#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

2023-09-21

The new Cavimelt Pro embodies bi-functional coating with quick and easy switching

Cavimelt Pro for multi-functional coating © 2023 Santex

The Cavitec high-performance portfolio of coating, laminating and impregnating solutions is now extended with the launch of a two-in-one machine featuring rapid switching between rotogravure and full-surface coating. Its technological superiority of the new Cavimelt Pro – based on hotmelt adhesive application – delivers bonding performance which meets the highest expectations for quality and sustainability.

The machine customers have been waiting for…

The task is easy to describe: two layers are bonded together to create a laminate. Yet the process itself draws on pure science underpinned by detailed knowledge of materials, adhesives, technology and machines. That’s how to achieve the best results for demanding customers manufacturing the end-product.

Cavitec a brand of Santex Rimar Group is the world leader in coating, laminating and impregnating dedicated to identifying and meeting the critical requirements of companies in this sector: “We have engaged in countless discussions with customers and potential customers over several years, combining the insights gained with our own experience to design exactly the machines that customers want,” says Stephane Fernandez, Head of Sales and Lab (Hotmelt Division) at Cavitec. Cavimelt Pro is the new bi-functional hotmelt laminating machine which enables switching between rotogravure and full-surface coating quickly and easily, thanks to new technology.

Quick-change head

Cavimelt Pro offers a carefully thought-through solution, down to the last detail. In the priming position, the dosing roller is open and the tool holding device is pivoted down. This allows the doctor blade holder and the side dams to be changed, to switch the coating. Using side dams for roll coating means this process can be started immediately. The gravure roller is easily exchangeable with a smooth transfer roller.

The quick-change application head combines gravure and full-surface coating in one single system. With this, it is possible to change in a few seconds from one coating method to the other, without the use of tools.

Innovative details are the dosing roller driven by an individual motor for smooth operation and the special positioning of the doctor blade, which avoids the risk of leaking, even with extremely low viscosity values. A big advantage is the high-precision wedge gap control between dosing and gravure/application roll to increase or decrease the coating weight steplessly.

The hot solution

Cavimelt Pro is based on hotmelt technology. Hotmelt adhesives commonly used in textiles are one-component solvent-free thermoplastic polymers (non-reactive) or thermoset pre-polymers (reactive) heated to melting point before application. Hotmelts are applied in a hot plasticized state onto a substrate material such as wovens, knits, nonwovens, foams, membranes, films, nets, silicon paper etc. With this process, substrates are not subject to any deteriorating thermal stress.

In some applications, the material is coated only to change the surface composition, but more often the purpose is to bond or glue two layers of material together to build a composite material.

Cavimelt Pro is the two-in-one solution covering the most important application range, and offering users the opportunity to extend their customer base.

Flexibility, quality and sustainability

Full-surface coating is established in mattress ticking and grinding paper production. Applications for rotogravure cover breathable active wear, protective wear and also lingerie, upholstery and automotive seats and interiors, hygiene and medical products, technical composites and materials for roof underlay etc. Cavimelt Pro was also designed for sensitive materials and innovative applications. It offers flexibility from using membranes of 5 micrometers (one tenth of the diameter of a single human hair) and foam of 20 millimeters of thickness.

The multi-roller coating machine masters each single process perfectly due to precise mechanical control of factors like tension (vital for filmy materials) and even pressure on the full width of the roll. Applying a correctly-defined temperature is essential for reliable adjustments and constant spread on the roll surface.

Empowering users to achieve unmatched coating results and meeting high sustainability standards make Cavimelt Pro ultimately the machine that customers really want. Its hotmelt technology is an environmentally-friendly process, free of solvents and water. Furthermore, as no drying or sintering is necessary Cavimelt Pro also scores in energy-saving aspects. “Cavimelt Pro unites the full set of advantages which can drive success in the finishing business,” says Fernandez.

High precision in coating and laminating // Cavitec introduces new technology achieving unmatched performance of activewear fabrics

Cavitec stands for high-end machines for coating, laminating, impregnation and is the first choice of prepreg suppliers. The Swiss firm, part of Santex Rimar Group, presents – first time to the public – the redesigned Caviscreen at Techtextil Frankfurt. Caviscreen features latest technology attaining unparalleled results for breathable laminates and offering an interesting cost bonus.

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

Stefan Moll becomes new CEO of the machinery manufacturer

Starting January 1, 2026, Stefan Moll will take over the management of Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG, the world’s leading provider of measurement and control technology for web-shaped materials. With this move, Mahlo is focusing on the long-term safeguarding of its market position and technological leadership. The current CEO, Rainer Mestermann, will leave the company after 14 years as part of a planned succession arrangement.

MUNICH FABRIC START: Between Attitude and Sensuality

The future begins where we reimagine it. After seasons of restraint, Spring.Summer 27 marks a conscious counter-trend: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom are replacing pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance – as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion, and algorithmic predictability. The overarching theme of PLEASURE stands for fashion as an emotional space, as an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces, and materials become vehicles for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

organIQ seek: smart alternative to potassium permanganate

CHT Group announces new technical findings within its organIQ seek platform that significantly advance the transition toward permanganate-free denim bleaching. Through extensive industrial testing and application research, CHT confirms that organIQ seek can now be used with remarkable effectiveness as a substitute for potassium permanganate in spray bleach, while remaining aligned with sustainability expectations and cost realities in the European market. At the COLOMBIATEX in Medellín as well as at the Exintex in Puebla and the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam the CHT Group will present organIQ seek as an alternative to potassium permanganate.

PERFORMANCE DAYS: Focus topic shifts to the beginning of the value chain

Following the last Focus Topic in October 2025, which placed Textile-to-Textile Recycling at its core, PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to drive the conversation around circularity – this time with an expanded and more upstream perspective. The upcoming Focus Topic, “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters,” presented during the spring edition on March 18–19, will spotlight one of the most essential yet often overlooked components of a functioning circular textile system: the efficient collection and sorting of post-consumer textiles.

Proven performance, optimised costs – the new RE 6 EL

Nowadays textile companies increasingly need to produce small production runs and respond to market changes with instantaneous pattern changes in order to operate profitably – meaning they require machines that offer maximum flexibility, reliability and cost efficiency. KARL MAYER understands the challenges of the market and is launching its new RE 6 EL. The Raschel machine offers the core strengths of the classic RSE 6 EL and essentially the same performance parameters, but has been further cost-optimised largely due to local production advantages. This makes the newcomer an efficiency champion in production, especially when it comes to frequent pattern changes.