From the Sector

Long-standing BTMA member James Heal is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, the company’s formation dating back to 1872, when it was listed as an oil and tallow merchant and mill furnisher in Yorkshire, UK.

Today, as a testing equipment manufacturer for textiles and nonwovens, James Heal continues to expand its range, with a focus on making testing simple – most notably with the introduction of its Performance Testing collection of instruments, most recently the AirPro and HydroView systems.

AirPro
The new James Heal AirPro air permeability tester is used to test the resistance of the flow of air through woven, knitted and nonwoven textiles. Its software offers flexibility with standards and  comprehensive reporting options and different test head sizes are available, making it suitable for a range of applications and standards

HydroView
The HydroView hydrostatic head tester is meanwhile designed to measure the penetration of water in materials which have an end use that requires water resistance, such as those in the medical, geotextiles and nonwovens sectors. It is also proving essential in the testing of end-use applications for technical textiles, such as in protective gloves, diving dry suits and winter sports apparel, to fishing waders, roofing, tenting, ground sheets and more.

A new fabric inspection technique for accurately detecting the most subtle of defects on patterned fabrics during high speed production has been developed by BTMA member Shelton Vision, of Leicester, UK.

The patent-pending system has been integrated into the company’s WebSpector platform and validated through factory trials on a purpose-built full scale in-house demonstration system with sophisticated fabric transport capabilities. As a result, a first system has already been ordered by a manufacturer of both plain and patterned fabrics, including camouflage, in Colombia. This follows the successful conclusion of a 21-month Innovate UK project in which techniques for the resolution of complex pattern deformations were developed by machine vision and computer scientists in the company, backed up by the machine vision and robotics department at Loughborough University.

Restrictions
Traditional methods for defect detection rely on human inspection which is ineffective, with detection rates under 65%, while the Shelton WebSpector machine vision system offers a sophisticated platform for automated defect detection of over 97%, but until now has been restricted to plain textiles.

While pattern matching and neural network approaches have previously been tried for patterned textiles, they have failed to provide a practical solution due to the extreme complexity associated with pattern matching on deformable substrates like textiles, as well as the time required to train a neural network for each pattern type.

Challenges
The challenge is that fabrics are not rigid and can be creased or stretched and are also subject to local distortion,” says Shelton Vision Managing Director and CEO Mark Shelton. “As a result, inspection without the technique we have developed, would lead to thousands of false positives. Our sophisticated pattern inspection software techniques ensure a clean image, allowing the detection of faults on fabrics running at speeds of up to a hundred metres a minute.”

The full system consists of:

• A camera and lighting system for optimum image capture at high speed and associated image processing hardware.
• Self-training software utilising statistical analysis to automate the system configuration for new textile products.
• An advanced suite of defect detection algorithms for the detection of all textile defect types.
• An AI-driven defect classification system which learns and automates defect naming in real time, as well as a real time defect grading capability based on client decision rules.
• A system for recording and retrieving complete roll map images for subsequent review and quality control.

The generation of textile roll maps with complete defect data allows for an optimised textile cut plan, improved downstream processing and quality assurance.

• Turkish circular knitting market offers prospects in turbulent times

After a four-year, Covid-related break the German circular knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. is exhibiting with its Turkish representative Mayer Mümessillik (MMÜ) once more at the important International Textile Machinery Exhibition (ITM) in Istanbul. At Booth 713 in Hall 8, Mayer & Cie. will present three machines: the D4-2.2 X interlock machine, the OV 3.2 QCe for double jersey structures and the MV 4 3.2 II for single jersey fabrics. For the Mayer & Cie. and MMÜ team the focus will be on in-person contacts with customers, suppliers and partners. Despite the tense international situation both the manufacturer and its representative are positive about the medium-term outlook for the Turkish market.

Turkey is a market with prospects
“The challenges that the global economy faces are at present enormously wide-ranging, of course,” says Mayer & Cie.’s Turkey specialist Stefan Bühler. “The Russian invasion of the Ukraine, supply chain outages, shortages of raw materials and skyrocketing energy prices all create uncertainty.” And then there is galloping inflation in Turkey and elections in 2023. Yet despite, and in part because of, this state of affairs Bühler and Kahraman Güveri, CEO of Mayer & Cie.’s Turkish representative MMÜ, hold a positive view of the market outlook for the years ahead. Large orders, especially for standard products, are on the increase, Kahraman Güveri explains. That leads to new investments, new companies and a growing demand for refurbished machines that then need to be replaced by new machines elsewhere. And former commission merchants are now enterprises in their own right.

“Apart from that, Turkey benefits from its proximity to Europe, transport routes are manageable,” says Stefan Bühler. “This location advantage attracts brand manufacturers who together with their orders bring new approaches, new designs and new technologies into the country.” And Turkey’s already very highly developed textiles sector benefits too. That, says Kahraman Güveri, is why one can be confident for the next few years, “at least for as long as nothing unforeseen happens”.

Established machines with that something special: OV 3.2 QCe for double jersey structures
The portfolio of machines that Mayer & Cie. is exhibiting at the ITM is tried, trusted and popular. The OV 3.2 QCe is a specialist for interlock fabrics and double jersey structures that it knits in both filament and synthetic fibre yarns. With a conversion kit the OV 3.2 QCe also qualifies as a producer of 8-lock structures, spacer fabrics and fine gauges. The machine is available in a choice of three frames: from open-width and industrial to giant frame. Stefan Bühler, regional sales manager for Turkey, has this to say: “Not for nothing has the OV 3. 2 QCe been one of our most popular machines for years. It is mainly used for sportswear and for leisure- and outerwear.” In Istanbul the OV 3.2 QCe on show will be a 30-inch, E40-gauge model.

D4-2.2 X for fine rib and interlock fabrics
The double-jersey D4-2.2 X is an obvious choice for knitting fine rib fabrics of up to E28 gauge. Spacer and interlock fabrics are also part of the machine’s established repertoire. And it can produce elastomeric plating in both cylinder and dial cam. No matter which of these tasks is assigned to the D4-2.2 X, it performs it with impressive productivity.

MV 4 3.2 II for flexibility in the single jersey sector
In the single jersey sector, the long-established German firm delivers a literally fine solution. The MV 4 3.2 II on show at the ITM knits to an E38 gauge. The machine can also be supplied for gauges from E14 to E60. It is, in addition, highly flexible, with a repertoire that ranges from piqué and double piqué to one-thread fleece and smooth single jersey.

Looking back, 2021 was a positive year for the Albstadt-based circular knitting machine and braiding machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. After two tough years, sales exceeded Euro 100 million again last year, and the outlook for this year is promising, with production working at long-term full capacity in the circular knitting machine sector.

In order to maintain its market edge Mayer & Cie. continues to rely on digitisation of both its processes and its products. Substantial investment at its headquarters location, especially in machinery, is on the Mayer & Cie. agenda for 2022. In the years ahead a range of production machinery – lathes, gear cutting and grinding machines – is to be replaced at a scheduled cost running into low double-digit millions. Last year saw an investment in a robot-controlled laser hardening system for heat-treating machine components. The company passes an energy upgrade milestone these days with launching its new CHP cogeneration units.  
 
“Compared with 2020, our Group sales were up by about 40 per cent in 2021,” said Mayer & Cie. Managing Director Benjamin Mayer. After two difficult years in 2019 and 2020 the circular knitting machine manufacturer was able last year to restore sales to a stable level of about 103 million Euro. And it could have achieved an even better result. “Supply chain problems hampered production perceptibly,” the company’s managing director said. “In view of the order situation up to five per cent more might have been possible.” The Albstadt textile machinery manufacturer’s order position has stayed at a sound, high level since the fourth quarter of 2020, and orders in hand will already keep the circular knitting machine division busy until the end of the year, with orders coming in from all over the world, but especially, and with no change, from the company’s core markets Turkey, China and India.

The Management views with concern, however, the conflict in the Ukraine, which at first glance may not affect the sales market directly but might lead to general purchasing restraint in the capital goods sector that like the trade war between the United States and China, which began in 2018, would also affect Mayer & Cie. In addition, effects of the conflict such as high energy prices and interruptions in material supplies and logistics pose a genuine challenge in the further course of the year.

In the braiding machine division, the order position recovered in 2021. Sales of new machines and, especially, spare parts exceeded the 2020 figures significantly. Mayer & Cie. has once more won an award for its in-house and external digitisation measures as one of the most innovative German SMEs. The textile machinery manufacturer won a 2022 Top 100 award for its innovative processes in particular.

Digitalization is a big story in the world of business. It’s all about change, making use of technology to transform attitudes and create new opportunities to grow revenue. At its heart is innovation, with new systems and intelligent use of data. In textiles, the entire value chain is going digital, as evidenced by the commitment of Swiss Textile Machinery Association member firms. Their story – presented here in six ‘chapters’ – spans industry sectors through spinning, weaving, finishing and nonwovens.

Cost savings and more
The process of digitalization in the textile industry today is continuous – faster in some segments than others – but noticeable everywhere. Automation is promising in many areas of finishing and making-up, where initial investments are being made. An example is folding of finished goods, previously a slow manual operation. Now, high-performance automatic folding machines from Swiss company Espritech deliver the potential for cost savings, unlocking new options for positive change at this most labor-intensive stage of production. For manufacturers in low-cost areas, the benefit results from its volume and is a simple financial one. In higher-cost segments, the application of this technology can be part of a completely new business model, taking production closer to the end customer.

Better process, better workplace
Pioneering in the field of digitalization embraces social responsibility along with the introduction of bold new technological innovation. That’s a commitment made by Uster, as it aims to shape future working practices in the textile industry in areas where its systems are applied. In fabric inspection, that means combining the strengths of human capabilities with the performance of Artificial Intelligence. Automatic defect classification with machine learning technology is the next leap in digitalization for fabric manufacturers, following on from automated detection of fabric faults, which is already well established in weaving and finishing mills. This will bring benefits in profitability for the manufacturer – as well as an improved working environment for their operatives, freed from repetitive tasks.

Information, flexible and fast
Access to data is critical in the digitalized world of textiles. It must be flexible, fast and secure, and available to all levels of the company – worldwide. Jakob Muller serves the narrow fabrics industry ideally with a digitalization portal, perfectly developed to provide essential production information. The portal is a browser-based production data acquisition system, with direct access to the machine controls. The system offers unique data monitoring and communication on a global framework. Digitized weave rooms present information 24/7 on desktops at the customer’s plant, as well as on tablets and smartphones remotely.

Making the most of it
Rieter takes advantage of latest digital technology to offer customers a unique experience. Their digital spinning suite helps spinners overcome their daily challenges and manage costs and efficiency more effectively. This all-in-one mill management system connects all the machinery, giving quick access to the right information and a holistic view, from bale to yarn. Users profit from full transparency, and are presented with recommendations based on long-standing experience and know-how. This is digitalization at its most practical, applied to allow spinners to make the most of their installed machinery.

Production, service, training – digital everything
As a solutions provider, Saurer puts digitalization at the core of business, integral to its technology offering to customers. Some latest examples include self-optimization of spinning machines, and a fully automated transport of cylindrical or conical cross-wound packages. These are automatically stored in an internal buffer system, for later feeding to subsequent processes. Of course after-sales service is also digital: the e-shop and machine information hub, together with the web-based training centre, ensure that knowledge is transferred to customers – turning employees into experts.

See the future system today
Autefa Solutions uses the concept of digital twinning, visualizing any real-world concept of a nonwovens line to make it easier for potential customers to grasp the idea. It’s also a big help for training and servicing needs. Most of all they digitalize important parts e.g. of a baling press line with perfectly interconnecting software tools. This is an excellent method for reducing commissioning times. Ordered bale presses reach technical readiness in the form of a digital twin, before they are commissioned in the real world. This typically halves the total time to get the line up and running.
Speaking on behalf of Swiss Textile Machinery Association members, André Imhof, CEO of Autefa Solutions Switzerland AG, says: “Making digitalization our friend opens doors for business model innovations, which is essential for our industry competitiveness. The approach is to digitalize everything that can be digitalized. We won’t stop.”

Picanol has introduced its latest generation of airjet and rapier weaving machines, which have been called the “Connect” generation. These new generation weaving machines focus on connectivity and an increased level of data availability. With this new generation, Picanol is launching several new functionalities such as a digitalized Gripper stroke setting, Gripper tape monitoring, Climate control, Shed angle measurement, and fully integrated Power monitoring.

“Following the successful launch of our digital platform PicConnect earlier this month, we have now released a new generation of weaving machines, which are known as the Connect generation. Our Connect generation weaving machines can provide the correct data and are loaded with new and never-before-seen functionalities. This is clear proof that for Picanol “Driven by Data” is not just a slogan but a commitment. Not only have these innovations allowed us to make big improvements when it comes to our four design principles – Smart Performance, Sustainability Inside, Intuitive Control, and, of course, Driven by Data – but when combined with our new digital platform they will allow you to amplify your own intuition.” comments Johan Verstraete, Vice President Weaving Machines.

From now on, the range of Picanol weaving machines will have the “Connect” suffix. For the airjet weaving machines, this means: OmniPlus-i Connect and TerryPlus-i Connect, while for the rapier weaving machines, this means: OptiMax-i Connect and TerryMax-i Connect. These new machines are built around Picanol’s four main design principles:

Smart Performance
On the OptiMax-i Connect, Picanol has introduced a lubrication monitoring sensor in combination with a temperature sensor. The combined data they provide allow the user to make sure the gripper tapes are in optimal condition for maximum performance. As an option, a gripper stroke measurement sensor is also available. This not only dramatically simplifies the setting of the gripper stroke, but also enables the user to realize higher machine speeds when weaving reduced widths – a pure extra output combined with more user-friendliness.

Sustainability Inside
Even though it was 25 years ago that the Sumo Drive concept was launched, it remains the most powerful, versatile and energy friendly machine drive available. And it has been even further optimized. It features an optimized sheet metal package for lower energy consumption, optimized oil cooling circuit for a better performance and a built-in temperature monitoring. Moreover, the Connect machines can be equipped with a Power monitoring module, which allows the user to keep track of the power consumption of each machine over time. Every Connect machine also has a built-in ambient temperature and humidity sensor, which will help to optimize the climate control in the weaving shed at the lowest cost. And as raw material is the biggest cost factor, each machine can also be equipped with raw material use monitoring.

Driven by Data
As the machine has more sensors than ever before, it also generates more data. To enable a fast reaction to all these sensor data, the BlueBox control unit has been further optimized: better heat management guarantees short reaction cycles combined with the long lifetime of components. To have a good view of all of the data generated, a special sensor dashboard screen is available in the BlueTouch display: with a simple touch of the screen, the current and historical power consumption, temperature, humidity, material consumption, and – on the OmniPlus-i Connect – also the air consumption, can be monitored. The BlueTouch display is now also equipped with an Action center, an electronic logbook where all actions such as maintenance interventions can be logged or scheduled beforehand. The machine manual is now available on the BlueTouch display, and with the context-based help function the help pages related to the operation the user wants to perform appear with one touch of his/her fingertip. The built-in web browser even allows the user even to consult, for example, tutorial videos on the web to guide them through a setting procedure.

Intuitive Control
The Connect generation was designed to focus on what really matters: weave the highest possible grade A fabrics at minimal costs. A large set of tools have been installed to facilitate this goal. One of the most remarkable ones is the Harness frame stroke measurement – until recently, it was only available on the revolutionary SmartShed, but it is now also available on the cambox and dobby machines. Combined with the shed visualization and simulation, it offers a quantum leap in terms of optimizing the user’s shed settings without losing any time or taking any risks. The colors of the programmable Smart signal lights with stop timing functionality are now repeated around the push buttons, allowing even better visibility and the prioritization of interventions by the weaver. A full-fledged Access control system not only limits the access to certain pages and settings depending on the user, but also allows a tailored dashboard to be established for each user profile.

The new series of webinars of the Swiss Oerlikon Group’s Manmade Fibers Solutions business unit will be focusing on services for manmade fiber systems.

Short Overview of the webinars:

• How ceramics within the yarn path improve the quality of your yarn on September 01
• myOerlikon – tailored digital services provide a comprehensive overview on September 13
• Always by your side – with Oerlikon Remote Services on September 22
• Better safe than sorry – maximize productivity and minimize downtimes with regular machine check-ups on September 29

For more information click here, where we keep you informed about upcoming events.