It is interesting to note that Monforts has been successfully involved in numerous R&D trials which aim to improve the functions of the fishing cage nets employed in fish farming operations at its Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
“These nets are very prone to biofouling and to avoid its negative impacts, high-pressure robotic jets are now used to clean them,” explains Jürgen Hanel, Monforts Head of Technical Textiles. “Net cleaning is expensive and can also damage current antifouling coatings on the nets, causing contamination as well as fish health and welfare risks.”
The development of more effective antifouling coatings for fishing cage nets has been one aspect of R&D work at the Monforts ATC, while the use of how alternative fibres could potentially be coated or finished to replace the polyamide which is currently most widely used has also been explored. “We are asked to investigate a wide range of fabric finishes and coatings at the ATC, where our customers can test their own textiles and technical fabrics on Monforts dyeing, finishing and coating machines under fully confidential, real production conditions.” stated, Jürgen Hanel.
