Polyester fiber is a synthetic fiber extracted from coal, air, water, and petroleum, formed by a chemical reaction between acid and alcohol. In this reaction, two or more molecules combine to form a macromolecule whose structure is repeated over the entire length to form a very stable and strong ionic molecule. Polyester can be used to make many products, including clothing, household products, industrial fabrics, and electrical insulation materials.
Alfa Chemistry provides customers with high-quality filtration solutions for polyester fiber production. Our filtration solutions provide optimized performance by applying balanced filtration concepts, thereby extending operating life while reducing operating costs.
Raw Material
The raw materials need to be filtered before starting the esterification process to allow cleaner polymerization operations. The fiber filter we have can effectively remove contaminants and promote efficient polymerization. Terephthalic acid (TPA), ethylene glycol (EG), catalysts (such as Sb2O3), and other additives, including titanium dioxide (TiO2), must be removed before the slurry is formed and agglomerated to avoid negative effects in the process, including the clogging of the final polymer filter, short packaging life, high spinning breaks, and reduced fiber strength. Our high-tech filtration solutions provide enhanced filtration with unparalleled reliability to create slurries with consistently outstanding fluid properties.
Figure.1 Manufacture of polyester fibers. (Lin C. A, et al. 2019)
Esterification Process
During the esterification process, when the initial TiO2 slurry is processed through a vessel with reduced pressure and elevated temperature, gels and hard contaminants are formed. These impurities must be adequately filtered because they will directly cause a significant decrease in fiber quality.
We provide you with customized metal fiber filters that use hard sintered true random fiber media with tapered hole geometry to maximize gel capture and improve melt quality. Absolute rated, cleanable, and with Ultipleat geometry, our polymer candle solutions are guaranteed to provide a long on-stream life while enabling continuous operation.
Molten Polymer
Short pack filter life and the subsequent spin breaks requiring restringing of fiber positions during the melt polymer filter changeover can be a costly disruption. Our metal fiber filters use professional technology to achieve transparent conversion, eliminating pressure spikes and rotation interruptions. This melt polymer filtration solution also uses a polymer candle design. Compared with the traditional fan-shaped pleated design, this design has a larger filtration area, thereby extending the operating life.
As a global industry leader in advanced filtration technology, our balanced filtration method can purify raw materials, remove gels and contaminants related to the production process, and achieve continuous production of polymers. Please contact Alfa Chemistry filtration experts for more information.
Reference
- Lin C. A, et al. (2008). "3 - Manufacture of Polyester Fibres." Polyesters and Polyamides. Woodhead Publishing Series in Textiles: 62-96.