Santex’s Modular Concept Improves Turbo Tekstil’s Dye-Finishing Processes

Santex, a part of the Switzerland-based Santex Rimar Group, is committed to not compromising on high performance in state-of-the-art finishing systems with the Santashrink Super Jumbo relaxation dryer.  Turbo Tekstil switched its open width production from stenter machines to Santashrink Super Jumbo due to its higher efficiency at lower production costs.

The modular Santashrink concept harnesses the latest developments in air technology with efficient operating systems. It uses 2 meters long drying chambers, able to handle working widths between 1800 and 3400 mm. Its three levels each have upper and lower conveyor belts, equipped with specially-designed nozzles which guarantee the most effective air flow and air speed through each step of the drying process.

Santashrink optimizes the balance between electrical and thermal energy requirements, as well as production output. That means the drying capacity and the energy input combine to give high productivity figures and extremely low drying costs per kilo of fabric. Technical innovations result in energy savings of around 35% compared with many other dryers on the market.

The ‘high capacity-low energy’ concept ensures economical drying process costs calculated to be 30-40% better than using a stenter frame.

“Wherever drying capacity is required, it is significantly more cost-efficient to pass the fabrics through a Santex relax dryer and leave only the heat-setting and chemical curing capacities to stenter frames,” advises Stephan Waldispuehl, Sales Director at Santex. The advantages of this latest textile finishing technique apply to both knitted and woven fabrics.

Santashrink Super Jumbo is the solution for mills that take energy saving seriously and want to fight effectively against cost pressures. “After optimizing the fabric flow process in a mill, we see an additional energy-saving solution is a second step,” says Waldispuehl. The Santex modular concept allows a Turkish customer to use its machines most economically to improve the overall finishing process.

The company, Turbo Tekstil San. ve Tic. A.S. is said to be “absolutely convinced” of this approach and solution. Its recently installed Santashrink Super Jumbo has exceeded all expectations. Owner Turgay Çolakoğlu and General Manager Mr. Deniz Çolakoğlu have both praised the high performance of the relaxation drying.

Turbo Tekstil has been processing both tubular and open-width knits. Because of the excellent performance of the machine – basically higher productivity at lower production costs – the company has switched open-width production from stenter frames to the Santashrink Super Jumbo.

Turbo Tekstil reports excellent quality in shrinkage values and handle, as well as savings in compacting capacities. The residual shrinkage level, noted with many different qualities using Santashrink Super Jumbo, makes the compacting process much easier and more efficient – yet another cost-saving factor.

 Enairsave Chamber Achieves Significantly Improved Thermal Efficiency

Santex has in-depth knowledge of the technologies and processes involved, so it can develop ideal solutions to make life easier for finishers. For example, the Enairsave chamber achieves significantly improved thermal efficiency. Fast-rising energy costs now mean that a ROI for the Enairsave unit can be achieved in 1.5 to 2.5 years, thanks to its high performance.

Fabrics with elastane content often have a high tendency for curly selvedges, which can easily be handled by integrating the Santashrink Progress machine for shrinkage. The intelligent process combines with special slotted nozzles to uncurl the edges during drying. This allows the fabric to relax fully and eliminates most of the elongation stress from the wet process. At the exit of the machine, the fabric does not show any curly selvedges in many cases.

Enzymatic treated fabrics are a trend in the knitwear sector, for an enhanced final product. But this option can also cause maintenance issues because of the mass of extremely small fabric particles, which tend to plug filters in dyeing machines and dryers, as well as building deposits on squeezing devices. To counteract this, Santex developed maintenance-free automatic lint filters, keep dryer capacities up at the highest level.