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Latest innovation on textile coating and laminating for technical textiles
Paul Shessler – April 2009

2. Content Introduction & Problem Definition1
Content
Introduction & Problem Definition
Traditional Coating Processes
Thermoplastic Solutions
Questions & Discussion

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There are numerous coating and laminating processes for technical textiles
Spray coating
Roller coating
Knife coating

4. Textiles are a major component of our daily lives
Textiles are a major component of our daily lives. Technical textiles have grown as our performance requirements have expanded. Almost all industries are involved for example:

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Coated and laminated textiles give access to possible new and extended functions!
Design & decoration Fashion, clothing
Stiffness, hardness Toe puffs, counters, filters
Dimension stability Mattress drill , composites
Forms & shapes Auto floor, trim & trunk
Safety & protection Medical, hazard & hygiene
Smooth & comfort Breathable & functional fabrics
Easier process Textile interlinings
Environmental Advanced geotextiles

6. Laminating (bonding) in general1
Laminating (bonding) in general

7. Requirements of textile coatings and laminating are changing constantly!
Optimum product quality – to secure a good technical solution
High profitability – slim personal and operational structure in order to overcome the high price & margin pressure
Minimum investment – to ensure finance possibilities and reduction of financing risks
Maximum technology flexibility – rapid adjustment to new market trends and technological changes
Good environmental compatibility – to avoid unnecessary emission, reduction of high energy consumption and to fulfill legal regulations and standards
Safe working conditions – avoiding of dangerous or hazardous working environment which is another cost factor

8. Content Introduction & Problem Definition1
Content
Introduction & Problem Definition
Traditional Coating Processes
Thermoplastic Solutions
Questions & Discussion

9. Today‘s coating and laminating applications are diverse!1
Today‘s coating and laminating applications are diverse!
Common application systems: Example for Automotive Interior Parts
Processes
Application
Adhesive
Advantage
Disadvantage
Flame lamination
Car seats
Head liners
Door panels
A, B, C, columns
Foam is required
Foam is the adhesive
Inexpensive
High output
Thermal stability
Fogging-Effect
Air pollution
Difficult to recycle
Roll and knife coating
Carpet (floor and trunk)
Trim material
Water based
Solvent based
Pressure sensitives
Fast line speed
2K thermoset
Filled adhesives
Pollution
Curative hazard
Spray Coating
Engine parts
IP & Door panel
Vacuum forming
2K water base
Heat resistant
Easy to form
Film and Web adheisve
Seats and trim
Thermoplastic
Thermoset
Easy for labor
Equipment cost
Higher product cost
Limited control
Thermoplastic Powder
Seating, Headliner
Carpet, Trim
High viscosity
Process flexible
Non thermoset
Housekeeping
Hotmelt gravure and slot die
Filtration
Columns
Reactive hot melt,
Thermoplastic H/M
High efficiency
Adhesive cost
Isocyanate exposure
I assumed that the word NON was supposed to be None. PUR hot melts do have some potential isocyanate exposure risk. What is meant by “Only Advantages” in the Scatter coating row?

10. Today, various applications and processing equipment are in use1
Today, various applications and processing equipment are in use
Example: European Automotive industry:
Items
Area
Scatter
Film
Flame
Spray
Reactive
Hotmelt
Rear shelves
1.0 m2
40%
50%
10%
Headliner
1.5 m2 4%
14%
22%
30%
20%
Seats
2.5 m2 5%
11%
74%
Door panels
55%
Trunk
60%
Flooring
Various
0.5 m2
65%
Total
12.0 m2
Headliner and seats do not add up horizontally to 100% is this intentional?

11. Existing coating technologies, which are
still wide-spread did a good job in the past
and are/were often very economical.
However, today the following challenges have
to be considered:
Energy-intensive technologies with rising energy and material costs
Increasing national & international environmental protection regulations and emission costs (CO2 taxes)
Demand for easily recycled material
Greater machine flexibility due to smaller lot sizes and/or product variety

12. Content Introduction & Problem Definition1
Content
Introduction & Problem Definition
Traditional Coating Processes
Thermoplastic Solutions
Questions & Discussion

13. Thermoplastic adhesives make a large range of applications and processes possible!
Figures and details from SCHAETTI AG Switzerland!

14. Thermoplastics can be modified and equipped with additional functions
Description / Target
Flame retardant
- Reduce the flammability of materials
Adhesion (Bond-Strength)
- Tackifier and plasticizers increase adhesive force over a larger range of application
Softness, elasticity, stretch
and shrink behavior
- Improvement of physical characteristics
Heat, cold-resistances
- Improvement of the temperature stability
UV protection
- Protection of aging by polymer dismantling, trans- formation of more harmful in visible, usable radiation
Antimicrobial behaviour
- Protection from unwanted growth of microorganisms
Electrostatic conductivity
- Discharge of electrostatic loads of composite materials; decrease contamination on plastic surfaces
Design-relevant functions
like colours
- Dyeing (colouring) of thermoplastic adhesives

15. Thermoplastic adhesives are basically used in three different forms
Type
Technology
Advantages
Powder
Scatter Coating – mainly technical applications
Powderdot, Pastedot, Doubledot (mainly apparel)
High flexibility in application
Working width & coating weight can be adjusted easily
Hotmelt
Direct lamination for sportswear, lingerie, functional fabrics
Technical lamination, Alcantara (Suede) and filtration
Fast production speed
High output
Film & Web
Automotive industry, clean process, expensive solution
Headliners, seats, trim material
Clean, easy & simple
Stays on the surface - does not penetrate into the substrate

16. Scatter coating technology with thermoplastic powders - efficient & clean -
Low investment costs
Very little space required
Fast production speeds
Immediate bond after the calender
Ready for further processing

17. Powder dot coating technology with thermoplastic powder – precise & delicate -
Precise dot placement -
Fast production speeds
Immediate bond after the calender

18. Paste dot technology with thermoplastic powder – proud, tall dots -
Low penetration of dot
Low temperature coating
Ideal for fine nonwoven and textiles

19. Double dot technology with thermoplastic powders – Ice cream with “sprinkles”
Paste dot
Scatter dot
Vacuum
Two adhesives in one dot
Best for bonding dissimilar products
Combine low cost base with high performance top dot

20. Hot melt gravure dot technology with hot melt– get it while it’s “HOT”
Fast line speeds
Lowest adhesive cost
Use hot melt or PUR or Pressure sensitive

21. A Belt-Laminator makes an enormous range of applications possible with highest quality
Long dwell time and smooth pressure
Multi-Layer (Sandwich) laminates in one pass
Adhesives: Thermoplastic Web – Film/Foil – Powder
Clean and environmentally friendly production process

22. Das ist ein “Sandwich”
The flat bed or “belt” laminator reduces shrinkage
Laminates with low heat and can cool the laminate
Often incorporated with one of the above systems or used alone.

23. Just an example ….. Company & applications:
Automotive interior textile supplier
Seats, face fabric (without foam)
Head liners, trim material
Noise absorbing textiles
Engine parts
Motivation for investment:
No more flame lamination
Environmentally friendly process
No more foam was required
New technologies with nonwoven

24. Challenge of environmental protection….
Emissions as small as possible!
Lowest energy consumption!
Recyclability of produced material
No dangerous substances for workers
High industrial safety protection
…. often stands in contradiction with:
Existing investments
Today's product and initial cost structures
Experience and current operating processes
Industrial safety requirements

25. Trends in coating with thermoplastic adhesives
Laminates made of one material for easy recycling
Reactive, cross-linking thermoplastic adhesives
Thermoplastic adhesives based on renewable raw material
Use of bio degradable thermoplastic polymers

26. Content Introduction & Problem Definition1
Content
Introduction & Problem Definition
Traditional Coating Processes
Thermoplastic Solutions
Questions & Discussion

27. Thank you very much for your attention1
Thank you very much for your attention
Paul Shessler
ASC Spring 2009