ITMA visit report – June -2019 Non wovens – Braided yarn – Testing instruments

1.0 Non wovens

1.1 Dilo:
A tailor made installation is adapted to customer demands designed and calculated to confirm functionality requirement
Ample software is used in the programmable logic controllers for fast control loops and functional structures, Operation
software
Also be adapted to customer demands
Customer requirements regarding fiber type, fiber fineness, area weight and width of the final product are the basis for
Production calculation. All components of the line starting with card feed,card,cross lapper, lap drafter, feeding systems,
Needle looms and drafting unit according to the planning are listed. The throughput is determined according to empherical
Values and charts based on fiber type/fineness
The values for the maximum web infeed speed to the lapper has to be checked subject to the chosen layering width
For a constant mass flow, generate the web speed for the desired area weight of the web, the in feed and layering width and
for a given number of layers. Adding the dimensional changes in cross and machine direction for each drafting or needling zone.
Depending on the needle board density, stroke frequency and configuration of the chosen looms, calculating the advance per
stroke, and the needling density.
Nonwoven consumption increases 6% per annum globally in which 50% is of needled non wovens
Needling technology of area weights between 30 g/SqM to several Kgs /Sq. M is most successful web forming and consolidation
Water entanglement plays a dominant role to produce light weight webs for medicine and hygiene. For such demands leading
Carding technology in large working widths and highest web speeds
Dilo is supplied with profiline CV1 fleece profile regulation equipment and automation and control systems to maintain area
Weight uniformly
Various tailor made lines are designed according to end product such as
Universal complete line
Complete line for floor covering
Complete line for the production of automotive velour
Complete line for the production of automotive head liner
Complete line for the production of artificial leather
Complete line for the production of filtration material
Complete line for the production of paper maker felts
Complete line for the production of needle felts
Complete line for the production of thermo bonded fleeces
Carding system with water entanglement for hygiene products
Spun bond line
Web forming and needling line

1.2 Trutzschler nonwovens:

Process chain of non wovens is:
Fiber preparation – Web forming – Web bonding – Drying /Finishing – Winding
Aqua jet is used to produce hydro entangled nonwovens. End use is wipes, medical textiles , geo textiles , filtration media
To dry the wet non-woven without loss of quality, energy efficient multi drum dryers used
The end product, its properties and the fiber material determines the optimum machines for web formation, single or multi-
layer web, natural or manmade fibres. For optimal web formation 4 types of roller cards are used.1) Universal roller card for
various bonding
2) High speed card for 300 m/min at winder 3) Random card for natural fibres of different lengths 4) Air lay card for processing
short fibres
Cotton Ultra-fine non-woven for cosmetics, refreshing wipes, baby care of biodegradable is produced by special web formers
random card and air lay card. Unbleached fibres, fiber blends and even inexpensive comber noils can be processed into
marketable products
Wet laid / spun lace technology (WLS) is precisely designed for bio degradable material.
Wet wipes made of pulp and regenerated cellulose fibres provide the same performance as conventional products. These wet
laid and hydro entangled non wovens are strong, soft, practical, economical and biodegradable
Market for disposable hygiene products is becoming larger
Super soft hygiene non wovens such as baby diapers of thinnest thermo bonded non wovens from bicomponent fibres can be
produced with roll cards and thermo bonders
Tailor made lines are designed for various end products such as Aqua jet line, Geo textiles, automobiles, medical textiles, filter
materials, hygiene textiles, high speed Thermo bonder, chemical bonder, stream liner, automatic systems and controls,
man made fiber processing line

1.3 Margasa nonwovens

Margasa supplies blending line consists of
Blending line with weighers
Hopper feeder
Fine opener
Dynamic condenser
Autoleveller feeder
Airlay feltech
Resin feeder
Weighing conveyor
Trim cutter
Rotary filter
It is suitable for fibres such as natural, recycled and Synthetic.
Production line of fiber sheets of Air lay with autoleveller feeder and resin distributor
Different products made with the Margasa airlay line is
Thermo bonded felt with low melt fiber (PP) for the mattress industry
Flame retardant felts with isolation felts for building construction
Resinated felt for the car and building construction
Needle punched felts with vegetal fibres (Junte, Flax, Hem) and low melt fiber (PP or BISCO PES) for the car industry and
Geo textiles
Various margasa lines supplied to suit tailor made products:
1) Airlay Feltech line in combination with a mechanical bonding with needle punching or and a chemical bonding with a
Thermo bonding oven when low melt fibres are blended to produce thermo plastic felts
2) Airlay Feltech line in combination with a resin applicator to produce cured or semi cured resinated felts as well as thermo
Plastic felts, with a steam oven and a thermo bonding oven
3) Airlay line in combination with a mechanical bonding and needle punching

1.4 Bematic nonwovens

The bemetic non-woven line consists of
Blending line
Mixer
Dosing and feeding system for waste materials
Multi dosing system
Fine opener
Automatic feeding equipment such as chute feed and double chute feed
Hopper feeder
Weight control systems
Various type of Carding to form non-woven webs of regenerated fibres, cotton, viscose, micro fibres
Air vertical former for insulating products, thermo –sound proofing, building, furniture and automotive sectors
Airlay carding machine – This technology is used to avoid traditional card technology to obtain products of low thickness
And weights at high speeds
Cut trimming
Fiber recovery – Automatic continuous recovery system for the material coming from the former to recover and recycle the
Material while production change over till getting required specifications
Bematic Laboratory card for small production of any kind of fiber with needle punched and thermo bonded non-woven fabrics
Also supplies with metal detector, magnetic trap and oiling system, rotary filter etc.

2.0 Braided yarn:

Braiding is the process of interlacing three or more threads or yarns in a diagonal direction to the product axis in order to obtain
thicker, wider or stronger textiles. Braids are becoming the reinforcement of choice in Composite manufacturing, and have
found a range of technical applications in fields including medicine, candles, Transport and aerospace.
Braided fabrics are made by interlacing yarns or strips of fabric. Braiding produces a wide range of structures for technical
textile applications from medical sutures to cables for anchoring ships.
Braiding is more significant for industrial fabrics than consumer textiles and with its increasing applications; braiding is one of
the major fabrication methods for composite reinforcement structures and tubular braids.
The limitations of the weaving, knitting and stitching processes include poor shear resistance, limited strength in the primary
loading direction, and the inability to produce complex shaped parts. These shortcomings, as will be seen, are largely overcome
with the adaptation of braiding. Braiding is a simple form of narrow fabric construction. It is done by intertwining of yarns in
whatever direction suited the maker's purpose. This began as a handicraft for the construction of decorative fabrics but the
limitations of knitting and weaving made braiding an important method of fabric formation in textile composite manufacturing
industry.
Lace making, a domestic art of seventh century, is the beginning of narrow fabric production. Increasing need for tapes in
electrical uses, ribbons and laces made this handicraft into a leading industry. The manual efforts were replaced by narrow
width looms. There are definite trends towards knitting by the crochet methods in some areas of narrow fabric production. For
foundation wear, the trend is towards lighter-weight sheer garments so that the bindings should also be light weight, while, at
the same time, fashion trends have dictated that a variety of coloured yarns be incorporated in these bindings. Crochet knitting
machines have been found ideal for this purpose and have replaced large numbers of traditional braiding machines.
Types
Braiding can be classified as two and three-dimensional braiding. Two-dimensional braid structure can be circular or flat braid.
Three-dimensional braiding is relatively new and was developed mainly for composite structures. Although circular and flat
braids have thickness, it is small compared to the other two dimensions; therefore they are considered as two-dimensional.
Two-dimensional braiding
Two-dimensional circular or flat braid is formed by crossing a number of yarns diagonally so that each yarn passes alternately
over and under one or more of the others. The most common designs in two-dimensional braids are as follows:

2.1 Circular braiding-mechanism

Circular (tubular or round) braids are formed hollow or around a center core. A circular braiding machine consists of two sets of
an even number of spools containing the braiding yarns. One set runs clockwise around the center of the machine and the other
set turn in counterclockwise direction. While revolving in opposite directions, the carriers are diverted to pass alternately inside
and outside (under and over) one another. The clockwise and counterclockwise paths cause the two sets of yarns to intersect,
thus producing a tubular braid.
The yarns from the yarns are collected above the hub of the circular track in which the bobbins travel. Circular braiders are
called as "Maypole Braiders" since their motion is similar to the maypole dance.
Another type of braiding machine to produce two-dimensional braids is the rotary machine. The rotary braiding machine is
faster than the maypole braider. However, rotary machines are less versatile in terms of making different shapes and they have
less number of carriers.

2.2 Flat braiding-mechanism

Flat braids are made in the form of flat strips or tape. In flat braiding, instead of following two continuous paths, the carriers
turn around or reverse direction at two points called terminals and then continue on the other direction, i.e., the track does not
complete a circle.

2.3 - 3-D braiding

3-D braiding is an interesting concept of creating a two dimensional array of interconnected 2-D circular braids. 3-D braids are
formed on two basic types of machines. These are the horn gear and cartesian machines which differ only in their method of
yarn carrier displacement. While the horn gear type machines offer improved braid speed over the cartesian machines, the
cartesian machines offer compact machine size, comparatively low development cost and braid architectural versatility.

2.4 Fast knit braiding machine Main features:

Output: 2 cords. Yarn packages can be directly used.
Any diameter from 2 mm to 12 mm can be produced on same machine.
Construction of cords: 4 or 6 ends.
Extra attachments:
Heat setting device.
Rubber feeder for round elastic cords.
Regulator for round elastic cords.
2.5 Automatic braiding system
In this system, braided preforms of composite tube are fabricated automatically and continuously. The system consists of a
mandrel stock unit, a mandrel supply unit, braider units, a preform pick-up unit and a preform stock unit. A mandrel is supplied
to the front of the braider units from the mandrel stock unit. Braided preform is fabricated on the mandrel when the mandrel
goes through the multiple braider units. Braiding yarns are cut at the end of the mandrel after braiding. The preform is stocked
in the preform stock unit.

These processes are carried forward automatically and continuously. Since the system has the multiple braider units, several
layers of fabric can be braided over each other to produce the required thickness in one process. Furthermore the fiber
orientation angles are varied along the longitudinal direction on each layer, since each braider unit is controlled individually by
using programme.
Narrow fabric
Narrow fabrics, sometimes referred to as 'small wares' are any textile fabric not exceeding 4 cm in width with 2 selvedges. Thus,
narrow fabrics include any trimming, elastic, tape, ribbon, lace, cording and more.
Several sets of warp yarns may be beamed together to make several narrow fabrics side by side, on the same loom. Some tapes
and ribbons are prepared by cutting the full width fabrics into strips and sealing the edges. Thermoplastic fabrics can be woven
of this way.
Different kinds of narrow fabrics such as ribbons, laces, cords, tapes, labels, webbings, wicks, elastics, ropes, straps, trims,
fringes , etc. may be crafted out of different kinds of materials such as leather, cotton, satin, velvet, polyester, Teflon, rubber,
jute, nylon, fiber glass and also beads. Narrow fabrics are usually decorative in nature and can also be attached to curtains; bed
covers, etc. and industrial applications.
2.5 Automatic crochet machine
This Crochet machines is ideal machine for the production of laces, bands and ribbons, both elastic and non-elastic.
Mainly used for:
For hosiery manufacture-bands, laces, elastic products.
For shoe-making manufacture, shoe-laces, packing strings.
For elastic industry, cables, conductors.
For medicine, surgery threads.
For everyday life, upholstering, curtains, sport, Alpine ropes, cords etc.
These fabrics reveal properties, which are better than weaving and knitted ones in various aspects.
2.6 Braining machine suppliers:
Ratera – Spain
Henghui – China

2.7 Fancy and technical yarn

Gualchieri , Italy is manufacturing the machines for the production of fancy twisted yarns with double hollow spindles, ring rail
and winding unit, take up the yarn from cone or bobbin. The yarn is soft and bulky
Chenille yarn
Fanta spin – Machine for the production of slub yarn from roving /sliver
Fanta FILO -
Fanta ROC – Feeding from roving, sliver or yarn with 3 drafts
These yarn used for hand knitting , machine knitting and weaving for apparel and upholstery fabric and technical yarns

3.0 Testing instruments:

3.1 Premier
3.1.1 Ultimo ISM:
Ultimate monitoring system indicates production, utility ,stops, quality, end breaks
Individual spindle LED indication
Energy and draft monitoring
Web based views
Pneumafil motor suction control based on end breaks and saves power
Air consumption monitoring
Position wise RH and temperature monitoring
Mobile app and instant alerts
Trend comparison charts

3.1.2 iQ5 evenness tester

Hair severity (HS) the contemporary tool represents the severity of long length hairs, representing the various process stages
spinning, singeing, knitting and weaving
Hyper sensitivity imperfections: Three additional sensitivity levels viz: Thin -25%,Thick + 25% and Neps +100 apart from the
current extra sensitivity level opens up new process control possibilities
Imperfection distribution: Distribution charts for thin, thick and neps enable the user to visualize whether the fault is clustered
or spread across the test length
Fabric simulation
Measurement of slub and fancy yarn
Automatic cop changer
3 hairiness parameters – HC: Hairiness counts (H3) HS: Hairiness severity index Hi: Traditional hairiness index
Exceptions and alerts: highlighting the exceptions during testing to lock the specific areas
Drafting waves : The draft zone responsible for the drafting waves is tracked automatically to initiate draft setting and draft
distribution
Variance Length curve:Specific department which is responsible for high CV % is highlighted automatically
Spectrogram analysis: Automatically identifies the faulty machinery component and back track faults up to carding
Trend and comparison:The unique comparison chart enables to compare all machines in a department and machines allocated
to a count group
Stastical comparison: Helps user to compare between test results statistically and make more accurate decisions
Fabric simulation:
Test stimulus of the fabric of desired structure. Comprehensive simulation covering regular , slub and fancy yarn
Slub and fancy yarn: The comprehensive measurement provides number of slubs, slub length, slub distance, mass increase%,
mass decrease %, ramp and count, a scatter plot helps to understand the distribution of slubs with respect to length and mass
increase
3.1.3 Premier Art 3 – Fiber testing
Fully automatic sample preparation and transport mechanism eliminates operator influence
Preparation of uniform and consistent fiber samples by applying uniform pressure on the cotton flocks
Testing speed of 140 samples per hour with one operator
Bale smart - Bale management software
True smart – Unique method of measurement
3.1.4 Tensomaxx5 – Yarn strength tester
Intelligent reports: Combined report to view numerical results along with important graphical results
Force elongation curve
Stroke diagram
Scatter plot

3.2 Uster

3.2.1 USTER® TESTER 6

Facility for measuring conductive yarn through the Frequent Occurrences (FO) feature of USTER® TESTER 6.
High-speed assessment of twist and twist variation as part of a single yarn testing routine.
QUALITY EXPERT, the ultimate digital solution for integrated data-based improvements throughout the spinning mill,
connecting and interpreting information from a range of different instruments in the unique Quality Management Platform.
Now spinners have access to all the possibilities for total mill optimization.
Frequent Occurrences: Quality evaluation for conductive yarns
Conductive yarns have become more important in the past decade in fast-growing markets such as protective wear, fitness
clothing, and healthcare . Until now, it has not been possible to measure the quality of conductive yarns – a real issue for
spinners in this field. USTER stepped up efforts to include measurement of conductive yarn in USTER® TESTER 6. Sensor OM is
now used to measure Frequent Occurrences (FO) in these yarns. It analyses neps, thin and thick places, yarn evenness,
diameter, density and shape – all vital quality parameters for conductive yarns.
Twist and twist variation – in a single test routine
The manual and often subjective measurement of twist has been regarded by spinners. The twist level in a yarn is a critical
quality parameter that affects both the look and performance of the finished product and productivity
Now, this important parameter can be measured as a simple by-product of yarn testing for 100% cotton ring and compact yarn
– giving producers information about all relevant parameters as part of one laboratory procedure. USTER® TESTER 6 is the only
yarn testing instrument on the market with the option to obtain Twist and Twist variation (Tv) data during yarn testing, at a
speed of 800 m/min. This information enables spinning mills to react quickly to identify performance gaps such as low-speed
spindles.
Correlation with USTER® STATISTICS
Measurement data from USTER® TESTER 6 correlates perfectly with USTER® STATISTICS global benchmarks, essential for every
yarn producer or trader. Available in an app, it is already one of the most successful apps in textiles.
Now the new app version 1.4 is in app stores – with an enlarged database of the most popular yarn styles, 100% cotton,
compact yarns for knitting applications, extended FAQs and enhanced readability.

3.2.2 USTER QUALITY EXPERT

USTER® QUALITY EXPERT is the Quality Management Platform for advanced process optimization across yarn manufacturing
processes. A single system provides control, securing fiber, and yarn and fabric quality. A combination of 100 % in-line
monitoring, precise laboratory testing and integrated intelligence delivers the power to predict potential faults and prevent
claims. USTER® QUALITY EXPERT is hosted in the USTER® TESTER 6.
USTER® QUALITY EXPERT and its Value Modules:
Alarm center – creates awareness and triggers action
Mill analysis – insightful analytics for data-based decisions
Yarn prognosis – increases credibility between spinners and yarn users
Total Contamination Control – for managing remaining contaminants in yarns at minimum possible cost
Ring Spinning Optimization – the link to productivity and quality USTER® QUALITY EXPERT is hosted in the USTER® TESTER 6.
USTER RSO 3D
In the third dimension of quality, USTER® SENTINEL informs winding machines about outlier cops, which are then ejected
through direct machine intervention before winding. Individual quality data for each spindle position enables quality mapping
across the ring spinning machine.
For the first time, mills can intelligently correlate ring quality data and winding quality data in a single system, for significant
profitability increases. The intelligent combination of USTER® SENTINEL, USTER® QUANTUM 3, USTER® QUANTUM EXPERT 3
and Muratec QPRO EX/FPRO EX with Spin Inspector reveals a unique preventive system in quality control for textile mills.

3.2.3 USTER HVI

USTER® HVI 1000 is the global reference tool for cotton classification, producing accurate and reliable results.
Taking the guesswork out of raw cotton purchases . Using patented technology, the USTER® HVI 1000 rapidly provides full
reports on 11 important quality characteristics describing the length, strength, fineness, color and moisture content of the fiber.
Spinners need to have confidence in the quality of the raw cotton they are sourcing. The ability to test and class cotton
accurately using the USTER® HVI 1000 is vital to purchase decisions.
Fast, objective results
Cotton growers and traders often rely on expert personnel to set prices. But that is time-consuming, as well as being prone to
subjectivity and human error. USTER® HVI 1000 solves all these problems. Instrument based cotton classing produces test
results that are the most accurate and repeatable in the world. Testing can be completed in seconds, by only one operator.
The latest technology includes the FIBER COMB, COMB MOISTURE, XENON FLASH, automatic sampling, and on-board
diagnostics

3.2.4 USTER AFIS PRO

Testing and analyzing the critical fiber raw material parameters for cotton spinning is what makes USTER® AFIS PRO 2 unique.
Fiber quality information is vital, to ensure every stage of the preparation processes is correctly optimized: machine settings,
production rates, maintenance – and, most importantly, production costs.
Industry standard for maximizing raw material value and process optimization in spinning mills. It provides all the required data,
with accuracy and speed. It measures neps, seed coat neps, short fiber content, fineness, maturity, trash and dust – all of which
influence yarn performance in manufacturing.
Cost control by monitoring every stage
Expensive mistakes in yarn manufacturing arise from poor control of the raw material – both before and during spinning
preparation. Raw material accounts for more than 50% of the total yarn-making cost, so it is vital to monitor fiber quality during
manufacturing. The USTER® AFIS PRO 2 achieves this by testing the material at each stage of preparation, from blow room to
roving.
Unique technology for accurate results
The success of the USTER® AFIS PRO 2 is founded on class-leading technology, includes the patented fiber individualizer and
dedicated sensors for measuring neps, length, maturity (NLM) and trash (T), as well as the AUTOJET (A) module.
After optimizing mill processes, waste has been reduced and yield improved by almost 4%.
 AUTOJET Module
Optional module for increasing testing efficiency in the laboratory
 T Module
Optional module for testing the trash and dust content
 NLM Module
For testing the nep, length and maturity characteristics

3.2.5 Uster Classimat 5

New Features:
 Technically advanced capacitive sensor , simultaneous classification of thick and thin places according to three
standards
USTER® CLASSIMAT 5 – the new standard including YARN BODY™ and foreign-matter Dense Areas
USTER® CLASSIMAT QUANTUM
USTER® CLASSIMAT 3
 Identify short and fine neps and troublesome thick and thin places
 Foreign fiber sensor using multiple light sources to locate and classify contamination in yarn
 A novel sensor combination enabling polypropylene content to be detected and classified
 The measurement is independent of the test speed variations
 Special cleaning facility to prevent dirt and fluff in the measuring zone
 Create new customized classes using tailored classes feature
Periodic faults classification displayed as special bubbles. The size and placement of bubbles in the classification
matrix instantly show the severity of the defects with detailed table
Outliers for
Thick and thin places – NSLT
Colored foreign fibers – FD
Vegetable matter – VEG
Polypropylene – PP
Unevenness
Imperfections standard classes
Imperfections sensitive classes
Hairiness
 Powerful analysis YARN BODY™ comparison
 Foreign-matter Dense Area (FD) comparison
 Analysis of clearing limits – Clearing Index
 Quality comparison of multiple yarns
 Automatic comparison to USTER® STATISTICS
 Automatic comparison to internal benchmarks – ‘52-Week Best’
 Temperature and humidity measurement
 Key benefits
 Tool for yarn sourcing control
 Comparison of yarn qualities
 Raw material and process control
 Analysis and optimization of yarn clearing limits
 A reference instrument for process trials and analysis, due to high accuracy and stable results
 Reduce rejects caused by a few rogue bobbins
 Automatic guidance on clearing limits