Stenter frames

Stenter frames

Efficient exhaust air filter systems for stenter frames

A stenter frame is a production machine used for thermic finishing of woven and knitted fabrics. Stenter frames are essential to mordant colors or chemical treatments of natural and synthetic textiles.
For this form of thermic treatment the textiles are stretched on chains inside the stenter frame. In a following step the textiles pass through a tunnel, which consists of several so-called fields. Inside these fields heated air flows through the textiles. Depending on the requirements, different temperatures can prevail in the individual fields. The thermic treatment is an important step in the production process as it dries the respective textiles, mordates the dyes and coatings and condenses any residues within the textiles. Furthermore, the textiles are fixed in their final width by tensioning and the thermic treatment. Depending on the type of fabric, the textiles can pass through the stenter frame several times.
As the textiles pass through the stenter frame, it produces large quantities of highly contaminated hot exhaust air. The exhaust air can reach temperatures of up to 200°C. It is highly contaminated with substances and impurities which are very harmful to health. The impurities are solid particles, oily and pasty aerosols and gaseous chemical compounds. Therefore, the contaminated process exhaust air must be highly purified according to the respective legal requirements. In addition to being heavily contaminated, the exhaust air flow contains valuable process waste heat. To achieve the high temperatures inside the stenter frame large amounts of fossil fuels are necessary. Therefore, running a stenter frame is not only energy-intensive but also cost-intensive which, in turn, has a negative effect on the carbon footprint and the LCA of the production. However, as a counteract measure this thermal energy can be re-utilized using a heat recovery system.
The energy-efficient exhaust air filtration systems by KMA Umwelttechnik can not only be flexibly integrated into the existing production plant, but can also be easily equipped or retrofitted with a heat recovery system. The electrostatic filter module achieves a separation efficiency of up to 99.8 % while keeping energy consumption low. Companies can realize great cost advantages by using KMA exhaust air filtration system combined with effective heat recovery.