High-tech polymers save time in ironing

It looks good, works hard and irons shirts in next to no time! A dream? No, it's a Dressman, the automatic shirt ironer from Siemens. This is a prime example of how high-performance polymers make a good job of one of the most unpopular chores in the home. Professionals in laundries have been using the time-saving ironing method for a long time. But to make it suitable for household use at reasonable cost, expensive metal components had to be replaced. For this purpose the material needed to be lightweight, stable and durable: a case for Celstran® LFT and Hostaform® POM from Ticona.

Anyone fed up with ironing can at last breathe a sigh of relief: with the Dressman the work takes care of itself. And each ironed shirt saves about eight minutes' time. The shirt ironer makes intelligent use of a simple principle. The shirt is stretched over a dummy made of parachute silk through which hot air is passed. An electronic system inside controls the ironer. High-performance polymers play a major part here Celstran encases the mechanism in the upper frame and Hostaform performs an important function in air exchange.

Key part made of Ticona material

Celstran is used in the upper frame of the shirt ironer because of its very good loadbearing strength. The long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastic also has a very long service life and saves production costs in manufacturing the parts. Other major factors in its use were the great freedom of design and the high function integration made possible by long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics.

To obtain perfect ironing results the Dressman employs hot air and thus dries even shirts or jackets that are still damp after the spin cycle. In this operation the working temperatures reach as much as 200°C. No problem for Celstran because the material is known for its high heat deflection and corrosion resistance.

Other components of the shirt ironer made from Ticona plastic are the air exhaust grilles. It consists of the special Hostaform grade C 27021, whose special properties are high hardness and rigidity, good heat deflection resistance and ease of processing. The crucial factor here too is that the plastic replaces metal parts. In this way Hostaform and Celstran both help to reduce the weight of the shirt ironer. And so the Dressman with its ease of use appeals not just to housewives.