends a signal to the operator that the sensor head requires immediate attention. In summary, the Fraytec V performs a function which is familiar to those who use the technology. The infrared diodes transmit a light beam above and below a filament yarn. If the yarn has a broken filament or fluff, it interrupts the light beam, which registers as an elctronic signal to the PLC. This enables the yarn producer to track the number of breaks on a yarn package and to validate it as detected yarn. YarnScan There are considerable requirements made on filament yarns today. Many customers require nearly perfect yarns for their processing equipment. The trend in some sectors is that the yarn needs to be of perfect quality or it is waste. There are no intermediate grades. Often, a large amount of yarn fiber has been produced before lab testing shows imperfections in the yarn. The solution is to provide a system that allows at line detection of tension, yarn speed, spin finish level, broken filament and level of entanglement. Enka tecnica has just released new yarn inspection and detection equipment called the Et-YarnScan System. This system consists of a unique software platform using multiple sensors for yarn inspection at the spinning line. With the Et-YarnScan System, the user will be able to connect a series of different sensors to a portable personal computer. The software interface is adapted to each sensor's special requirement. The YarnScan can be used as a temporary quality control device at different positions during product changes or when there appears to be a problem. It can also be used in-line as a permanent detection system, or in tandem with permanently installed devices such as the Fraytec. The YarnScan consists of the following components: Industrial grade personal computer with complete software package. Tenstec II: System for tensile force measurement. This system consists of two types of measuring heads. The Tenshead RF measures tensile force for normal fluctuations. The Tenshead HF measures normal fluctuations and also voltage peaks. Tangletec S: Sensor for entanglement check of running yarn (short time period). Tangletec R: Sensor for permanent checking of entanglement on running yarn. Fiberspeed: Sensor for the measurement of yarn speed. Fintec G: Sensor for the measurement of spin finish level according to conductivity principal. This sensor is for water based or diluted spin finish. Fintec C: Spin finish measurement according to a capacitive measuring principle. This sensor is for neat oils. Fraytec V: Sensor for the detection of broken filaments or fluffs in the filament yarn. The Et-YarnScan System will save time and anxiety to insure a clear gain in the quality and reliability of filament yarns without excess production waste. Contact Fi-Tech for your European Spare Parts needs. www.euro-spares.com Toll Free 888-822-EURO Fax 804-794-9514 e-mail: sales@euro-spares.com

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