In July 2023, a devastating fire tore through Cartelera interior’s laundry facility, bringing operations to a halt. Indoor Billboard partnered with other laundry operations to handle linen and mat processing during their recovery period. Faced with the massive challenge of rebuilding, they turned to G.A. Braun—not just as an equipment provider, but as a true partner in their recovery.

Rebuilding with Braun

From day one, Braun stepped in with expert infrastructure planning, guiding the redesign of Indoor Billboard’s wash alley and ensuring that every piece of equipment was delivered on an accelerated timeline.

By August 2024, Indoor Billboard was fully operational again with:
✔ Two 650 OP Washers
✔ One 450 OP Washer
✔ One 250 OP Washer
✔ Two 700 PT Dryers
✔ A Shuttle System

More Than Equipment—A Commitment to Success

Beyond delivering high-quality, on-time solutions, Braun’s customer support team was with them every step of the way. From design to installation, Braun provided knowledgeable, responsive service, proving that their commitment goes beyond just selling machines.

Why Indoor Billboard Chooses Braun

“We prefer doing business with Braun because they don’t just deliver top-tier equipment—they stand by their customers when it matters most,” said Indoor Billboard Owner, Jim Shulevitz.

Partner with OEM to optimize your processes

In healthcare laundry, infection prevention starts long before clean linens reach the patient. It begins with a scientifically engineered, tightly controlled process that ensures soiled textiles are cleaned, disinfected, and returned free of microbial contamination. Partnering with an experienced OEM like Braun helps healthcare providers optimize their laundry operations for infection control at every step.

Why Infection Control Matters in Healthcare Laundry

Healthcare providers have a responsibility to deliver hygienically clean linen to the facilities and patients they serve. However, maintaining microbial-free textiles requires strict adherence to processing protocols from the moment soiled linen leaves the facility to the time it’s returned clean. Each stage—sorting, washing, drying, finishing, and transport—presents its own risks for cross-contamination if not carefully managed.

Scientific principles play a critical role in ensuring that laundering environments and equipment do not become sources of microbial growth. That’s why infection control starts with proper laundry facility design, operational discipline, preventive maintenance, and process validation—all grounded in time-tested, evidence-based methods.

The Role of OEMs in Infection Control

As an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Braun plays a key role in helping laundries reduce infection risks. Our equipment is engineered with infection control in mind—utilizing proven material science, chemical compatibility, and operational design to support high-performance processing environments.

Braun’s commitment is to deliver solutions that are durable, easy to maintain, and scientifically validated—not just driven by marketing claims. Whether it’s healthcare laundry or any other high-risk environment, our goal is to provide equipment that delivers consistent, hygienic results across all applications.


Understanding the Science: The Wash Pie Explained

Proper linen processing depends on four key variables: time, temperature, mechanical action, and chemistry—collectively known as the Wash Pie. These variables must be balanced for effective cleaning and disinfection.

Failing to maintain this balance may lead to:

Braun equipment is designed to support the optimal wash pie configuration, ensuring efficient processing without compromising quality or safety.

Batch Tunnel Washers & Infection Control: Braun’s Differentiation

Batch tunnel washers have become a focus in infection prevention due to their high productivity and unique processing characteristics. However, if not properly designed or maintained, they can become liabilities for microbial growth.

Braun’s batch tunnel washers are uniquely engineered to mitigate these risks:

End-to-End Infection Prevention Requires Teamwork

Even with state-of-the-art laundry equipment, infection control is only effective when supported by strong operational discipline. Laundries must ensure:

It’s important to remember: dryers and ironers should not be relied upon to kill pathogens. True infection prevention starts with managing inputs and process controls, not simply hoping downstream equipment will “clean up the process.”

Consult Your OEM Partner – Maximize Your Infection Control Strategy

At Braun, we encourage healthcare laundries to engage with their OEM partner regularly. Leverage our decades of experience in equipment design and infection control science to get the most out of your operation.

While this article focuses on healthcare laundry, the principles of infection control apply to hostelería, corrections, military, and other high-demand laundry markets.

Science, innovation, and operational excellence are the cornerstones of effective infection control—and at Braun, we’re committed to helping you achieve it.

Navigating Industrial Dryer Emissions Compliance in California and Beyond

Tighter Air Emission Standards Are Changing How Industrial Laundries Operate

California continues to lead the nation in environmental regulations, including some of the strictest air emission standards for industrial equipment. While most headlines focus on vehicle emissions, industrial laundry operators—particularly those in Southern California—face growing scrutiny around dryer air emissions, especially NOx (nitrogen oxides) and CO (carbon monoxide) levels.

If you’re an operator looking to replace older dryers with more efficient and compliant models, understanding the latest regulations is critical to making an informed investment and avoiding costly non-compliance issues.

What Operators Need to Know About SCAQMD Rule 1147

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) enforces Rule 1147, which governs NOx and CO emissions for industrial dryers in Southern California. Under this rule:

Even if you’re not based in California, similar air quality standards are emerging in other states, making this information relevant across the U.S.

How to Choose a Compliant Industrial Dryer

When investing in a new industrial dryer, you must evaluate both performance and regulatory compliance. Here are critical questions to ask your OEM or equipment supplier:

1. Does the Dryer Qualify for an Emissions Exemption?

If your laundry does not process VOC-laden items (like shop towels or bar towels), and your dryer is under the 2 million BTU/hr threshold, it may qualify for an exemption. Ask your manufacturer:

Detuning the gas train may impact energy consumption and production rates, so it’s essential to understand these trade-offs.

2. Is the Dryer Truly Low NOx Certified?

If your operation processes VOCs or the dryer exceeds 2 million BTU/hr, you’ll need equipment that complies with Rule 1147 limits.

Don’t rely on marketing claims. Ask your vendor to provide:

Without this certification, you risk investing in equipment that may not meet local emissions standards—leading to operational delays, fines, or forced modifications.

The Importance of Preventative Maintenance for Emissions Compliance

Once your dryers are installed, compliance doesn’t stop. Most manufacturers only certify emissions during the warranty period and only if the equipment is maintained according to their guidelines.

Key maintenance practices include:

Failing to maintain the dryer may cause emissions to exceed permitted levels, leading to loss of efficiency and possible re-certification costs.

Avoiding Non-Compliance and Maximizing ROI

Industrial dryers are a major capital investment, and failure to meet emissions requirements can significantly increase your costs. Here’s how to protect your investment:

Do your homework on current and future local regulations

Ask OEMs the right questions before buying

Get written certifications for emissions compliance

Schedule regular maintenance to maintain certified performance

Stay updated on changes to SCAQMD Rule 1147 and similar regulations in your region

Industrial Laundry Emissions Compliance: What’s Next?

As air quality standards continue to evolve, laundry operators across the U.S. must prepare to meet stricter emissions rules—whether you’re in California, Texas, New York, or anywhere in between. By working closely with your OEM and staying informed, you can ensure your dryers are efficient, compliant, and future-proof.

Ready to Upgrade Your Dryers?

Braun offers industrial dryers engineered for low NOx performance and compliance with SCAQMD Rule 1147. Contact us today to learn more or request emissions certifications.

ABOVE: (l/r) Here is a view of a low NOx burner in a dryer; a graphic image of a low NOx burner; on the opening page, there is a group of three low NOx dryers in operation in a plant.

Change is the one thing that remains constant in business.

BRAUN greenThe speed of change has accelerated with the advent of new technologies, and through the creativity of the brilliant minds that are perpetually enhancing, and in some cases disrupting the norms of our time. As we all grow older we become somewhat resistant to this change, but we all realize that in order to remain viable in business we must embrace the changes that are thrust upon us. It is a way of life and a norm as we look to evolve, grow, and diversify the businesses that we operate.

Why would I start out an article about “Green Initiatives” using the topic of change? It is simple….. Green has truly become a way of life for all of us regardless of if we are environmental junkies, or simply average Joe’s who don’t have any desire to pursue being green. Every day the green movement impacts our lives. Whether it is at the grocery store via organic alternatives, recycled containers used to store the products that we purchase, or if it is in the technologies that we use to power our vehicles or businesses. Green is here to stay, and it isn’t a bad thing.

A few months back I was in a business planning meeting and our team started to reflect on the many ways that each of our departments has been impacted by the green movement, and more importantly on the initiatives that we have adopted to have a favorable impact on the environment. This discussion did not stop there. As we continued to discuss how we evolved to our current state we realized that being green wasn’t necessarily the primary driver, but that the smart design and operating practices led to these green initiatives being institutionalized within our business. As we dug into this further we started to realize how significant the impacts have been on our product portfolio, on our operating practices, and on the value that this now allows us to afford to our client partners. I don’t want to say it was a “eureka moment”, but it was one that created a heightened sense of awareness and pride in what has been accomplished.

As a manufacturer in our industry we are often are looked upon as simply a supplier, and not as a process manufacturer. The reality is that we run plants, we use metrics to measure everything that we do, we face dynamic supply-chain markets, and aggressive competition like every one of our potential clients. The reality is that we are no different from our clients, and we all have to run disciplined businesses if we want to be viable in the market. These similarities continue as our clients perpetually look at ways to reduce their costs, and in many cases (whether by choice, or by regulatory mandate) pursue opportunities to embrace green practices to reduce their carbon footprint. As noted we are all in this together and we can all benefit from the experiences that we share. Every day we are sharing the green/efficiency benefits of our designs and products with our clients, but it usually stops there. This is what led me to write this article in the hope that our story will benefit and possibly motivate others.

Factory LED Lighting

The entire factory has been converted to LED lighting

From a products perspective we are always discussing gallons per pound of linen processed, chemicals or KWh’s used per hundred weight, BTU’s consumed per pound of water removed, or pounds per operator hour. This discussion surrounds how our products help our clients achieve a lower level of consumption in all categories noted. This is a green initiative on both sides of the equation……as the supplier, and as the buyer / end user! I could write a book on the features, functions, and benefits of our products, and how we have developed and evolved each to bring greater value to the end users and in so doing afford them greener operations. Rather than do so now I will leave it to the reader to visit the products section of our website or discuss each with our regional technical sales leadership to get a true appreciation for how our tunnel systems, conventional washroom, and textile finishing solutions provide said benefits. As most in this industry we are pretty proud of our solutions, and love to have the opportunity to discuss them with potential users, or to host this same audience at our manufacturing and R&D center to do a deep dive with our technical staff. In an effort to keep our focus on other green initiatives I instead would like to touch on some of the plant specific efforts and portfolio offerings that grew out of our lean program that are having a significant green impact.

Powder Coat Paint Process

A good deal of painting operations have been converted to powder coating, and at the same time altered the wet painting process. The combined benefit has been a reduction of VOC emissions (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the neighborhood of 6 tons per year!

In our manufacturing facility we have made a host of changes to operating practices, and we have also spent a good deal of capital to improve our overall efficiency. On the practices side we have institutionalized the 100% recycling of all wood, steel, and carboard utilized in our daily operations. This means all materials received by us or used in the generation of our end products that fall into these categories that used to go the dumpster and hence the landfill or incinerator are recycled. This initiative was put into place in the early 2000’s and today we recycle an average of 1,560 cubic yards of paper and cardboard out of our factory. At this same time, we went from having pallets incinerated to recycling them into mulch through a partnership with a local manufacturer. Obviously, as a heavy equipment manufacturer we use a significant amount of steel. Through our capital investment in highly automated equipment and strategic utilization planning of the material we process we have been able to virtually eliminate scrap material. What little waste we do produce whether it be aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper or brass is recycled through our local recycling centers. In the last 10 years we have made significant investments in energy efficient infrastructure in the form of a new plant, extensive plant expansion, the installation of high efficiency boilers and compressors, and LED lighting (it should be noted that when we eliminated all of our original T5 lighting which was the most efficient at the time the initial factory was built, that we repurposed these fixtures with local manufacturers to replace their older technology). All were strategic investments that we were able to leverage grant funds to support, and anyone reading this article should get educated on what grants and incentives may be available to you via your local, State governments. In 2006 we converted a good deal of our painting operations over to powder coating, and at the same time altered our wet painting process.The combined benefit of this change has been a reduction of VOC emissions in the neighborhood of 6 tons per year. The most recent decision we made was to leverage hydropower for roughly ½ of our electricity needs. Although this is not necessarily a cheaper solution it is a clean and green alternative to fossil fuels as the hydro plants do not emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Washer Before and After

Certified Remanufactured Process

As if all of these plant efforts aren’t exciting enough the real exciting development over the last 5 years has been our remanufacturing process. In the last three years alone, we have remanufactured numerous machines preventing over 605 TONS of steel from going either to the scrap yard or recycling center. Why is this so significant? This means that we reduced the need to produce this material at the mills, and that we have had a significant impact on the environment through the many savings that this represents. This means that we have been able to bring machines back to life after 20+ years of dedicated service and return them to the market rebuilt to current day specifications with a new equipment warranty. This not only is great for the environment, but it presents a significant savings opportunity for our client partners. The only negative is that not all products are logical candidates for remanufacturing as certain machines which do not contain a large steel content simply don’t afford the economics to support the costs to return said machines to new. As we dug deeper into the remanufacturing process we found that we could invest capital in a green sandblasting operation which afforded us a more efficient and clean solution for preparing machines for this process. Concurrently, we found that we could recover or repurpose many of the components (electrical, pneumatic, mechanical, and hydraulic) that were removed from the old machines as they were disassembled. The outcome of this effort is an offering we now call our “R-part” program. By handling components with care, applying a detailed inspection and testing protocol (in some cases having the components repaired) we were able to create a dedicated inventory of lower cost parts alternative for our client partners. We have motors, cylinders, baskets, control boards, inverters, etc. that are available depending on our current inventory. We have found that many of our clients truly appreciate this as they are looking for older components that may be challenging to find, or expensive given the need that they have. Also, as a client has a machine that may be within the last few years of use they don’t want to spend the long dollar on new parts only to not exhaust the life of said components. As a result, these clients will often opt for the lower cost R-part as it meets their needs. Again, this effort has kept dumpsters loads of components from going to the scrap yard before their time and provided a way to lower the cost of operations for our client partners……win / win!!!

At the end of the day it is amazing to see how best practices, and a continuous improvement mindset have aligned with being green. This journey does require work, dedication, and discipline. However, the rewards are significant not only for all who are impacted by the outcomes of these efforts.

“Embracing Green….An Operational Way of Life” is a two-part series featured in the Laundry Ledger publication

A review of airflow, ducting and related issues associated with safe and productive dryer performance.

Air is vital to all living things, and although a dryer isn’t alive, it too needs air in order to do its job of drying laundry in the most efficient and productive manner possible. Air is the most important aspect of the drying process. Without it, a dryer won’t function correctly. In extreme cases, a lack of air may damage the textile goods, the dryer, or your facility. Below, we take a high-level look at why air is so critical to the functioning of the dryer.

figure1 blog post

The dryer has four critical elements to the drying process, just like a washer. For a washer, the Wash Pie covers the elements of chemistry, mechanical action, time and temperature. But ultimately without water, the rest won’t work. The dryer has similar characteristics that make up the drying process. These elements form what is called the Dry Pie®.

As you see in Figure 1, the four elements of the Dry Pie® are mechanical action, time, temperature and airflow. You may ask, why is airflow the most important aspect of drying if there are four equal pieces of the Dry Pie®? Well, like water in a washer/extractor, without the airflow, your dryer won’t function. Let’s take a look at the other three elements and how they would contribute without air.

MECHANICAL ACTION

The first piece is mechanical action, or tumbling. Tumbling goods without airflow isn’t going to provide much drying action, even if there’s sufficient time and temperature applied. Taking that scenario further, if wet goods are tumbled with heat applied to them and left in the dryer for a long time, what will happen? Initially, there will be some evaporation. However, as the moisture leaves the goods, it has no place to go…remember, we’re operating without any airflow. Assuming the dryer is sealed reasonably well, the air inside the dryer basket will become fully saturated and no more evaporation will take place. This will cause an increase in temperature inside the dryer basket, and if left operating like this for too long, that heat will begin to cause problems. Most modern industrial dryers today have methods to prevent overheating, and in this situation those protective devices will most likely trigger an alarm and stop the dry cycle. If you checked inside the dryer, you would find that they have remained wet, and have close to the same amount of moisture in them as when they started. The dryer just used a fuel source (temperature), mechanical action (tumbling) and time. The problem is that there was no airflow to continually remove that evaporated moisture, allowing for continued evaporation to occur until the goods became dry. Now, a look at the opposite scenario; plenty of air and some time and mechanical action, but no heat.

AIRFLOW & DUCTING

In this situation, the goods are tumbling through a steady stream of air. Picture clothes on a line during a cool, windy day. Given enough time, even with little heat, the goods will become drier. Airflow will cause the evaporation process to begin and moisture to wick away from the goods and exhaust to atmosphere. In order to provide sufficient airflow inside a dryer, a steady stream of air must enter and exit the dryer basket. This movement of air typically is done with a motor with a wheel (or scroll) with blades, which develops a suction, pulling air from outside the dryer through the basket and blowing it out an exhaust duct. In the next section, we’ll examine how to get air into the dryer and how to move it out.

dryer vents blog post

(l/r) Here are examples of gooseneck, “No Loss” and cap-style stacks that are designed to prevent rain, snow and debris from entering the dryer duct work or to prevent excessive back pressure.

For a dryer to be efficient and productive, it must be sealed relatively well. This means that air drawn into the dryer basket comes from its intended source. This is typically from one of two possible areas. The air may come from inside the plant or be drawn in through a duct from outside. This same air, now full of moisture from the drying goods, is exhausted using ductwork that ultimately exhausts outside the plant.

Since the source of air for the dryer can come from either outside or inside the plant, that source is rarely the problem with a dryer’s airflow. Usually the problem comes from not exhausting the air properly, thus causing heat buildup inside the dryer basket. Ultimately, this exhaust restriction that can lead to poor drying performance and possibly even damage to the dryer or in the worst case scenario, spark a fire.

The method of exhausting this hot, moisture-rich air is the key to efficient and productive dryers. Since this air is not being discharged into the plant, it must travel from the dryer to the outside through a closed duct. This movement of air through a duct creates pressure in the duct itself. Picture blowing through a straw with and without your finger partially over the end. The harder you try to move air through the straw with your finger partially obstructing the end, the harder it becomes. This same phenomenon is happening inside that exhaust duct that you have connected to the dryer. This restriction can lead to poor performance, low energy efficiency, and possibly even cause damage to the dryer in the form of a fire. Does this mean you have to be an engineer and design the ductwork yourself ?

The answer is no. All manufacturers that sell industrial dryers specify the maximum back pressure (restriction in the ductwork) that their dryer can handle safely and efficiently. Once this parameter is identified, any competent mechanical firm should be able to design and calculate this back pressure, given the path your ductwork must follow to exit the plant.

Remember the example of blowing through a straw with your finger partially over the end? Now you can look at the ductwork design that your mechanical contractor has proposed and look for areas that might cause a restriction, creating added back pressure. Using the straw analogy, what happens if you bend the straw a few times? You will find that these bends create a partial restriction and increase the pressure that must be overcome to move the air efficiently out of the dryer. Ductwork acts in the exact same way. If your ductwork needs many turns and bends to make its way out of the building, there is a good chance you are going to have issues with back pressure. Does this mean you have to have a straight run out of the building? The answer is no, but to overcome this added back pressure, you must either increase the diameter of the ductwork to allow for more air flow or help the air escape by providing a secondary means to aid in pulling the air out.

The exhaust and inlet ducts connected to your dryer can cause problems since they are open to the outside elements. This means that you must prevent rain and snow from entering your dryer. To do this, many types of protection can be employed. One method is to install what’s referred to as a gooseneck on the end of the ductwork. Instead of pointing straight up at the sky, the opening points down, thus preventing the elements from entering the duct. Another method is to install a cap over the top of the duct, leaving space between the duct top and the cap.

A third method is to install a straight piece of duct, which is normally four times as long as the diameter of the duct. This is called a “No Loss” stack, and is the best course of action to prevent excessive back pressure like the first two methods might cause. The “No Loss” stack is sized approximately one-to-twoinches larger in diameter than the actual exhaust duct. Because of the four-times length, rain/water will ultimately end up on the inner wall of this stack and simply run out the bottom, instead of running down your ductwork and back into the dryer. It is the best method of preventing excessive backpressure and keeping out the elements. P

PRODUCT PARTICULARS

This article has focused generally on airflow and preventing any restrictions to the manufacturer’s specified velocity and volume, or more specifically, maximum static pressure. The last portion of this article focuses on some of the possible outcomes of a restricted exhaust duct.

As described in general terms above, restricting airflow to a dryer can lead to some big problems. The largest being the potential for fire. Remember, if the hot air cannot escape from the dryer basket, it will continue to build up heat inside the basket. Depending on the type of goods being dried, this excessive heat could cause some types of goods to combust. Shop and bar towels are highly susceptible to excess heat and have been known to cause dryer fires. Even if the dryer senses the high heat and stops the dry cycle, damage can occur. This is especially true with barrier-type garments that air has a hard time passing through in the first place. These types of garments also are typically more sensitive to high heat and can be damaged easily when temperature exceeds what’s recommended.

Another common product is microfiber. Microfiber manufacturers’ recommendations for maximum heat typically range from no heat to 150°–160° F maximum. Any exposure greater than that recommended will cause a breakdown of the microfiber’s properties (best case), causing poor performance of the product, or it may actually melt and cause damage to the product and possibly the dryer as well.

Incontinence pads are yet another barrier- type garment that has very specific maximum-heat specifications, which if exceeded can cause damage to the product and possibly the dryer as well. As you can see from these examples, knowing the heat specifications of the goods being processed, coupled with ensuring that the dryer is able to breathe correctly are critical to this vital part of the wash alley operation.

Although this article only scratches the surface on the importance of airflow and how ducting can influence that flow, we hope it provides you with guidance to help ensure that your new dryer is able to perform up to the manufactures’ specifications and protect the product you’re processing from damage. The consequences of ignoring dryer-temperature recommendations or ignoring the dryer manufacturers’ back pressure specifications could be catastrophic … leading to a fire and loss of property or life. Do your homework and that new dryer can deliver the return on investment that you were anticipating.

Large piece folders manufactured today are capable of folding various widths, weights, and types of materials, in various lane and cross fold configurations. It’s not uncommon to find folders with some type of accumulation device and delivery stacker attached. However capable these machines are, no single design configuration can do it all. Requirements for folding tumble dry 6.5 lb. spreads and blankets, table linen, and T180 cotton/poly sheets are all very different. We will focus most of this section on ironed flatwork processing of sheets, bedding materials and table linens with more common two primary with three cross fold configurations.

With so many different folders in the market today it can become challenging to determine which will best support your laundry needs. Making a smart purchasing decision requires good knowledge and understanding of your existing flatwork line configuration; including a detailed plan for growth. It is important to exercise due diligence and attention to detail when designing an operation to achieve maximum ROI. This might sound overly simple, but a few constraints that will directly impact all flatwork folders is the ironer capacity to iron, its size, and operating temperature. Or a spreader/feeder lacking the ability to feed parts flat and in the center of lanes consistently to include a stable source for clean quality compressed air. Large piece folders do not have the ability to make corrections for up stream events such as a poorly fed sheet, or fold wet parts due to an underperforming ironer, or lack of stability (capacity and/or volume) of a compressed air system. Inconsistent or problematic upstream situations need be addressed. A new folder will not correct or improve spreader/feeder, ironer, or infrastructure-related quality issues. Without correction, the folder will underperform, reducing any potential ROI, impacting final quality of folded items.

“The biggest cost of poor quality is when your customer buys it from someone else, because they didn’t like yours”

large piece folding edwards deming

W. Edwards Deming
(October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993)

Table and bed linens are often processed using the same basic large piece flatwork folders. With the folder placed immediately behind an ironer, folder processing speed should be adjusted to run slightly faster than the ironer. This speed increase will insure the items transfer cleanly between the machines, without creating wrinkles. Too large a speed difference generates static on the underside of the items and results in a poor transfer of trailing edges. Folders will include some type of static dissipation equipment, static bar, and anti-static belting. But excessive static is not easily removed and can cause material to develop static cling with the conveyor belting. This results in mis-folds and jams within the folder. Ironer speeds should be adjusted so items exiting the ironer contain 2-3% moisture retention. This reduces static electricity and helps prevent overheating items in the ironer and damaging them. Any changes to the ironer speed will impact feeder transfer speed, and this too should be reviewed and adjusted as required. Items exiting the ironer are measured for length, and depending on its measured size items can be folded between one and two times. The first series of folds is commonly referred to as primary folding. Most often this is accomplished using a short release of compressed air to move the item into a set of rollers running in transverse direction to make the fold. It’s a good practice to adjust the primary fold points so the leading edges of the sheet are slightly offset from trailing edges after folding. This allows leading and trailing selvaged edges to be tucked neatly inside the primary folds and out of sight. Larger items like sheets or larger table linens can then be cross folded in single lane. Depending on the item size they may receive one to three cross folds. Some single lane folders are also designed to maximize smaller width table linen production, with two lanes of primary folding followed by two lanes of cross fold items resulting in one or two cross folds. Common fold devices used to accomplish the first cross fold use a short duration of compressed air for sheets, or mechanical folding blade for table linens to achieve a crisp fold crease. The fold configuration needs to be configured when the machine is ordered. Both devices work by directing the material to be cross-folded into a set of pinch rollers making the first cross fold. Depending on the large piece folder machine design and item size, the second cross fold is most often accomplished using some configuration of folding blade or reversing conveyors. The final fold, also known as third cross fold, is most always accomplished using a fold blade design thru pinch rollers.

Items having completed the cross-fold process are discharged to a large piece stacker. This stacking device is considered an integral part of the large piece folder. Capable of stacking folded items into a predetermined count to be advanced to a conveyor. This delivery conveyor can move stacks to several different types of equipment from a staging stack management conveyor, larger central clean goods conveyor, packing machinery, or work table to be used for loading carts. Depending on how a folder is optioned, a sheet stacker might support quality control reject functionally. This will exclude stacking stained or torn damaged items by bypassing them to a cart. Some flatwork folding systems will support multiple stackers for sorting items by size. These systems can be found in laundries when presorting the wash process is not practical.

Due to the complexity of large piece folders some problems can be difficult to diagnose. A problematic issue with primary folds may cause jams in the cross-fold section. The first response many people have when trying to resolve fold problems is to begin changing fold formula variables, this is often incorrect. Prior to changing formula values, it’s important to ensure there are no mechanical problems present or any upstream events that need to be corrected. Consulting the user manual and manufacturer support services to help diagnose problems will prolong machine life, improve efficiency, fold quality, and reduce wear on the items being processed.

Common Configurations of Sheet Folds

large piece folding 01

Common Locations & Descriptions of Large Piece Folder

Large Piece Folder — Markets Served

Hospitality providers supporting a larger mix of sheets and table linens often are looking to optimize flatwork line processing by using folders that provide multi-functional capabilities. These multi-functional folders increase the ability to keep ironer chests covered with parts for longer periods of time. This reduces idle time and equates to an increased ROI. For this application, a common type of folder configuration is a single, two lane, two primary folder, capable of supporting up to three cross folds in single lane and two cross folds in two lanes, with the 1st cross fold knife in two lanes.

Healthcare providers for the most part, need to support sheets in single lane. To optimize their flatwork line processing, they look to use dedicated product lines with simple basic folders. For this application, a more common type of folder configuration is a single lane two primary fold, capable of supporting up to three cross folds in a single lane. This machine is commonly optioned with a 1st cross air jet and single stacker.

As previously described, laundry providers needs are specifically different, but the core base folder design is the same. Both folders are more than capable of supporting the needs for hospitality and healthcare providers, but not each other’s requirements. Understanding your laundry’s needs, its application and end customer requirements are key to smart purchasing.

Simply put, there are too many optional features to list when it comes to large piece folders. All manufacturers have a lengthy list of available options or standards supporting specific needs of individual laundry requirements. Basic large piece folders are available in standard finishing line widths of 120” and 130” to match most common ironer widths. Perhaps the most easily noticed configuration option is the discharge side, left or right, which must be specified at the time of order. The in feed conveyor of your large piece folder can also be configured length specific to best suit your required footprint and ironer discharge height. In feed conveyor options such as a doffer roll or spring-loaded conveyor (which allows the in feed table to move with the ironer’s apron) provide further customization. Also, certain folds may be ordered with configurable options such as knife vs. air folds, and fold bypass. Large piece folders can discharge the finished package to a table or large piece stacker. Other options include, but are not limited to: goods classification systems, multiple sorting stackers, take away conveyors, turn conveyors, quality grading and sorting systems, machine interconnection, data management features and systems, production status indicators, lane and program piece counters, and auxiliary lighting.

What fold device option (fold blade or air jet blow pipe) is a good choice for my laundry? Listed are a few basic advantages and drawbacks of both devices regarding application at the first cross fold.

Fold Blades

Advantage: Positive fold capable of providing crisp fold lines, is a proven and reliable technology.

Drawbacks: Because fold blades are a mechanical device, they have moving parts which can become out of alignment and wear out with time. Regular adjustment and maintenance are required to achieve reliable performance from knife blades. Another drawback is the physical contact between the blade and the linen. If the linen is too damp, or the blade too dirty, the goods can stick to the blade, resulting in poor folds or jams. Linen stuck around a blade can even draw the blade into the pinch rolls causing severe damage to the blade and other machine components. Blades can also be problematic when processing goods of varying thicknesses. A blade that is adjusted properly for thin goods may not work when processing thicker goods. This problem can be mitigated by using spring loaded pinch rolls, which move apart to accept thicker linen.

Blow Pipe Compressed Air Folds

Advantage: Proven and reliable technology, and the simplicity and limited number of moving parts translates directly to reduced maintenance requirements. There are also fewer equipment jams when compared to fold blades.

Drawbacks: Inconsistent pressure or flow along a fold can result in poor folds, bunching of the linen along the fold, a skewed leading edge, and jamming of the machine. It is also important that the air blast is focused between the pinch rolls. If not, the fold may be inconsistent or fail to catch in the pinch rolls. Folds by air blast consume greater amounts of compressed air than those made by knife blade or reversing conveyors. It is critical to fold quality that the pneumatic system of the laundry is sized properly to support all the equipment attached. Compressed air that contains debris or moisture can damage the valves or clog the nozzles/tubes. Regularly inspect and empty the air filter/drier, if equipped.

Quality Inspection and Grading Systems

With improved control technology (digital microprocessors and computers) modern large piece folder manufacturers offer systems which streamline the inspection, sorting, and counting of stained, torn, or otherwise damaged goods. These systems typically discharge goods identified as stained or torn to predetermined locations, isolating them from regular production. Understanding the types of quality grading systems available, and their strengths/ weaknesses is critical to selecting an appropriate and efficient system that will achieve a favorable ROI.

The most basic method for identifying stains and tears is by manual sorting; operators feeding, or presorting. The operator feeding a part will provide a visual inspection as the part is processed into the feeder. This method requires the greatest amount of time and labor. It also presents problems when processing large items because a single operator may have trouble inspecting without fully spreading the items.

Another method for identifying and removing damaged items is using equipment outfitted with reject capability. On a flatwork finishing line with a reject system, operators feed the items into the system and press a button upon spotting a stain or tear. The button press flags the piece as it travels through the finishing line and it is rejected at a configurable location. This type of system requires less labor and is more efficient than manual sorting, as operators can continually feed the finishing line. Another advantage of a finishing line with reject capability is that operators can see the entire, fully-spread item when looking for defects. Even operators with little training can identify stained or torn items. This traditional reject system typically creates a greater ROI due to the significantly lower price point.

The most complex reject systems are fully-automated, using cameras to inspect the items on the finishing line. The data collected from the camera is processed by a computer to identify and flag stained or torn items. The result is similar to that of traditional reject systems, but requires no input from operators. Vision systems (camera based systems) can identify stains and tears, and may also include features that allow sorting by size, color, pattern, and more. While these types of systems offer greater levels of automation they are not without drawbacks. Machine vision-based systems are the costliest approach to quality grading method and are not foolproof, making a favorable ROI difficult.

Large Piece Sheet Folder Performance Metrics

Because the large piece sheet folder can only process items as fast as the ironer can operate, you will find no value in measuring folder line speed to machine potential capabilities, because most of the time the ironer is the constraint dictating line speed to both folder and feeder. Large piece folders performance metric is a simple measure of usable throughput divided by items lost or rejected due to misfolding or jams. This will tell you how efficient the machine is operating. The impact of downtime because of folder jams or stoppage will diminish the feeder’s ability to operate. These stoppage events need to be tracked and considered when reviewing the impact of folder performance.

Example: Your line standard is to process 900 sheets/ hour. The folder has 10 misfolded sheets and rejected 25 for quality issues. Your formula for folder efficiency at the planned production rate of 900 part/hour might look something like this:

(1 – (Qty Misfolded ÷ (sheets/hour – qty rejected for quality issues) *100 = folder efficiency for that hour

(1 – (10 ÷ (900 – 25))) *100 = 98.86% efficient

In this example, every minute this folder is stopped due to its own error that equals 15 sheets lost per minute. A 5-minute folder stoppage would increase the value for misfolded items to 85 for this example, and decrease the folder efficiency to 90.29%

(1 – (85 ÷ (900 – 25))) *100 = 90.29% efficient

The need for dry folding of small pieces occurs in almost every laundry around the world. There are three basic concepts to tumble dry small parts; manual hand folding, machine folding, or bagging. Each process is as simple as it sounds, but with many different solutions it can be confusing to determine what concept is correct. The end customer’s requirements for quality folded parts, size, and presentation will always establish what process best supports their needs. Hand folding is just that, a slow, labor-intensive process typically used in clean rooms or by exception for a small amount of goods. Bagging is often used in industrial laundries processing large volumes of shop rags or towels where folding is not required. This is a very quick and efficient process.

Most small piece folders manufactured today are capable of folding various widths, weights, and types of goods with French fold and two cross folds. Other, more specific engineered equipment, is also available in the market for point solutions and is limited to the specific type of item for which they were designed.

Common Configurations of Towel Folding

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Depending on the capabilities of the laundry and the volume/mix of products to be folded, some sites may elect to presort into categories (i.e. customer’s goods, terry bath towels/mats, pool towels, other than terry products), optimizing the process at the folding machines.

It is important for items to be fully dry before folding them. This especially applies to the hems prior to processing in the folder, or there may be restrictions or jams in machines causing damage to the machine and the product processed. This dry condition also applies to parts like shop rags that are typically being bagged by weight and to avoid the development of bacterial growth or odors.

Screen Shot 2019 04 01 at 7.16.19 PMWith respect to the machine folding process, a laundry worker places an item to be folded onto the infeed of the folding machine. Depending on type of folder being used, activation of the infeed conveyor might require the operator to make a second motion activating an input to put the infeed conveyor in motion to start the fold process. Some machine designs support continuous infeed operation, those designs require no user interface other than placing the item onto the infeed conveyor already in motion. As the fed item enters the machine it will be measured, then folded to the desired pre-selected, pre-programed fold configuration, then stacked. Stacks are built in multiples of 5 with varying heights depending on the size of folded part. Commonly, once items are folded the stacks are placed in clean goods carts for delivery to the end users. These carts may or may not be lined with cart liners depending on the user’s requirements. Some end users may require that goods be bundled, wrapped and bagged in stacks of a specific number. Several different delivery methods for transporting stack folded items from the folding machine to carts or pack-out exist. The configuration of purchased dry folding equipment (return to feed, rear discharge or sorting machine) will define this process, methods, or options available to transport folded stacks.

Markets Served and Relationship to Tumble Dry Small Piece Folding

Manual processing (hand folding) typically uses a large table with multiple personnel folding goods from piles of clean goods (on a table or in a cart) and stacking them in delivery carts. One person can typically fold and stack 120-200 pieces per hour. Most often found in clean room processing, this type of operation is end user specific. It usually involves hand folding and individually bagging and sealing goods for use in operating rooms or other similar environments. Laundries will have dedicated space for processing these goods and requirements for sterile hygiene and apparel to be worn when working in those environments. The advantage of a manual, dry folding process is that personnel can perform the final quality inspection, and in some cases delint each item as they are folding it. Also, fold quality can be higher as the fold is completed by a human that is constantly correcting and straightening each individual fold during the fold process. Aside from being a labor-intensive process, production rates of one person hand folding goods versus one person feeding a folding machine is not comparable; provided services should be costed accordingly.

Semi-Automated processing or bagging systems are typically found in industrial laundries producing a high volume of small parts (e.g. shop rags or shop towels). The end user requirement for these items is simple; parts need to be clean/dry, and presentation is not a concern. With this process, goods are vacuumed and bagged by weight and delivered to the end user in a bag, reducing labor handling costs. It is important that all items must be completely dry to prevent bacterial growth or development of odor while stored in the bags. Also, operators must consider the cost of consumable bags when totally evaluating this cost and the associated ROI for using this method.

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** Standards are based on full dry common sized items. Your piece rate will vary based on internal process, equipment used and product type. Recommened to review your actual tested metrics to this chart.

Folding with a machine works best when items are prestaged in either load slings or laundry bins. Machine operators remove individual goods from the bins and place them on the infeed table of the folder. Parts discharge onto a conveyor in a stack and an operator removes the stack by hand. The stack may be bagged or tied prior to being placed in a clean laundry bin for delivery to the end user. A small piece folding machine operator can feed between 500-1,000 pieces per hour depending on goods type and operator skill level. Another configuration of the same base folding machine is to have all folded/stacked goods discharged onto a take away conveyor. This discharge, when used with a takeaway conveyor, expands the options for tying and wrapping machines. This solution option results in a reduction of material and direct labor, while improving productivity.

Small Piece Folding Machine Configurations and Features

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Three most common machine folder configurations are return-to-feed, rear discharge, and sorting by size machines. Equipment manufacturers will keep the base machine infeed, user interface and folding configurations the same with each of the noted configurations. Only changing the discharge or stacking sections to support the item’s needs for movement in the proper direction after folding is completed. Sorting machines will often be longer in length to accommodate various-sized sorting takeaway conveyors. Differences with equipment designs may require machine infeed tables to start/stop with each part. Some will run continuously, while others will pause depending on width changes to the items being folded. Some vendor’s machines have restrictive product ranges, which limit the flexibility of the machine. It is vital that the mix of goods processed best aligns with the machines range of capabilities. This reduces capital equipment cost, improves space utilization, and optimizes the use of available labor.

Return-to-feed machines can have a smaller machine footprint for laundries that have limited floor space. Operators that feed the machine are also removing the folded piece from the stack conveyor and placing the stacked goods in the delivery bin for the end user. This process may have a detrimental effect on machine throughput, as the operator is performing multiple tasks. Items must be sorted by type prior to being fed into this machine. Sorting can occur before or after the wash/dry process.

Rear discharge machines have a potentially higher production throughput, as the operator feeding the machine is not required to multitask and is only concerned with feeding the machine. Folded and stacked goods are taken away from the machine and can automatically go onto a clean goods conveyor, if available. Some machines may have a larger footprint as the takeaway conveyor is external to the machine. Depending on the equipment design, this takeaway conveyor might be in-line with the machine for a narrow footprint, or extend out either side, increasing base machine width. Items must be sorted by type prior to being fed into this machine. Sorting can occur before or after the wash/dry process.

Sorting machines allow for all parts, regardless of size, to be processed concurrently. The process of measuring for size may have a detrimental effect on operator throughput because the machine may need extra time to measure each individual part, or delay infeed of the next item fed if it’s a different size. This sorting function will vary depending on how the machine is designed to operate.

The most common types of folders on the market make folds using compressed air, mechanical fold blades, and reversing conveyors. Most folders use 2 or more of these functions to make the complete fold.

Compressed air folders use compressed air to complete the primary and cross folds. The compressed air is blasted at the dry fold items. The item is either stationary or traveling along a guide while the activated air folds the part along that guide. This type of folder requires a high consumption of compressed air. This type of fold is dependent on air quality. There may be a decrease in fold quality if the supply of compressed air falls short of the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. If air filtering is poor and there is water or debris in the compressed air supply, it will limit the repeatability of the fold process.

Folders with mechanical blades are often used to complete the primary and cross folds. These mechanical components are clean, provide positive fold point of contact and need regular attention during equipment maintenance to reduce potential downtime. Folding blades often result in crisper folds of the final package when compared to compressed air folds.

Folders with multiple reverse conveyors use several variable frequency drives to reverse the conveyor drives at a specific time to complete the folds. The item traveling into a gap between two conveyors results in a cross fold when the lead-in conveyor is reversed. The complexity of these systems may present some challenges in troubleshooting the electrical system due to the increased number of drives and motors required.

Small Piece Folding Performance Metrics

All dry folding machines available on the market are directly affected by operator skill sets and the configuration of the work space. If items fed are skewed when placed by the operator on the infeed table, folds in the finished good will be skewed. Also, if the operator does not allow for proper spacing between the goods or places multiple goods on the infeed table of the machine, that can cause the folds to be incorrect and possibly do damage to the folding machine. Operator skill influences all aspects of quality.

Equipment capability or throughput capacity is a relatively simple formula. Using the folding machine measured speed at the infeed table, divide by the sum of the measured piece length, plus handling time converted into distance. The example shown below is the first step in establishing production targets for equipment operators.

Example: Folding machine infeed 150 FPM, 30” long towel and 2.5 seconds handling time.

FPM x Inch/Ft = In/min, (150 x 12) = 1,800 in/min
In/min ÷ sec/min = (1,800 ÷ 60) = 30 in/sec

Machine speed in Inch/min ÷ (handling time converted to in/sec) + part length = Pieces per minute

1,800 ÷ ((2.5 x 30) + 30) = 17.14 or 17 Pieces per minute

The example above is only a sample of single item base calculation, this should be measured against an actual operator using a sample lot of 100 parts fed.

project spotlight2

Braun’s Project Management delivers end-to-end consultative services in the design, construction, and operation of the laundry facility at the Hyatt Regency Convention Hotel in Seattle, Washington, the Pacific Northwest’s largest Hotel.

While the premier centerpiece of hospitality in Seattle, Washington was still just a vision, Braun’s Project Management Team was already hard at work providing consultative services to the owners, architects and engineers. The new construction of a 45-story mixed use high rise featuring 1,260 hotel rooms, three restaurants, 100,000 square feet of meeting and conference centers, and two ballrooms, required the laundry contractor have a commitment to sound design principles, a deep understanding of laundry processing requirements, and project management experience that only Braun is positioned to provide. From the modeling of the waste water stream, utility design, facility layout and detailed production analysis, Braun integrated with the construction team to design and build a facility that not only supports the current hotel but will also allow the work of three additional properties to be completed at the state-of-the-art laundry at the Hyatt Regency.

Braun’s compliment of design services allowed the laundry, material handling systems, valet and utility systems to be designed and developed through Building Information Modeling BIM). The BIM design process provided a visual build-out of the facility and accurate forecasting of materials, timing of critical path requirements, and deconfliction of adjacent design components to facilitate a flexible and cost-efficient transition from design through build. Laundry facility design continues to be driven by the capital outlay requirements, for both initial investment and working capital, necessary to achieve a desired level of production capacity and the respective return on investment of the project. This starts with integration of a capable laundry equipment provider as the management begins developing the future business requirements of the facility. Initial planning considerations and equipment capabilities can therefore be appropriately included into the capacity analysis and facility infrastructure requirements during planning. The process ends when the project is fully functional and on track, or exceeding, initial projections for production. Braun’s integrated approach to project management provides industry experience across every facet of laundry production and design. It is critical that owners and operators track performance post project implementation to assure real operating production results meet the initial projects stated objectives and therefore track towards the return on investment. Braun’s WASHNET® decision support software has the capacity to provide real time production reporting and utility monitoring to managers so they may efficiently monitor their investment and manage operations. Purely designing a facility layout no longer provides clients with a value added service and can be a hinderance to actual project development.

project spotlight5Braun’s integration with the Hyatt Regency’s Team provided the opportunity to install a turnkey commercial laundry solution located three floors below grade. Braun managed the complete build out of the laundry and stayed onboard to get the team off and running. Soiled linen is fed to the laundry through a common chute, available to housekeepers on all 45 stories of the hotel. The linen is received directly onto a storage conveyor system that feeds the 12-station sorting conveyor and allows manual loading of off premise goods through a cart dumper. Operators input full slings into the system which are fed according to the managers production schedule into the tunnel system. The design allows the facility to achieve industry leading pounds per operator hour through an ergonomic flow of material, a critical design requirement incorporated by Braun during initial objective identification with the owners.

project spotlight4A Braun 150 Batch Tunnel Washer and Press System is complimented by three true side-by-side 300PBS System Dryers and a bypass location that feed to a common unload conveyor. The small footprint of the tunnel system maximizes productive use of the operating space and routing of the rail system allows incorporation of two standalone open pocket washers and a Braun 300PT dryer for small batch and quick turnaround linen needs. The tunnel’s single helicoid design offers a hygienic and productive solution to the properties mix of Hotel, Spa, and F&B (food & beverage) linen.

The system unloads to a clean side rail lift where goods are routed to one of two Braun Precision Series® Ironing Lines or Small Piece Folders. The ironing lines feature Braun’s Precision Series® Spreader Feeder and provide dual sorting of finished goods before discharging onto a common finished goods takeaway conveyor. The single point pack out is collocated to the finished goods storage area and hospitality elevators for low par requirements and efficient flow of material through the laundry.

project spotlight3Braun’s customer and processing focused approach to Project Management allowed the team to design and develop a complex laundry solution to service three restaurants, a combination of over 2,000 hotel rooms, multiple spas and a convention space in under 9,300 Square Feet. Braun’s focus on design and analytics provides its customers with best-in-class management of the process through partnership with clients from the start. The laundry team now utilizes integrated systems reporting to manage the facility and is meeting production targets to realize their return on investment.
– D. Palmer

The December 2018 opening of the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center was an exciting time for the Aurora, CO community. However, before ground was ever broken, years of planning were undertaken for this $800 Million project.

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G.A. Braun, Inc. first became involved in the project in early 2015, closely working with General Construction Firms, Engineers, and Architects on the requirements needed for a laundry facility to support a resort that would feature more than 1,500 rooms, 4 restaurants, a convention center, and indoor and outdoor pools. As with most projects of this scale, there were many changes and revisions to the design, and Braun was able to answer the call at every turn.

gaylord brothers schematicAfter working on the design up front, Braun was awarded the contract for the entire laundry facility. This included a soiled sort monorail system, a clean side monorail system, a multi-conveyor uniform distribution system, valet equipment, a compressed air system – everything down to the trench covers and water fountains. “Not only was Braun an integral part of the planning process, they also took part in the competitive bidding process to Mortenson/Welbro during the buy-out phase of the project with the owner. Braun provided competitive costs that aligned with the laundry plan and helped value engineer the laundry to a budget that was acceptable to the owner” says Michael C. Renella, the Senior Project Manager with Mortenson/Welbro, who were responsible for construction.

Over the coming months, Braun’s Project Management Department worked with the engineering teams at the site to finalize the design. Given that the laundry facility was sharing space on the first floor of the two-story Convention Center, any available space was at a premium, and any errors could have major impacts on the overall convention center project. Utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM), Braun was able to provide a three-dimensional computer simulation of the exact layout of the laundry. Integrating with the design team, this allowed for all utility routing to be accurately designed ahead of time, as well as prevent any conflicts in the design.

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Braun continued to work closely with the construction team throughout the next phases of the project. For Braun, this was equipment installation. Careful coordination was also required for this phase, as the rigging of Braun’s Batch Tunnel Washer was required to occur prior to the construction of a particular wall in the convention center. Braun’s Project Management team planned and executed this complex rig without issue and completed the installation of all contracted equipment on time and within budget.

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Over the course of the final year of the project, Braun assisted third party contractors (many of whom had never seen or worked on laundry equipment) with the remaining installation tasks by creating a detailed punch list and providing a continuously updated project timeline. Braun continued open lines of communication with the construction team, as well as the other contracted equipment providers, and maintained a coordinated, synchronized schedule. With the property having already booked 1.1 million room nights prior to opening, there could be no margin for error in the schedule. When the Convention Center was ready to obtain its Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, the Braun team was on site to facilitate the turnover to and training of the end users. “Braun worked closely with Mortenson/Welbro to establish a successful timeline of events for the laundry facility. With Braun’s assistance, our turnover of the laundry facility was a success with minimal punch list items,” says Renella. “Braun will be my first call for any future laundry needs.”

We size up the pros and cons of batch press and centrifugal extractors

No matter what tunnel washer you’re using, the downstream equipment is equally important to overall system performance. This article presents a brief, high-level overview of extraction methods. In general, there are two types of extraction equipment commonly used in batch tunnel systems. The first is a batch press extractor; the second is a centrifugal extractor.

Batch Press Extractors

press extractorPress extractors are really quite simple machines as far as the function they perform. They accept a load from the tunnel into a round basket and then squeeze water out of the goods by means of a hydraulic ram with a rubber membrane attached. However, the actual process is a bit more complex. Removing as much water as possible within the parameter of the programmed tunnel cycle time is a critical aspect of the overall system performance. The reason is that the less moisture you remove via the press means longer drying time and/or ironer slowdowns that reduce efficiency.

The press cycle as noted above is governed by the overall cycle time of the tunnel. The press cycle must be programmed to be slightly shorter than the tunnel cycle so it is always ready when the tunnel cycle ends. Some manufacturers’ presses link the controls together between press and tunnel, thus allowing the press to stay in sync with the tunnel cycle. This may mean short-cycling the press to ensure that it’s ready for the incoming load. Unfortunately, many of the time functions of the press are fixed, such as lowering/raising the basket, ram up/down movement, and cake-ejection time. This typically leaves only the time under high pressure variable that can be adjusted, so shorter tunnel cycles inevitability mean less time under high pressure and thus more moisture left in the goods.

There are two ways that manufacturers try to achieve this goal of reduced cycle times without sacrificing moisture extraction: larger baskets and/or higher maximum pressure. Each method has its pros and cons. First let’s take a look at enlarging the basket diameter to reduce the height of the cake. This allows water to more easily escape during the high pressure cycle of the press. However, as the diameter becomes larger and the cake height continues to decline, this results in uneven distribution of goods as they flow into the basket, which can become a problem. Therefore most manufacturers have settled into basket diameters for presses with rated-load capacities of 150- 250 lbs. (68-113 kg) with press basket/ membrane diameters of between 39-52 inches (99-132 cm). However, as discussed above, a larger diameter isn’t the complete answer. A balance of the right basket diameter (cake height) coupled with proper formula-development creates the optimal relationship between pressure, time, material type and moisture extraction.

Increasing the maximum pressure definitely has advantages, up to a point. That point is reached when the maximum pressure at the membrane reaches between 40-45 bar. Above this pressure point, there is very little improvement in moisture removal, especially in a smaller basket diameter. Pressing laundry when confined in a basket creates an environment similar to a filter press. Water becomes trapped between the fibers and no amount of pressure within reasonable rates in a given time will increase the removal rate. Only time can allow this increase in pressure to work. The other disadvantage to running at higher maximum pressures is the increased wear and tear on the equipment and the linen.

Higher pressures also wreak havoc on different goods types, ranging from setting creases to linen damage. Using pressures exceeding 45 bar will set creases in fabrics, including terry products. Unless rinse is kept at ambient (room temperature), these creases may set permanently. The downside to holding rinse temperatures at room temperature is that using higher temperatures in the final rinse allows the fibers in the product to open up allowing for increased moisture removal. Holding rinse temperature at ambient levels isn’t the only downside of using higher pressure presses.

As textiles continue to evolve, many new blends of polyester and cotton products are entering the market. This trend is especially prevalent in higher-end hospitality products like sheets and pillow cases. When these blends and higher thread-count products are subjected to pressures greater than 25-30 bar, these products can be permanently damaged with thread breaks called “blowouts.” Since water is incompressible, the high pressure from the extraction press causes the water to push through the tiny gaps between the threads, resulting in small holes in the product. There are a number of ways to combat this phenomenon, and they all involve using less pressure or ramping up to a lower pressure setpoint very slowly. Another method is the use of tamp cycles, but this shortens the overall press time under high pressure, resulting in less moisture removal and a possible slowdown at the ironers.

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Here and on the image above are examples of press extractors. In the photo above, the press is located at right, at the end of a tunnel washer. The press uses a hydraulic ram with a rubber membrane to squeeze water out of clean wet textiles after processing in the tunnel. The second photo shows a certrifugal press. It removes water from textiles by spinning the goods in a circular motion, much like the process used in conventional washing equipment.


As you can see from the discussion above, higher pressure isn’t always the answer. Operators need to factor in basket diameter, the types of goods you’re processing and formula capabilities before you make a decision solely on high pressure. Remember, high pressure isn’t necessarily the best solution!

Centrifugal Extractor

The other type of extractor is the centrifugal extractor. This type of extractor uses centrifugal force identical to a washer to remove moisture from the goods. The tunnel transfers goods into the extractor and it begins to spin, gradually ramping up to a high g-force extraction process. Much more time is needed to remove an equivalent amount of water as the press extractor, so tunnel cycles are typically programmed for longer periods or multiple centrifugal extractors are required to match the shorter tunnel cycles. The extra extractor(s), conveyance devices and additional controls all factor in to additional capital costs for this type of system. However, some types of goods cannot be extracted with the press extractor and require the use of centrifugal extractors. An example of this is the processing of walk-off mats in a tunnel in an industrial laundry. A press extractor would damage the mats, thus necessitating that the operator complete the extraction in a centrifugal extractor. Another example from the industrial laundry side could be uniforms. A press extractor could damage buttons on shirts and zippers on pants, although some can undergo processing in a press extractor at low-pressure settings. Even if a portion of your goods mix involves these types of items, there may be another solution that would allow for faster cycle times in your tunnel and the use of a press extractor.

Washer/Extractor Assist option

That option could be to use washer/extractors for the goods that can’t undergo processing in a press extractor, while running the rest of your mix in a tunnel with a press extractor. This option depends on the percentage of these types of goods in the makeup of the overall mix. It also assumes that you can process a percentage either by using existing washer/ extractors or by making a relatively small investment in new machinery. Taking these goods out of the tunnel and lowering cycle times could provide enough additional productivity to justify the added investment in washer/extractors, if the laundry doesn’t already have them in place.

There is much more science behind the press and centrifugal extractors, and we encourage readers to look more deeply into the technical details of this topic.