HEATHCOAT FABRICS, one of the leading manufacturers of knitted and woven fabrics, partnered again with BRÜCKNER Textile Technologies and their sales partner ADVANCED DYEING SOLUTIONS to install a state-of-the-art BRÜCKNER finishing line for industrial textiles. HEATHCOAT FABRICS, with a heritage spanning over two centuries, is also a global market-leading technical textile manufacturer with internationally recognised expertise in texturising, weaving and warp knitting as well as dyeing and finishing. Their products are manufactured for use in the automotive, healthcare, defence, and aerospace industries, to name a few, contributing to some of the most innovative fabric-making projects in the world.
BRÜCKNER worked extensively with the local HEATHCOAT project team during several project reviews to develop a customized multipurpose finishing line, designed especially for the needs of HEATHCOAT FABRICS. The requirements were the treatment of light weight parachute fabric, but also heavy-duty conveyor belt carriers as well as 3D warp knits and stretch-sensitive microfiber fabrics, where even human skin contact could create picking issues.
HEATHCOAT FABRICS technologists and the BRÜCKNER design team combined the forces
The direct gas heated BRÜCKNER POWER-FRAME stenter, with its unique staggered heating source arrangement every half zone, provides the best available temperature consistency across the length and the width of the stenter. The unit is equipped with a low-lub, horizontally returning combined pin / clip chain and several fabric paths, especially designed for the different fabrics being processed. Together with HEATHCOAT FABRICS technologists, the BRÜCKNER design team developed a very special delivery end of the stenter with different edge trimming and slitting possibilities. Depending on the kind of products, the fabrics can be batched on large diameter A-frames, wound on cardboard tubes or plaited into trolleys.
The stenter is equipped with the newest weft straightening and pick counting technology due to the complexity of the fabrics. The control system allows integration into the customers ERP system and enables easy and reproducible operation by using the latest bar code scanning and batch-related quality reporting tools. In addition, BRÜCKNER heat-recovery technology offers advantages in the face of increasing energy prices.
“The machine overcomes all the challenges presented by our very different quality products”
CEO and owner of the BRÜCKNER Group Regina Brückner stated that meeting the complex requirements of HEATHCOAT is not easy because of the great variety of technical textiles produced. Brückner said that their line has to finish light as well as heavy articles, so the design, control and the whole line layout have to be flexible, functional and still easy to operate, explaining: “Fortunately, the team at HEATHCOAT FABRICS is very innovative and open-minded, and together we worked hard to develop the right technology and handling. We are very happy that we could convince this customer, whom we appreciate very much, with the productivity of our line and of course with our technological know-how.”
HEATHCOAT FABRICS managing director Cameron Harvie said that they are very happy with the work and dedication of the whole BRÜCKNER team and continued: “This includes particularly the BRÜCKNER technicians. Since the installation of the line started with the Covid lockdown, the BRÜCKNER technician had to sleep in a camper in our parking lot for several weeks. Despite these unusual conditions, the assembly could be completed on time. The machine is producing to our complete satisfaction and overcomes all the challenges presented by our very different quality products.”
Along with HEATHCOAT FABRICS’ 50 years of warp-knitting experience and weaving capability, its renowned X-Tex yarn texturising unit develops and produces high-stretch yarns to enable textiles to be engineered with specific properties. The company incorporates low liquor, energy-saving initiatives and the highest level of sustainability in pre-treatment, dyeing, drying and multifunctional finishing ranges operations. It also carries out R&D activities with its team of researchers, technicians and engineers to formulate chemical finishes and develop physical traits, for ensuring they produce fabrics specific to its customer requirements.