The development of novel polyester fibre formulations for high-end applications

Scientific Impact
1. The lab scale melt spinning line in AIT played a very important role in Wellman R&D. It allowed Wellman International to greatly enhance its R&D capabilities, and trial large numbers of new formulations.
Educational
1. Lab scale melt spinning line allowed the research team to hit the ground running and begin immediately to trial new formulations for Wellman International.
2. Various processing parameters (melt temperature, screw speed, residence time, mixing efficiency, pressure, extent of shear mixing and shear heating, etc.) were investigated and optimised during this melt processing study.

Economic Impact 
1. Trial runs at the Irish plant were often carried out on the manufacturing scale lines which is very costly because of (1) the volume of materials that are required and (2) production on the manufacturing line had to be halted to allow the R&D run.
2. AIT’s lab scale processing equipment allowed new novel formulations to be developed, trialled and tested at lab scale prior to undergoing full scale manufacture. This reduced lead-times and costs.
3. Provided Wellman with innovative polymer materials solutions that will make the company more internationally competitive

Social Impact
1. Wellman will be able to tailor the performance of its PET fibre for a very wide variety of new end-user applications.
2. The research provided Wellman International a competitive edge by supporting the development of new low cost, high-performance and eco-friendly sustainable product ranges.