Switzerland’s Oerlikon Manmade Fibres Group has launched a new spinning concept to transform sensitive polymers into bicomponent filament yarns in the area of filament yarns.

The new technology is based on a temperature separation of the two polymers that feed into the Bico yarn. Depending on the application, polymers are processed at great temperature differences to be able to guarantee the produced yarn’s good spinnability and high quality. The new SP8xB dual temperature spin beam concept ensures the strict temperature separation between polymer type A and polymer type B. With that, the polymers’ quality and viscosity can be adjusted to match the exact process requirements. The strict separation of the HTM-heating of both polymer supplies as well as the spinning pump ensures the least possible damage to each type of polymer up to just before the point where both components are combined in the spin pack. This in turn guarantees optimal spinning conditions.

The new system is based on the SP8xB spin beam concept and naturally offers the same energy advantages over the rectangular concept. Less sensitive polymers can also be manufactured with the standard SP8xB bico spinning unit without problems, according to a press release.

Bicomponent yarns offer a huge range of possible cross-sections. In general, these yarns comprise two different polymers, which give them specific properties. Bicomponent yarns with the corresponding cross-sections are manufactured depending on the desired application. Here, the four best-known cross-sections are core sheath, side by side, segmented pie and islands in the sea. (GK)