Airlaid Nonwovens Report: Magic among the main players for production lines investments
Airlaid technology and investments in production lines are among the topics covered in the Airlaid Nonwovens Report published by Nonwovens Industry, a magazine specialising in the nonwovens sector.
Compared with other technologies, airlaid accounts for a limited share of global nonwoven production capacity. The report looks at investments made across the industry and, alongside Glatfelter and Domtar, presents the case of Magic, which invested in a new line dedicated to airlaid production.
The plant enabled the company to bring this stage of production in-house and develop Airgel g-grade, a high-absorbency airlaid material also used in the production of G-pad.
What the Airlaid Nonwovens Report says about Magic
Magic invested in an airlaid production line designed by Campen, capable of producing different types of thermally bonded airlaid materials, with or without tissue or nonwoven as a supporting layer.
Campen was selected for the Danish company’s know-how and technical expertise. One of the objectives of the project was to integrate Spongel, the superabsorbent powder developed by Magic, into the production process.
Before investing in the new plant, Magic sourced airlaid from external suppliers and operated as a converter for applications in the food, medical and hygiene sectors. The development of Spongel led the company to explore the possibility of producing an airlaid material in-house using Spongel as its superabsorbent component.
As Mauro Giani, CEO of Magic, explained at the time of the report:
After developing Spongel, we focused our efforts on incorporating the powder into the airlaid material and soon realised that we needed to be able to control the entire production process.
Together with Campen, Magic then carried out the product tests required to develop the process. The plant was delivered at the end of 2019; difficulties related to the pandemic subsequently postponed commissioning until June 2021.
Magic airlaid: the production line
The line includes hammer mills, a defibrator, drum-forming heads, a SAP dispenser, a compactor, a thermal bonding oven, a calender with a cooling section, and a process air filtration and humidification system. The plant also includes a tissue unwinder, a winder for the final packaging of the material, a metal detector and an in-line scanning system for basis weight measurement.
The investment marked an important change in Magic’s production process: from operating as a converter sourcing airlaid externally, the company gained the capability to manufacture the material in-house and directly develop its structure and characteristics.
This process led to the development of Airgel g-grade, a high-absorbency airlaid material that incorporates Spongel as its superabsorbent component and whose structure does not use thermoplastic fibres.
In the configurations covered by the relevant certificate, Airgel g-grade is OK Compost Industrial certified by TÜV Austria for industrial composting.
The launch of G-pad
In 2022, Magic introduced G-pad, an absorbent pad developed to manage liquids released by packaged fresh food. The product combines Airgel g-grade with a compostable film, joined through a heat-bonding process without the use of glue.
Here too, the end-of-life characteristic is defined by a specific certification scope: in the configurations covered by the relevant certificate, G-pad is OK Compost Industrial certified by TÜV Austria for industrial composting.
The certification refers to the treatment of the product under industrial composting conditions. Disposal should therefore be based on the instructions provided with the product and the requirements of the local waste collection system.
