When the capacity race in nonwovens collides with the hard demand for high-end transformation, carding is stepping out of the shadows. The 19th China International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens (CINTE26) sent a clear signal: bottlenecks in line speed often lie not in downstream forming or bonding, but in whether the upstream carding process can consistently deliver high-quality fiber webs. The comprehensive carding solutions presented by equipment maker Jinlun Card Clothing at the fair offer a lens into this technological leverage.
Show Trends: High-end is no longer a slogan
CINTE26, held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, serves as a barometer for investment directions in the Asia-Pacific nonwovens sector. This edition featured a special zone for the '15th Five-Year' plan for technical textiles, embedding national industrial policy directly into the exhibition. This signals that domestic substitution of high-end nonwoven equipment and processes has entered a window driven by both policy and market forces.
Jinlun's showcased carding solutions cover the three mainstream processes: spunlace, thermal bond, and needlepunch, addressing the demands of high output, high speed, and high quality. The carding process directly determines the uniformity and fiber orientation of the web, which in turn affects the strength, hand feel, and filtration performance of the final product. As nonwoven basis weights drop and line speeds rise, the operational stability of carding equipment and the lifespan of card clothing have become hidden ceilings on overall line efficiency.
On-site, representatives from Andritz, Anhui Jinchun, Shandong Yongxin, Jiangsu Huafeng, Huafu Group, and other upstream and downstream firms engaged in deep discussions with Jinlun's team on product adaptation, process optimization, and line efficiency. These conversations at the booth reflect an urgent need for technical collaboration—simply purchasing equipment is no longer enough; whether suppliers can provide process-level service is becoming a new competitive differentiator.
Industry Impact: Carding technology reshapes competitiveness
Upgrades in the carding process are rewriting the balance between cost and quality for nonwoven producers. For example, in spunlace lines, high-speed carding machines with precision card clothing can increase output while reducing fiber damage and neps, directly lowering defect rates in downstream web formation and bonding. For factories, this means higher yield rates and lower energy consumption per unit of input, with economic benefits that far exceed crude cost-cutting strategies.
From an industry chain perspective, equipment innovation accelerates downstream product restructuring. When carding solutions can stably support new materials such as microfiber or biodegradable fibers, nonwoven producers can develop high-value-added categories like medical filtration, premium wipes, and automotive interiors. Conversely, if carding lags, even advanced downstream equipment cannot unlock the material's performance advantages. Thus, the carding technology showcased at CINTE26 effectively defines the new capability boundary for downstream product upgrades.
Notably, Jinlun's exhibits were selected for the '15th Five-Year' special zone. This is more than an honor; it signifies that carding technology is regarded as a foundational element for the next stage of technical textiles development. For procurers and factories, tracking how equipment makers' R&D roadmaps align with national policy directions can help in planning capacity upgrades in advance, avoiding passivity when standards and demand evolve.