In both the UK and mainland Europe the main demands in the finishing line are that the equipment must be accurate, produce a quality finish, particularly on table linen, and meet productivity targets.
Over the past few years, minimising costs and using water and energy efficiently have also been high priorities.
A recent UK trend, highlighted by suppliers such as Jensen and Kannegiesser, has been a significant rise in UK hotels’ use of duvets in preference to the traditional sheet and blanket bed make-up.
Ian Stubbs, general manager at Jensen UK, says that although this trend has been established on mainland Europe for many years, the rise in duvet use in the UK has been dramatic.
Selwyn Burchhardt at Kannegiesser UK also notes that not only is this trend catching on but that duvets are getting larger in size and thicker in construction.
Duvet handling
This trend poses processing problems both in terms of achieving volumes and finish. A duvet’s size and thickness make it more difficult to handle and it also retains more moisture, both problems that the laundry and its supplier need to solve.
Some laundries will have a dedicated duvet line but this is not always possible. As some of the main equipment suppliers to the UK are companies with a European base they have gained experience in addressing the problem.
Kannegiesser says that with duvet covers and with table linen it is important that the correct feeder is used to allow a straight leading edge and that a square cloth is presented to the ironer.
Its four-station EMQ feeder has been developed to meet this exacting requirement and in the UK the company has now installed more then 50 EMT/EMQ three- and four-station feeders over the past few years.
With regard to table linen, the company points to an interesting development in a recent UK installation. Here the laundry operates a 4,000mm working ironer line that processes large table linen in two lanes. This has resulted in a significant increase in productivity and also uses the available ironer capacity to ensure an efficient evaporation rate.
Jensen’s answer to the problems posed by duvet covers and other large items is the Logic Plus feeder.
This has special inflatable linen clamps to handle the varying thicknesses and the feeder also automatically centres the leading edge.
High moisture retention
Ian Stubbs says that the EXPG gas ironers have addressed the higher moisture retention of duvet covers. The high evaporation rates and temperatures up to 230C allow the covers to be fed with higher levels of residual moisture and still maintain their shape.
A single-roll EXPG ironer can handle duvet covers at a rate of 20 – 23m/minute while a two-roll 1,200mm EXPG will achieve 24 – 28m/minute.
The single-roll ironer is tape-less to avoid leaving tape or compression marks on the linen, another advantage when trying to achieve a high quality finish.
The growing requirement for laundries to handle heavier textiles, larger flatwork as well as duvet covers, has implications for the folder at the end of the line.
All Jensen folders are now belt driven, which contributes to consistent fold accuracy and higher running speeds.
While an ironer line delivering 40m/minute on sheeting was acceptable in the past now laundries are demanding 50m/minute and this is possible with a line based on the EXPG ironer.
All laundries want a finishing line that delivers accuracy and quality. A high gloss finish is especially important for table linen, says Tom Lowes, director of Armstrong Commercial Laundry Systems.
At the same time they want to see increased productivity while reducing running costs, in particular energy costs as charges are ever rising.
Demand for gas
Armstrong has had a long partnership with the Belgian manufacturer Lapauw and its XXL gas-heated ironers combined with the Lapauw Mini-feed system are proving popular.
The ironer has a 1,600mm diameter roll that provides a large ironing surface, probably the largest of any single roll ironer, says Lowes.
The ironer uses Lapauw’s flexible bed system to maximum advantage and gives 286degree bed-to-roll coverage, while the integrated hydraulic system ensures that a constant pressure is applied to the linen.
The ironer incorporates a touchscreen microprocessor, which gives the laundry complete control over bed temperature and ironing speed. In addition this system can diagnose faults, display maintenance schedules and monitor machine outputs. It also controls Lapauw’s smart modulating burner that heats the thermal oil which is pumped around the ironer chest.
The microprocessor will detect even a very small drop in chest temperature and make adjustments immediately so the effects are minimised.
Kannegiesser’s Selwyn Burchhardt has also noticed growing demand for gas-fired ironers.
The company has installed four in the UK in the past 12 months and says the laundries concerned are ”very excited” about their performance. The gas-heated ironers can offer around 15% increase in volumes handled compared with a steam-heated machine operating at a pressure of 10bar.
Burchhardt believes that such energy efficient perfomance will become increasingly important in the UK market.
Given ever rising labour costs, he also believes that increasingly laundries will install conveyor systems at the end of the ironer line to reduce manual handling.
The feeder and folder specialist manufacturer H J Weir, based in Chepstow, sees demand for higher productivity combined with greater quality and lower energy use as the main trend and can offer this with its latest development the Vacfeed Low Line.
This ergonomically designed feeder allows operators to work at a comfortable and safe height.
Rapid clearance
Its rapid clearance feature has proved a big attraction for several UK customers. This allows large items to be handled at speed by decreasing the distance between leading and trailing edge.
The feature allows laundries to produce high volumes on large items – it can handle up to 600 duvet covers per hour. One customer recently said that it had increased productivity on sheets by 20%. The feeder also now includes the innovative WISE touchscreen control as standard.
It is this control that has acted as a platform for the rapid clearance function. The control also features pacing lamps that monitor an operator’s performance and these use a traffic light system to indicate how an operator is matching up to pre-set targets.
The WISE control has different levels of access so operators can use the control as they need without being admitted to confidential management sections.