The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at North Carolina State University and Oerlikon Nonwoven have announced a new cooperation in the field of meltblown laboratory technology. The collaboration was presented by Professor Raoul Farer, Executive Deputy Director of the NWI and Professor at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University, and Dr. Ingo Mählmann, Sales Director Nonwoven at Oerlikon Neumag, during this year's ITMA Asia and CITME in Singapore. As part of the agreement, NWI will expand its existing meltblown capabilities with Oerlikon Nonwoven's hydrocharging equipment, creating additional capacity for research and development in filtration media.
Scope of the cooperation and laboratory upgrade
The first step in the cooperation is an investment by the Nonwovens Institute in the hycuTEC hydrocharging system from Oerlikon Nonwoven. The institute will integrate this unit into its current laboratory configuration, which already supports meltblown processing. By adding the hydrocharging system, NWI plans to operate a state-of-the-art meltblown hydrocharging laboratory that can be used both for its own research and for projects with industrial partners.
According to the partners, the upgraded laboratory will facilitate the development of new products primarily in the area of air filtration media. At the same time, the scope will not be limited exclusively to this segment, allowing for broader nonwovens applications to be explored using hydrocharged meltblown structures. For North American customers and prospects of Oerlikon Nonwoven, the cooperation offers the possibility to test the hycuTEC technology under realistic conditions and to perform their own meltblown product developments in a research-driven, innovation-oriented environment.
hycuTEC hydrocharging technology and filtration performance
Oerlikon Nonwoven's patented hycuTEC system is described as an innovation for the filtration industry. The technology uses a special spray mist of demineralized water to hydrocharge meltblown nonwovens. Through this process, the system enables the economic production of highly efficient electret media with a reported filtration efficiency of 99.99% at low pressure drop. This combination of high separation performance and low flow resistance is relevant for applications where energy consumption and filter lifetime are critical parameters.
The hycuTEC hydrocharging technology received industry recognition when it was honored with the Edana Filtrex Innovation Award in 2023. By installing the system at NWI, the partners aim to combine the institute's research infrastructure and expertise in nonwovens with Oerlikon Nonwoven's process technology. This is expected to support the development and optimization of meltblown-based filtration media and to provide industrial users with access to application-oriented testing and development services.
