Labs and pilot plants - TENOWO NONWOVENS

The exclusive equipment of our pilot plants and laboratories, coupled with the specialised expertise and vast experience of our employees, permit a high degree of process monitoring of our production operations. We achieve steady quality assurance and improvement thanks to consistent control and testing procedures.

Our research centres stand for visions, realising ideas from the first inspiration through to industrial implementation and are synonymous with unique performance in relation to customized solutions.

The equipment in our pilot plants

As a diversified manufacturer of nonwovens from a variety of fibersor fiber blends through carding, we have a very wide range of reinforcement options available to us. Laboratory cards are used to evaluate suitable fiber materials.
Thanks to sophisticated equipping of the carding machines, there are no limits to the modifications we can make to the production systems.

In recent years, TENOWO has invested in two pilot plants with this purpose in mind: on the one hand, in a pilot plant for the processing of recycled carbon fibers into nonwovens at the Hof location, and on the other hand in a pilot plant for stitch-bonded nonwovens at our location in Mittweida.

Pilot plant Hof

The carbon pilot plant created in 2010 at our Hof location is constantly being extended and includes two nonwoven systems.
A laboratory system with an operating width of 80 cm offers a way to test a variety of fiber types and quantities.
There is also a pilot plant for nonwovens in use for near-series production. Carbon and hybrid nonwovens with mechanical needle or stitch-bonded reinforcement are produced there in operating widths of up to 200 cm.

Pilot plant Mittweida

Built in 2020, the unique pilot plant in Mittweida offers a wide range of possibilities for production of a variety of stitch-bonded nonwovens.

In addition to solo units of Maliwatt, the plant also features inline operation of fiber blending, fiber preparation, crosslapping and mechanical reinforcement.

Our laboratory equipment

For quality checks of our products and for the development of special formulations for use in finishing nonwovens, e.g. with flame retardants or to make them oil-, water- and diesel-repellent, we can formulate the textile auxiliaries at laboratory scale and then finish, print and coat the nonwovens with these functional agents.

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Determining tear resistance and maximum tensile strength

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Fogging testing

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Strike-off table or printing table

MeltFlowIndex

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Infra-red spectrometer

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Burning cabinet / flame box

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Light chamber for colour approval

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Scratch-resistance tester

Equipment	Usage	Technical Data
Laboratory padder Mathis	Full-bath finishing and impregnation	Operating width: 450 mm
Printing table Mathis	Printing and coating samples	Maximum printing area: 700 x 800 mm
Labdryer Mathis	Tenter frame for drying	Operating width: 300 x 400 mm
Flatbed laminating machine Kannegiesser	Lamination and activation of binding fibers	Operating width: 1000 mm Pressure: 0 – 6 bar Temperature: 20 – 200 °C
Moulding press	Pressing and pinching sample parts from several layers	Temperature: up to 240 °C Pressure: up to 200 bar with time control
MFI tester Karg	Testing the melt flow index of thermoplastics	Temperature range 100 – 400 °C ASTM D 1238 Method A ISO 1133 Method A
Brookfield viskosmeter DV2T RV	Viscosity measurement of liquids	Viscosity measurement from 100 – 40 million mPas (cP) with built-in temperature sensor
Bruker Alpha II IR spectrometer	Infra-red spectroscopy of liquid and solid samples, such as fibers, textile auxiliaries, bonding agents and nonwovens for ongoing quality control, incoming goods inspection and clarification of the causes of complaints	FT-IR spectrometer with ATR sampling module

We use a wide range of testing equipment in the physical laboratory to test the samples produced. The nonwovens can be measured based on standards as well as conventional OEM testing requirements.

Abstract from the testing offer:

Testing with technical description	Sample standards	Sample equipment
Air permeability testing	DIN EN ISO 9237, DIN 53887, etc.	Textest FX 3300
Measurement of airflow resistance	ISO 9053-1:2018	MARS AFR tester
Combustion behaviour, vertical and horizontal	MVSS302, PV3357, etc.	Flame box
Climate-change test to customer specifications Temperature range: -40 to +180 °C Humidity range: 10 bis 98% relative humidity Interior: 735 x 700 x 443 mm (228 l)	Individual specifications	‘Binder’ dynamic climatic chamber
Colorimetry Matching of colour fibers, nonwovens, optical brighteners, etc.	Individual specifications	Light cabinet, colorimeter Konica Minolta
Determining maximum tensile strength and maximum tensile elongation; determining of tear resistance and bond strength; Determination of pressure-elastic behaviour, compression hardness and permanent deformation	DIN EN 29073 T3, DIN 53859 T4, ISO 9073-3 DIN 53357, DIN 53885, ISO 3386, DIN 53862, DIN EN ISO 4674-1	Textile testing machine ZwickRoell
Melt flow index	ASTM D-1238 A and B ISO 1133 A and B	Karg meltFlow @on
Olfactory inspection	VDA 270, DIN ISO 16000	Olfactometric
Fogging Modelling the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inside vehicles	DIN 75201, ISO 6452	Horizon Fogging Test System FTS Thermo Scientific

Global Footprint

HEADQUARTER HOF (Germany)
Tenowo GmbH
Fabrikzeile 21
95028 Hof

Tenowo Hof GmbH (Germany)
Werk Moschendorf
Oberkotzauer Str. 4
95032 Hof

REICHENBACH (Germany)
Tenowo Reichenbach GmbH
Am Windrad 5
08468 Heinsdorfergrund / Reichenbach

MITTWEIDA (Germany)
Tenowo Mittweida GmbH
Viersener Straße 18
09648 Mittweida MILAN (Italy)
Tenowo Italia S.r.l.
Via Sardegna, 18/20
20072 Fizzonasco di Pieve Emanuele (MI) Huzhou (China)
Tenowo Huzhou New Materials Co., Ltd.
555 Huangzhishan Road
Huzhou City 313005
Zhejiang Province, China Lincolnton (USA)
TENOWO Inc.
1968 Kawai Road
Lincolnton, N.C. 28092 SAN LUIS POTOSI (Mexico)
Tenowo de Mexico S de RL de CV
Real de Lomas 350
Lomas 4a Sección
San Luis Potosí, SLP C.P 78216