Supply of Modifications to Force Spinning Equipment

Tender description

NIRI is a materials research consultancy and intellectual property (IP) development company operating on a global basis. Our particular specialism is nonwovens, a dynamic and growing sector of the technical textile industry. The business is focused on product development and problem solving consultancy projects for industrial companies aiming to bridge the gaps between basic research and getting products into the marketplace. As part of its day-to-day operations, NIRI operates a number of prototyping machines that are used to make nonwoven fabrics. These are small-scale versions of industrial machines that are able to replicate fabrics produced by commercial manufacturers. Some of these machines are able to produce nano-fibres with diameters between 200-500 micrometres from a variety of polymer sources. One such machine is based on centrifugal (force) spinning. The force spinning equipment (lab-scale version) at NIRI is the Fiberio Cyclone L-1000 M. This is capable of producing nanofibers directly onto a rotating carriage. Whilst the machine is suitable for fundamental research work into the spinning of fibre, it cannot be used for development work because it is unable to produce fabrics. A modification to the machine is required to include the facility to make ~A4-sized product samples, deposited to onto a support medium (nonwoven or textile fabric).