The Nonwovens Institute at North Carolina State University (“NWI”) and Hills, Inc. of West Melbourne, FL have announced the delivery of a Hills LBS-300 to NWI. The LBS-300 is an exceptionally versatile and compact machine (foot print of approximately 5 ft. by 5 ft., with an elevation of ~8 ft.) that is designed for research and development of raw materials and extrusion processes related to filament, fiber and nonwoven products. The design allows the LBS-300 to be quickly and easily adapted to practically any fiber extrusion process. A base LBS-300 unit simply extrudes, quenches, and winds undrawn fibers, utilizing as few as ~8 grams of polymer chips. However the LBS-300 at NWI is supplied with many optional LBS attachments for conversion to numerous additional extrusion processes. Such options delivered with the machine include: multifilament spinnerets with orifices to produce the following external fiber cross sections—solid round, hollow round and trilobal.

The machine can also offer multifilament bicomponent fiber spinning with metering/distribution plates to produce the following internal fiber cross sections—sheath/core, side-by-side, tipped trilobal, 16 segmented pie, 36 islands in the sea and blocking plate assemblies for reducing spin holes. Additional features include monofilament extrusion capabilities, an aspirator for high speed stretching of spun fibers adjustable spinning heights, high temperatures extrusion, special materials accommodation and a special design to  accommodate use of existing NWI equipment for making fully oriented yarns.

The LBS-300 is an exceptional tool for research and development as will often be the use at NWI, but in the hands of the institute it will be an effective educational tool for training NWI students and industry personnel in fiber extrusion and melt spun nonwovens fabric production.

Hills and NWI intend to expand their cooperation by adding even more features to the LBS as future needs arise.