Leading nonwovens exhibition to display innovative and sustainable solutions for the interest of visitors

INDEX 08 is bringing together key players from every dimension of the innovative world of nonwovens - it unites leaders in all spheres of manufacturing, machinery, and raw materials supply with leading industry decision-makers, top purchasing and sales professionals and key marketers. Over 500 exhibitors from all the key sectors and countries will be at INDEX 08. With over 50 000 m2 of stand space, INDEX 08 is the undisputed meeting point for the nonwovens industry.

INDEX 08 covers all industry sectors

Packaging – Solutions pertaining to smart packaging extends shelf-life for manufacturers and retailers while improving presentation to consumers.

Composites – The innovative use of nonwovens in structural composites is providing high-performance and cost-effective response to challenges in many industries.

Automotive – From nanotechnology that increases filter life to increased recyclability and better more sophisticated acoustics - nonwovens continue to bring exciting opportunities to the automotive industry.

Construction – The drive to carbon-zero buildings is helped by nonwoven housewraps that improve energy efficiency while having no VOC release.

Geo-nonwovens – Treating geotextiles with eco-friendly additives to enhance water repellence and resistance against biological degradation is taking geotextiles into new and exciting areas.

Medical – Cut-resistant surgical gloves are just one of the stream of innovations in the medical area that is making nonwovens increasingly effective and popular.

Cleaning & Hygiene – The aging population and continued product innovation for smaller incontinence home care products, alongside impressive improvements in the environmental impact of diapers, make this an exciting area for development. Filtration – Nanofiltration and activated carbon nonwoven filters are causing great excitement in the industry and both will be heavily represented at INDEX 08.

Home furnishing – From burglar-proof window blinds to products that change colour when the environment changes to the optimal thermal environment for sleep - nonwovens are still hot news in home furnishing.

Nonwovens are uniquely engineered materials with a fabric-like structure that are used in a wide variety of applications; traditionally in the medical, hygiene and personal care products industries and increasingly in emergent application areas such as automotive, filtration, cleaning, construction, home furnishing and packaging. They may be a limited life, single-use fabric or a very durable fabric, providing specific functions such as filtering, resilience, stretch, softness, recyclability, strength, flame retardancy and cushioning.

Nonwovens: automotive components a driving force of the future

Intense OEM cost pressures and raw material price increases have been driving recent fabrication technology shifts and materials innovation in the automotive industry. INDEX 08 will showcase advanced nonwovens technologies, which offer viable solutions to automotive module fabricators, establishing nonwovens as the automotive components of the future.

Nanotechnology increases filter life

Nanofibre media are growing in importance in automotive filtration applications due to their small pore size and high surface area. With the trend for less maintenance, engine air filters fitted with nonwoven composites allow the filter paper to be replaced only after every 100,000km, expanding the life of the filter while maintaining low pressure drop and improving engine performance overall.

Aesthetically appealing nonwoven upholstery with high recovery rates

 Nonwovens provide for foam substitution under seat fabrics, the material having many benefits compared to foam such as no odour, better air permeability, lower fogging, pleasant seating climate and recyclability. They offer a high recovery rate for applications in seats, headliners, headrests and door panels. As a substitute for PVC films for luggage covers, nonwovens offer cost savings, fewer fogging issues and an appealing textile surface.

Flexible interior and exterior acoustics applications

 Lightweight, absorbent nonwovens for acoustic applications throughout the interior of a vehicle are highly efficient and can be produced with different sound absorbency levels for individual applications. For visible applications inside the vehicle, absorbers are available in colours that blend in with the interior. For exterior applications, the use of nonwovens as sound absorbing wheel arch liners is a very recent and significant development. Despite the effect of weather and driving on such components, their advantages over conventional wheel arch liners made of plastics - namely their light weight, superior acoustic performance, effectiveness at reducing spray and 100% recyclability - have seen them become rapidly adopted in the automotive industry.

With annual global production of around 64 million vehicles, some 1.28 million tonnes of nonwovens are already consumed by the automotive industry each year.

Nonwovens packaging to create    sustainable attributes

Biopolymer advancements are only one of the many drivers fuelling innovation in raw materials for nonwoven packaging. Some are made with a high proportion of renewable material and require less energy to produce than traditionally-used polymers. Combined with engineered bonding techniques and natural additives, recyclable products benefit from the superior qualities associated with conventional packaging media.

Sustainable nonwoven packaging materials can be modified further using nanotechnology to provide superior barrier properties. Molecules derived from the shells of crustacean, such as crabs and lobsters are proving effective in repelling water, enhancing nanoclay particles functionality and increasing application suitability and performance. Advances in nonwovens using nanotechnology mean that in particular food packaging products can provide an effective barrier to water. Nonwovens also closely replicate the superior drape and feel of natural and more expensive alternatives such as silk and leather, without being subject to fluctuations in temperature or humidity.

Whether it be tough, breathable packaging for medical, consumer and industrial goods or oxygen-scavenging packaging components for foodstuffs, nonwovens offer the flexibility and performance the market demands. INDEX 08 is expected to offer the newest and most innovative packaging solutions, whilst providing cost-effective answers to their specific business challenges.

Advanced composite functionality to meet multi-industry demands

Cost efficiencies, environmental regulations and sophisticated market needs are driving nonwovens suppliers to meet modern business challenges through innovation and the creative use of technologies. INDEX 08 will showcase advanced applications of nonwovens in composites, which offer viable solutions in different industries.

Cost-saving solutions satisfy technical demands In the automotive industry concept cars are taking composites to the “next level”. Industrial composite parts weighing 30-50% less than comparable steel parts, but offering high strength, are already being used in the latest city cars. The demands made by hybrid models to conserve the car battery and fuel to ensure greater overall energy efficiency and operating range make composites the ideal alternative for weight reduction while simultaneously lowering investments in automotive components. Composites incorporating nonwovens have many other advantages such as opportunities for styling innovations, cabin noise reduction and provision of thermal insulation.

New and innovative applications of nonwovens in structural composites have created huge potential for the products in an almost infinite number of tailored applications.

Visitors to INDEX 08 will experience an insight into the future of composite nonwovens and how their wealth of functional benefits provides a cost-effective answer to a myriad of modern industry challenges.

Nonwovens technology in hygiene and cleaning

 The demand for sustainable products is growing and nonwovens manufacturers are exceeding expectations, by developing innovative products, without sacrificing product quality or increasing costs. INDEX 08 will showcase advanced nonwovens technologies, which offer viable solutions to the cleaning and hygiene industries, establishing nonwovens as the preferred media of the future.

Inspired by green trend and organics

Tea leaves, coffee beans and orange peels are just some of the products being used as raw materials for the nonwovens wipes and diapers of the future. Greener, double-sided nonwoven wipes containing either sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or citric acid are serving as replacements for detergents.

Meanwhile improved cleaning power, advances in texture and material types and disinfectant features in nonwovens are all on the rise. Personal wipes are becoming more sophisticated solutions with multiple benefits and extended applications, incorporating natural ingredients such as cucumber and cotton, whilst conveying enhanced properties.

Sophistication teams up with security

As an aging population puts pressure on the health care systems of the world, nonwovens are satisfying the need for cost effective incontinence solutions without sacrificing leakage security. Sophisticated, more discreet and underwear-like nonwoven products are suitable for both institutional and home care needs and also cater increasingly to both younger customer and male-specific needs. Improved skin protection for extra comfort and side protection zones for extra security are all features made possible with nonwovens, which allow the media to respond more flexibly to convenience and comfort from the consumer. Stretchable nonwovens ensure they remain breathable and comfortable on the wearers’ skin, while positively impacting the performance and appearance of the product.

The latest research by EDANA shows the impacts of baby diapers, when considered in terms of global warming and summer smog potential, for example fell between 1987 and 2005 by 37% and 43% respectively. Similar positive tends have been shown with incontinence products. INDEX 08 is a forum which allows visitors to experience the newest and most innovative future nonwoven product trends in the hygiene and cleaning industries and how they answer the demands of sustainability, whilst providing cost-effective solutions.

For further information visit: www.index08.org.

Infrastructure projects in Dubai using geotextiles Companies such as Denmark-headquartered Fibertex are heavily involved in the boundless infrastructure projects currently underway in Dubai. Since the beginning of the 21st Century when Crown Prince Maktoum decided to encourage tourism by building the Palm Island Jumeirah, building activities in Dubai have exploded. When the second Palm Island, known as Jebel Ali, is completed, it will house a population of around 250,000 people – roughly equivalent to Dubai’s entire population in the early 1980s. In fact, Dubai’s coastline will expand from 72 kilometres to a staggering 1,500 km as the result of current plans and these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to construction projects in Dubai. The nonwoven geotextile that was used for this project was Fibertex F-650M. While Fibertex has both spunmelt and needlepunch technologies, all of the materials used in the project were needlepunch materials, primarily of polypropylene. On the 17 fronds of the Palm, Fibertex geotextiles were also used for road construction and drainage applications. Since coastal protection was not necessary and the risk of damage during installation minimal lighter weight (140gsm) Fibertex F-2B UV was chosen while heaver (230 gsm) Fibertex F-3S was used in the construction of the landscaping interchanges, both performing a separation function. In Dubai Fibertex 190 gsm F-300 nonwovens are approved for all drainage applications by DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water). Their main function is filtration, or a combination of filtration and separation. Almost all buildings in the country are made with horizontal roofing, which requires waterproofing. In many of the new exotic constructions Fibertex nonwoven geotextiles are also being employed for protection of the waterproof membranes. The geotextile also separates the drainage layers (gravel) from the insulation material. Excerpts taken from Index website and also International Fiber Journal  (www.ifj.com).