At CAITME 2026, the Italian machinery maker will pair continuous open-width washing using as little as 2–5 litres of water per kilogram with high-speed air finishing capable of production speeds up to 80 m/min.
Biancalani Textile Machinery will showcase its AQUARIA® washing system and AIRO®24 continuous tumble dryer at CAITME 2026 in Tashkent on September 8–10, targeting Uzbekistan’s rapidly expanding dyeing, finishing, apparel and home-textile industries. The Italian company will exhibit in Pavilion 1, Booth B62 with regional partner Elinmac Tekstil Makineleri.
AQUARIA attacks water-intensive preparation
AQUARIA is designed for continuous open-width washing, preparation and wet treatments using pneumatic fabric transport rather than large conventional liquor volumes.
Biancalani says conventional washing can consume more than 20–30 litres of water per kilogram of fabric, while AQUARIA can operate at around 2–5 L/kg for many processes. Its eco-bleaching route can reduce discharge to below 1 L/kg and avoids chlorine and caustic soda. The system can also perform enzymatic biopolishing.
The platform handles working widths up to 3,600 mm, with production speeds of up to 80 m/min on request and internal fabric-treatment speeds reaching 600 m/min. Biancalani also claims energy savings of up to 30% through recirculation and heat-management measures, depending on configuration and process.
Air provides the finishing effect
AIRO®24 takes a different approach. High-speed airflow propels fabric through treatment channels and against specially designed grids, creating mechanical action without conventional tumbling.
The process is intended to improve softness, bulk, drape and dimensional stability while drying and finishing continuously. AIRO 24 can handle woven, knitted and nonwoven materials at working widths up to 3,600 mm, with fabric-treatment speeds of 2,800 m/min, production speeds up to 80 m/min and evaporation capacity reaching 1,400 kg/hour.
Uzbekistan moves downstream
Biancalani’s CAITME focus reflects Uzbekistan’s transition from cotton producer toward an increasingly integrated textile base covering spinning through garment and home-textile production.
For mills adding wet-processing capacity, the investment case will increasingly depend on litres of water per kilogram, steam and energy consumption, metres per minute, first-quality yield and achievable fabric hand. AQUARIA and AIRO 24 illustrate how finishing machinery suppliers are competing on those operating economics as much as on nominal machine speed.
