Hong Kong-based Fong's Industries Co. Ltd. took the occasion of ShanghaiTex 2013 earlier this month to unveil the latest generation of the THEN AIRFLOW? Synergy aerodynamic high-temperature piece-dyeing machine — the Synergy 8, which offers increased capacity, reduced energy consumption and reduced labor requirements compared to the previous generation.
The Airflow Synergy aerodynamic technology transports fabric using air only and not water, enabling dyeing with low liquor ratios — 1:2 for man-made-fiber fabrics and 1:3 to 1:4 for natural-fiber fabrics. The machine, which comprises modules that can be configured according to customer needs, also offers significant energy savings compared with traditional jet-dyeing processes, as well as process time savings.
The Synergy 8 technology improves on the energy efficiency of the original Synergy technology, which features a single blower for multiple tubes. By contrast, each tube in a Synergy 8 model has its own individual blower, and these multiple blowers altogether save approximately 50 percent of installed power compared with the installed power consumed by the earlier-generation Synergy machines, according to Walter S.W. Leung, director, sales and marketing, Fong's, who presented the new technology to members of the press at ShanghaiTex. The new machines also offer operational energy savings of 20 to 30 percent, depending on the material being dyed.
A four-tube configuration of Fong's THEN AIRFLOW? Synergy 8 aerodynamic high-temperature piece-dyeing machine
Synergy 8 also can extend to 12 tubes, increasing possible maximum capacity to 3,600 kilograms. An XY plaiting device provides plaiting of both X and Y direction in order to unload the dyed fabric into a rectangular trolley without any labor assistance. An integrated intelligent rinsing (IIR) system features a kind of online color measurement technology to monitor and control the rinsing process, automatically stopping that process once the water is running clear.
Other features include automatic filtration, integrated misting sets and Volumedos modulated dosing.
A Fong's customer fully tested the Then Airflow Synergy 8 technology for a year prior to its unveiling at ShanghaiTex. The technology now is being marketed to Fong's customers worldwide.
