25 years of technology leadership
Biancalani s.r.l. in Prato, Italy, recently celebrated with pomp and revelry the 25th birthday of its “AIRO” range of products, together with its 56th year of active presence in the textile machinery market.
Conceived more than 25 years ago by Fiorenzo Biancalani, founder of the Biancalani company in 1957, AIRO was based on the completely new concept of mixing together the air transportation of fabric (woven and knited) with the mechanical action of a metallic grid onto which the fabric was ejected at high speed.
This apparently simple idea was patented and put into production by Fiorenzo Biancalani, and soon after its introduction at ITMA Paris and the release on the market of the first AIRO units during the year of the Dragon in ‘88, it turned into what can be easily considered the most revolutionary machine in the modern history of textile finishing.
The endless possibilities offered by a machine that proved to be inherently defect-free on any fabric, and allows to apply complex washing treatments onto the most difficult types of compositions and constructions, together with its incredible mechanical softening capabilities which don’t rely on chemicals and can be applied also on dry fabric, ruled the success of AIRO worldwide.
And soon the name AIRO began to be used to indicate a treatment type that is characterized by that unique combination of softness, drape, volume, dimensional stability, elasticity and sewability, known as Airo Hand, which can be achieved only on genuine Biancalani machines and is certified by the “AIRO Hand” label program.
Throughout these years AIRO underwent constant improvements and innovations, still maintaining the same original winning concept, which in the last years has been further expanded and broadened, giving rise to the new open-width continuous AIRO 24 drying and softening machine, now the most important member of the Biancalani family, together with its well-known washing-and-drying siblings, the AIRO Due and AIRO Quattro.
In only five years, the young yet wise AIRO 24 brought important changes in the approach to drying and finishing, because it disproved many common places by being, for instance, the only “continuous tumbler” that is capable of results perfectly equivalent to what could previously be obtained only in batch-mode machines.
Due to its high efficiency and flexibility, matching a high drying capacity with low consumptions without any compromise on the mechanical action (AIRO Hand is guaranteed!), and the ease of operation given by the continuous and completely open-width processing, AIRO 24 helped to further expand the presence of Biancalani in the textile market, particularly in the areas of home and technical textiles (terry towel, curtain fabrics, bed linen, upholstery, man-made leather, non-woven, workwear and uniforms), while consolidating its position as a leader in the non-conventional finishing of apparel fabrics.
Today more than ever, Biancalani is vigorously pursuing the path of continuous research and innovation that allowed this company to achieve and maintain its leading role during this crucial quarter of century bridging two millennia, with the imminent release of new products and patents, which under the good omen of the Water Snake will once again shake the foundations of popular belief and contribute to widen the horizons of textile finishing.
The current production range of Biancalani s.r.l., Prato, includes:
AIRO 24, the high-efficiency drying and softening machine based on the AIRO principle for continuous tumbling treatments of any type of fabric in open width, and available with working width of up to 360 cm.
AIRO, the classical and inimitable washing, drying and softening device in rope form for any kind of fabric and a wide range of special effects, available with two or four processing channels and also in drying-only versions.
BRIO, the new stabilizing dryer based on the concept of active relaxation, designed to ensure complete stability on knitted fabric, with the indisputable advantages of a flat tensionless process in semi-open width.
MILLA, a state-of-the-art combined washing and milling machine that efficiently matches quality results on all woolen fabrics with an extreme ease of use and reliability.