GRAZ - International technology group Andritz has supplied and commissioned two new refining and cottonising lines for Van Robaeys, France.

These fully customised teXline bast fibre lines will enable the French firm to increase its production of textile fibres from flax.

With the new lines, Van Robaeys says it is responding to the growing demand from the French market for cottonised and high-quality textile fibres from natural sources. Europe is the world’s largest producer of flax fibres, showing a 133% increase in flax cultivation areas between 2010 and 2020.

The Andritz teXline bast fibre lines can process up to 800 kg/h of fibre and use state-of-the-art equipment to ensure a high degree of flexibility throughout the fibre processing operations.

The lines are the seventh and eighth Andritz cottonising lines for Van Robaeys, with the first having been in operation for fifty years.

“It has been a real pleasure to collaborate with the Andritz textile experts again, fifty years after purchasing our first Andritz line,” said Pierre D’Arras, CEO of Van Robaeys. “With our new equipment, we benefit from the latest bast fibre processing technology and significantly increase our capabilities in the production of high-quality fibres.”

Van Robaeys is a family-owned company producing flax fibres for the spinning industry. Its extensive expertise in flax scutching dates back to 1919. The recent investment supports the company’s efforts toward sustainable and zero-waste fibre production.

Andritz has many years of expertise in technology for the decortication of straw from bast fibre crops, as well as for refining and cottonising fibres and shives for further processing. This premium quality fibre is ready to be used for nonwoven or spinning processes in the textile industry.