Working flat out

The recent EXPODetergo show in Milan – and Clean Show in Atlanta, USA in the summer – were prime hunting grounds for ironers of all shapes and sizes from the smallest models up to hulking beasts capable of massive throughputs.

Domus, celebrating its centenary this year, has developed wall flatwork drying ironers that can process from 12 to 100kg which produces average residual humidity of 40%.

“After a wash in a high spin washer extractor, the flat linen can be finished in an effective way by passing it through a drying-ironer which represents an important reduction in the total processing time,” says the company.

“Our main objective is that the quality of the finish of the flat linen is optimal, and for this, we have the widest range on the market. The drying iron’s advanced design and technology, together with its wide range of options and accessories, have an important effect on energy efficiency and on water and chemicals savings, reducing production costs and increasing productivity.”

The ironers have radiant gas burners (the most effective form of heating says Domus), and on the 500/650mm models, the Domus’ new seven inch Touch II screen and Domus Connect software so operators can transfer and manage laundry programs, be alerted for faults and so on anytime, any place, anywhere. There are four main ranges - 200, 325, 500mm. The 650mm model is the newest addition.

Treasured chests

Optimum evaporation capacity and top-quality finishing go hand in hand when it comes to flatwork ironers, says Jensen. In order to realise the highest possible evaporation, Jensen has carried out extensive studies and tests into proven and new methods of conducting the steam through the chest. The key to an optimum heat transfer is a turbulent steam flow inside the steam distribution channels combined with a flexible chest made of carbon steel material. The turbulent steam flow flushes away the condensate from the surface, ensuring that an insulating water film will not arise, while carbon steel gives optimum thermal conduction and a low friction with wet linen. The combination ensures optimum finishing quality and minimum energy consumption – the power tandem for all laundries processing flatwork.

Chest heated ironers such as the Jensen EXP have proven to be much more energy efficient than any other ironer, says the company. The flexible chest adapts to the roll like a band-brake. By doing this, a full contact angle is maintained, resulting in a higher capacity over time compared to a fixed chest of a traditional ironer. Thanks to the relatively low weight of the flexible chest it can be heated in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the energy required to heat a traditional chest. Thus, the temperature of the chest can be quickly changed when the production is switched from e.g. cotton to spun-poly. The rolls are made of perforated steel with support rings welded to the inner side. The rigid design ensures an even and stable ironing pressure over the entire surface. This ensures top-quality finishing.

Fast moving development

The new Kalor gas ironer has a higher evaporation capacity than any fixed chest ironer, and consumes minimal energy thanks to its new triple-pass boiler and optional PID control. It reduces the C02 footprint even by 19% compared to Jensen gas ironer models from 2020. The new Kalor ironer, for instance, combines the durability and rigidity of a fixed chest ironer with the capacity of a flexible chest ironer.

Jensen calls it a semi-flexible chest ironer; one of our customers calls it a workhorse that is also a racehorse. The higher evaporation capacity of the semi-flexible chest offers two key benefits: Firstly, the extra evaporation capacity enables a higher output. Secondly, the extra evaporation capacity allows to reduce the ironing temperature which extends the life of the linen without compromising the capacity.

Whereas conventional Jensen flexible chest ironers contain inner chests with a thickness of 4 mm, the Kalor ironers from Jensen impress with a thick carbon steel inner plate of 8 mm. These extra four millimetres make a big difference. The thicker chest made of carbon steel and its polished surface ensures a perfect contact to the roll and therefore fabulous finishing results. With this sustainable approach, laundries can extend the lifetime of the chest because deep scratches coming from, for example, steel buttons can repaired easily.

“Sustainability is not exclusive to the equipment itself,” emphasises David Winter, general manager of Jensen UK. “The longevity of the linen is equally important”.

A flexible chest of carbon steel has lower friction with wet linen compared to a flexible chest of stainless steel. Furthermore, carbon steel is softer and more flexible, requiring less pressure from the rolls. Less pressure from the roll means less stress to the textile fibres and reduction of distortion, resulting in a longer lifetime for the linen. A win-win for the laundry, for its clients, and for our plane, says Jensent.

Real-world conditions

Flatwork processing with Kannegiesser’s HighPower ironers is strong, fast and gentle, according to the company which explains the HPM is engineered for “real-world conditions, guaranteeing maximum reliability and uncompromising performance”.

“Factors that make it so reliable include the extremely low maintenance requirements, the high-quality, high-durability stainless steel components and the practice-proven design. When it comes to processing flatwork linen, our high-power ironers don’t just meet exacting standards but rather set new benchmarks,” says Kannegiesser.

It lists the six key benefits of the ironers as: Excellent finishing, High performance, Energy-saving, Reliability, Flexibility,Cost efficiency

Finished-by-hand feel

The HPM GRAND for special quality demands has a finished-by-hand-feel about the end result, according to Kannegiesser. “The HPM Grand has a single large roller with a two-meter diameter and 190° wrapping angle for maximum ironing surface. Thanks to our advanced heating band technology, the HPM GRAND matches the performance of a modern two-roller 1,300 mm ironer. No ironer tape is used, which allows unrivalled finishing quality. The secret to successful ironing is uniform roller pressure. This guarantees optimum, consistent heat transfer and efficient, highly productive laundry processing.

“Our innovative heating band with special heated bridge maximises efficiency. It features a special pivot bearing that allows it to perfectly adjust to the actual roller diameter and its padding at any time. The infeed and the heating band bearing are fixed in place, forming a solid geometric basis for uninterrupted feeding of wide-ranging laundry items with varying thicknesses. The stainless steel heating band adapts precisely to the actual diameter of the roller and its padding. While the ironer roller is pressed into the heating band from above an even ironing pressure is applied on the textiles. This even pressure ensures ideal heat transfer and efficient and highly productive processing of the flatwork articles,” says Kannegiesser.

Making up the package, the KannPress spring system for optimum power transfer. KannPress springs ensure even ironing pressure on the roll surface, both for larger, single-layer items and multilayer items with varying thicknesses. Combined with the flexible heating band and roller system, they ensure that the HPM delivers perfect ironing results, Kanegiesser claims.

The optional FlexiCare package recognises that modern textiles pose new challenges for the ironing process. Depending on the fabric type, it may be necessary to adjust the ironing surface temperature and/or the roller pressure.

The FlexiCare package allows the heating band temperature to adjust quickly and continuously to different items. This helps to better preserve the linen’s colour and whiteness. The package is also ideal for processing temperature-sensitive items such as polyester table linen. When processing extremely lightweight items, reducing the temperature can prevent overdrying, save energy and increase the linen’s lifespan.

With the FlexiCare roller pressure setting, all rollers can be run with a high or low pressure depending on the program. Alternatively, the first roller can be set to low pressure and the subsequent ones to high. This allows the process to be adapted to a wide range of items.

Meanwhile, Lapauw’s Wim Demeyer pints to the benefits of the IronMAX 2-roll diameter 1200 ironer. “Thanks to features like large bridge, true parallel heating circuit and Lapauw individual springs, the IronMAX quickly made its name for being one of the most productive and efficient ironers on the market.

“The IronClassic single roll, diameter 1200 is a classic says Demeyer. With the flexible chest and individual Lapauw springs, these ironers are widely known for their quality and productivity. And Lapauw has also the widest ironer range on the market, from the small 500 mm roll diameter, up to the 3-roll, diameter 1600 ironer, says Demeyer.

Girbau recently launched its new Compact PRO ironing system, which combines five functions in a single unit: feeding, drying, ironing, folding and stacking, all at s0ºpeeds of up to 25 metres a minute, and the new FTQ Folder – which automatically folds drywork items of different dimensions one after the other, including towels, bathmats, washcloths and blankets.

This system , says Girbau, is evidence that high quality and productivity of an industrial ironing system can be compacted. The Compact PRO machine, at just only 20m2, can be easily installed in spaces with reduced or difficult accessibility, since it has a modular structure that allows easy and quick assembly in the laundry.

The new ironing system features Smart Touch Strap, which prevents marks on the laundry and ensures that the fabric remains in contact with most of the surface of the roller, thus maximising ironing time. Finally, it also has Autospeed mode, which keeps the ironing temperature constant and stable by automatically adjusting the speed. Smart Heat is responsible for saving up to 30% of energy.

Indemac’s ILC, thanks to its many accessories can, in a space of just 18m2, feed, iron, fold and stack linen, including large items, supervised by only one operator. The ironing belts system ensures protects fabrics from mechanical stress. The automated functions considerably reduce production costs, increasing productivity. A touch-screen panel, intuitive and user-friendly, makes it quick and easy for the operator to use the machine.

Equipped with an ergonomically designed introduction table that facilitates manual insertion of linen, the machine can be customised according to a variety of requirements.can choose type of heating, diameter of the ironing roll, working width and the type and direction of the stacker.

Girbau didn’t take its new Compact PRO ironing system to the fair, but it deserves to be mentioned in this feature. Compact PRO combines five functions in a single unit: feeding, drying, ironing, folding and stacking, all at speeds of up to 25 metres a minute, and the new FTQ Folder – which automatically folds drywork items of different dimensions one after the other, including towels, bathmats, washcloths and blankets. This system , says Girbau, is evidence that high quality and productivity of an industrial ironing system can be compacted. The Compact PRO machine, at just only 20m2, can be easily installed in spaces with reduced or difficult accessibility, since it has a modular structure that allows easy and quick assembly in the laundry.

The new ironing system features Smart Touch Strap, which prevents marks on the laundry and ensures that the fabric remains in contact with most of the surface of the roller, thus maximising ironing time. Finally, it also has Autospeed mode, which keeps the ironing temperature constant and stable by automatically adjusting the speed. Smart Heat is responsible for saving up to 30% of energy. Please check out Richard Neale’s recent Material Solutions feature on ‘Ironer management for quality productivity. See link below.

• https://www.laundryandcleaningnews. com/features/featureironer-management-for- quality-productivity-9921202/

GMP TIES UP WITH SCHULTHESS

Founded in 1987, GMP has been leading flatwork ironer innovation in Europe for the past 15 years, providing the widest range of ironing solutions to a global distributor network with well- established market positions in the commercial and industrial segments and has rfecently been taken into the Schulthess fold. According Schulthess, with GMP flatwork ironers, Schulthess is further expanding its finishing range. GMP products ideally complement the Schulthess professional range: trade and industry thus benefit from a fully comprehensive offering – at a fair price and all from a single source.

In a message to distributors, GMP CEO Rudi Giaon said: “After decades of activity in the laundry industry, I see with great satisfaction the reaching of such result, rewarding GMP for its well-known orientation to product innovation and customer care.”

“The news has a positive reflection for GMP Partners: under the wing of a large group, whose growth is focused on our sector, GMP will be able to best express its uniqueness and continue its growth path for the benefit of our strategic partners.”

“Neither the commercial strategies, nor the professional figures who have supported you in all these years will change. I remain at the helm of the company as CEO, Vera Simon maintains the commercial direction, Eva Saccol and Fanny Zani continue to manage the back office.”