Making the clothing choice

1 May 2005



Hydrolysis resistant polyester has increased the options for ironer clothing, says Hainsworth’s Philip Fortin


The choice of ironer clothing can affect a laundry’s efficiency and costs.

Almost all clothing is made of either meta-aramid (such as NOMEX*) or polyester. Both types offer advantages in certain conditions, and the choice is not as straightforward as it once seemed.

For many years polyester was considered a very cheap way of clothing an ironer. It offered reasonable performance, but often with a short working life.

When meta-aramid clothing became available the huge increase in working life made it an attractive choice for many ironers, especially those with high production rates.

Hydrolysis resistant (HR) polyester needlefelt, made by Fanafel, the largest European supplier of ironer clothing, now provides a further option. Fanafel supplies all of the main continental manufacturers with original clothing.

HR clothing has a basic strength far beyond any of the cheap old fashioned needlefelts, and its resistance to hydrolysis means it can stay in good condition for extended periods.

A further advantage is a low resistance to airflow, meaning that the moisture can be extracted more quickly, giving production benefits.

Although this material is more expensive than the original needlefelt, it is many times cheaper than meta-aramid, so the essential test – cost per piece processed – can be unbeatable.

Just because you have always used either meta-aramid or polyester clothing doesn’t mean that they will always provide the best solution. Consider the following points:

? HR polyester needlefelt costs between one-third and one-quarter of the price of its meta-aramid equivalent. Where there is a danger of clothing being lost due to an ironer fault, the savings are greater as the cost of such a loss is lower

? The higher airflow of HR polyester and extra resilience will allow high production speeds. This reduces energy and labour costs. A reduction in the effect of static can also help prevent folder jam-ups.

? HR polyester may need changing twice or more during the life of a meta-aramid set. This must be be costed into the equation, but the upside is that each time you start with a perfect surface that retains its condition until it starts to degrade and is replaced

The higher friction coefficient of HR can improve the feeding of table linen and will help to reduce any starch build up on the rolls.

It also has a better self-cleaning action on the ironer beds.

With extremely high ironer bed temperatures, meta-aramid is the only choice.

In practice this means most thermal fluid ironers, and anything running over about 10bar/180C actually at the ironer bed, as many ironers run at cooler temperatures than expected because of thermal losses and poor heat transfer.

Open roll ironers (those not fitted with hoods) can often use polyester at higher bed temperatures – much of the work going through the ironer will be polyester.

It is best to avoid using polyester on ironers that are running very wet. This can be a problem on the first roll or two of high-speed sheet ironers, where the sheer volume of water cannot be extracted quickly enough to prevent the clothing becoming saturated.

If this is a problem with other ironers, try raising the air extraction or bed temperature, or lowering the linen’s moisture retention before it reaches the ironer.

An ironer is designed for finishing, not just drying.

Meta-aramid clothing will always outlast polyester; the amount of extra life will be dependent on how it is used, so the decision should be made based on the facts of each case.

Hainsworth Laundry Supplies offer both types of clothing so it is well placed to advise.

With world prices of meta-aramid rising, now might be a good time to reassess the situation.




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