42 n PROCESS AUTOMATION AND HAZARDOUS AREAS February 2025 www.drivesncontrols.com Digital twins help to mimic spiders to make sustainable fibres Spinnova is a Finnish company that has developed a patented technology for producing textile bres from wood, pulp, leather or agricultural waste, without needing to use harmful dissolving chemicals. It has developed a machine that can transform cellulosic pulp into textile bres. The technology uses a mechanical process that mimics how spiders weave their webs. The bres can be processed into yarn and fabrics in a similar way to conventional bres. According to Spinnova, its bre production process emits 74% less CO2 and uses 98% less water than conventional cotton production, generates no process waste and needs no harmful chemicals. The company claims that its technology is the only process in the world that can convert cellulose into textile bre in this way. When spinning the raw materials into laments, the suspension ows through a nozzle at a high pressure. A precise extrusion process causes the brils to rotate and align with the ow to create a natural textile bre. This bre is then dried, collected and post-processed, ready for spinning into yarn. The Spinnova bres can be blended with other bres and integrated into conventional or novel textile-processing methods. They can be processed in a similar way to cotton. The bre’s characteristics, such as its anti-odour properties and look-and-feel, are comparable to those of other natural cellulosic bres, such as cotton. As well as being used in textiles, the Spinnova bres can also be used in other applications such as insulation and composites. In 2021, Spinnova announced plans to build its rst commercial-scale bre production plant in a joint venture with the Finnish pulp producer, Suzano. Called Woodspin, the facility opened in May 2023, with a capacity to produce 1,000 tonnes of sustainable, recyclable and biodegradable textile bre from responsibly-grown wood, every year. Woodspin has recently signed an agreement to supply the Puma sportswear brand with bre for several years. The two companies will collaborate to develop products from Spinnova bre for future Puma products, particularly in its Sportstyle category. According to Howard Williams, director of global innovation in apparel and accessories at Puma, the bre technology “represents a new gateway into the world of man-made cellulosic bre production, using water instead of chemicals”. The Woodspin factory was simulated and commissioned virtually using a digital twin technology from Siemens’Tecnomatix digital manufacturing software portfolio. The simulations including the plant’s operations, material ows and what if-scenarios, as well as identifying potential bottlenecks. This saved time, helped to maintain quality and increased the eciency of the factory operations. A digital twin was also used to speed up, optimise and coordinate the R&D of the raw material base using Siemens’Opcenter software, ensuring a consistent quality from raw materials to the nished bres. The plant’s automation architecture is based on Siemens’Totally Integrated Automation concept, with TIA Portal integrating line control, safety technology, end-to-end diagnostics, drives and eld devices in a uni ed platform. Spinnova uses Siemens Industrial Edge to collect, process and send operational data to the cloud for analysis to track key performance indicators such as energy consumption. Spinnova's cybersecurity is based on a defence-in-depth strategy using cybersecurity technology from Siemens. Siemens says that its Xcelerator automation technologies, software and services helped Spinnova to reduce its time-to-market. “Working with Siemens has transformed how we approach manufacturing,”says Spinnova CEO, Tuomas Oijala. “Their technological expertise has enabled us to ramp up production quickly and brings credibility to our mission. This collaboration isn’t just about advancing technology; it’s also paving the way for a sustainable future in the textile industry.”n A Finnish company has developed a technology that produces bres sustainably from natural and waste materials, using much less water, energy and harmful chemicals than traditional processes. To help it design its plant and reach the market quicker, it turned to digital twins and other advanced automation technologies. Spinnova’s pioneering bre production plant in Finland used digital twins and other automation technologies to help it to ramp up production rapidly
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