From the Sector

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Sioen Technical Felts to supply a complete needlepunch line for its production plant in Liège, Belgium. The new line will enable Sioen to produce heavy fabrics in a single step.

Sioen’s Liège plant specializes in the production of technical fabrics used mainly in industrial applications such as pipe lining (CIPP), acoustics, and filtration. The ANDRITZ equipment will allow the customer to produce fabrics of more than 3,500 gsm in a single step, using different types of fibers (recycled PET, OxPan, bicomponent,…) and finenesses. Normally two or three layers have to be needled off-line in a second step to achieve such a fabric weight.

The single-step process results in a higher quality end product by minimizing the risk of delamination, i.e. the separation of layers during use. It also increases productivity by reducing the need for fabric handling.

The ANDRITZ DF-4 needleloom, which can operate in double and single stroke modus, gives Sioen high flexibility to process fabrics with different mechanical charasteristics. Operators can easily switch modes via the remote-control touch screen. The line will be equipped with ANDRITZ’s latest fabric weight profiling technology, ProWin™, to ensure maximum weight evenness.

Start-up of the new needlepunch line is scheduled for Q1 2025.

The KARL MAYER GROUP founds a production company in Romania and hires Patrick Mack as an additional General Manager.

In October 2023, the KARL MAYER GROUP founded a production company in Romania to make itself more resilient and strengthen its competitiveness. KARL MAYER ROMANIA S.R.L. will initially start production in Baia Mare, which were rented in February 2024. A move to a new factory building in the neighbourhood is planned in the future.

In May of this year, Patrick Mack took up his position as General Manager at the Romanian subsidiary of KARL MAYER. He will be supported in his tasks by Manfred Reinhold, also at the head of KARL MAYER ROMANIA. Patrick Mack will manage the business locally.

The German-American has already set up a factory for a foreign company in Romania and has a clear idea of his new role: "KARL MAYER ROMANIA is of extreme strategic importance. That is why I want to build a site that fits seamlessly into the manufacturing footprint of the KARL MAYER GROUP. The new production facility should fulfil all KARL MAYER standards, contribute to the improvement of the company as a whole and represent it accordingly," explains Patrick Mack.

Mayer & Cie. presented an overview of its current portfolio in the circular knitting sector at the ITM in Istanbul. Two machine types – the SF4 3.2 III and the Relanit 3.2 HS II – and various smart solutions that make circular knitting more efficient were on display. knithawk, a tool for the optical detection of knitting defects, met with interest among the visitors. The same was true for knitlink, Mayer & Cie's hub for digital solutions. Spare parts packages and conversion kits are also in demand for the long-term value retention of Mayer & Cie. machines.

Relanit 3.2 HS II
The Relanit 3.2 HS mechanical single jersey machine offers high productivity, especially in the context of elastic plating. It processes a wide range of yarns and qualities reliably. It is suitable for processing recycled yarns. Their energy consumption is up to a third lower than that of a circular knitting machine with conventional technology.

In Istanbul, Mayer & Cie. presented an updated version of its flagship, the Relanit 3.2 HS II. The new open-width take down is the single component that attracted the most interest. It ensures a uniform pull-off tension of the knitted fabric over its entire circumference. The knitted hose is only opened below the take-down rollers. Furthermore, the take-dwon is equipped with two drives: one for tensioning, one for rewinding. Both can be controlled separately.

Another innovation of the Relanit 3.2 HS is aimed at reducing downtimes: The needle with predetermined breaking point, which was developed together with Groz-Beckert, prevents it from breaking uncontrollably and, in the worst case, breaking needle butt. The new spring sinker is also a joint development with Groz-Beckert. This makes the Relanit 3.2 HS II run more smoothly, produce less noise as well as with less wear and tear.

SF4-3.2 III for lightweight three-tread fleece knitted fabrics
With its SF4-3.2 III, Mayer & Cie. is addressing a trend in the clothing industry that is reflected beyond Turkey: lightweight, elastic three-thread knitted fabrics in both pure cotton and blends.

New Control 5.0 machine control system
Both ITM machine exhibits were on display with the new Control 5.0 machine control system. Control 5.0 is a prerequisite for using knitlink, the hub for Mayer & Cie's digital applications. In this function, the machine control system attracted interest from various large customers.

In the standard SmartControl version, as shown in Istanbul, a so-called Smart Knob is attached to each machine foot. From there, all the functions that the machine operator needs for his work are available. More in-depth settings, such as those made by the knitting manager, are only possible from a mobile device. Any number of Mayer & Cie. machines can be operated from this at the same time.

knithawk
knithawk, a tool for optical defect detection, inspects the knitted fabric as it is produced. It sits in the single jersey machine directly at the knitting point. If knithawk detects a serious or recurring error, the machine is stopped. The tool also creates an error log.

Machine-specific upgrade and conversion kits
With its upgrade kits, Mayer & Cie. brings technological innovations to existing machines. These range from machine-specific upgrades, such as the Performance Kit for existing Relanit 3.2 models to the Senso Blue RS lubrication system.

In addition to the upgrade kits, Mayer & Cie. offers conversion kits for popular machine types. Two are currently available: for the MV4 3.2 II/MBF 3.2 and the S4-3.2 II/ SF4-3.2 III.

CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers, announced the appointment of Alex Zucchi as its new president. Mr Zucchi was elected at the General Assembly held on 14 June 2024.

Mr Zucchi has been active in CEMATEX, having been involved in the ACIMIT delegation since 2015. He is the immediate past president of ACIMIT, and continues to be a staunch advocate of the sustainability cause, including promotion of the ACIMIT green label and the recycling of textile machinery. Currently, he is the managing director and partner of Ferraro, a manufacturer specialising in finishing machinery.

Following Mr Zucchi's election, the General Assembly expressed its gratitude to the outgoing president, Ernesto Maurer, who led the association with enthusiasm and professional competence for four years. Mr Maurer will continue to be involved in CEMATEX as its vice president.

Tintoria Finissaggio 2000 is one of the most important Italian companies in the textile finishing sector. Founded in 1973 in Masserano in the textile district of Biella, the company offers the complete range of dyeing of all types of fibres, finishing, digital printing, lamination and membrane lining. These processes are used to give fabrics certain properties, such as colour, pattern, softness, shine or waterproofness.

At Tintoria Finissaggio 2000, customers benefit from the fact that all processes are handled under one roof, from design support to the finishing of fabrics, combining decades of experience with the new possibilities of lamination and digital printing. The dyeing plant in Masserano is a state-of-the-art facility that fulfils the strictest environmental standards. In general, Tintoria Finissaggio 2000 continuously invests in state-of-the-art technologies and production facilities in order to achieve high-quality results while ensuring sustainable production processes.

Tintoria Finissagio 2000 also focused on innovation when equipping a new stenter frame. The company opted for the latest development from German machine manufacturer Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG: the Orthopac RXVMC-20 automatic straightening system. The new straightening concept is specially designed for processing textiles with high distortion dynamics, i.e. textiles with highly variable distortion. Two individually controlled and driven straightening modules with a total of three bow and four skew rollers ensure that bow and skew distortions are corrected in small steps. The control concept is also new. A scanner group at the infeed of the straightener detects distortions even before they reach the correction rollers. This means that the rollers are brought directly into position and the fabric is corrected from the very first centimetre. A scanner group at the outfeed also recognises any residual distortion, which is then corrected on the second straightening module.

KM.ON launches its new Quality Monitoring System (QMS) for the retrofit market at ITM from June 4 to 8 in Istanbul, presenting a solution for quality management on warp knitting machines.
For its performance in defect detection, the QMS uses the advances of our time: a camera system that captures images of the production process, and a specialized artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze the images. Particularly in terms of handling, reliability and precision of defect detection, the QMS from KM.ON offers advantages over conventional systems that do not rely on AI analysis.

The QMS is designed for easy setup and can be operated without prior expertise. If a defect causes the machine to come to a standstill, the operator is informed immediately via a user-friendly interface. The immediate warning enables rapid intervention and therefore less downtime and more productivity.

Thanks to its conceptual design, the QMS only stops production when actual defects are detected. Unnecessary interruptions caused by external disruptive factors, such as changing light conditions, are avoided. This precision prevents productivity losses and helps to ensure continuous operation. Costs due to unnecessary machine downtime are avoided.

Unlike conventional camera systems, the QMS detects even the most complex defects and triggers an immediate machine stop. This minimizes material waste. During operation, the AI-controlled system learns from the data to enhance its detection accuracy, thereby reducing the reject rate and costs. The QMS also adapts to evolving production environments to ensure consistently high efficiency.