Germany-based Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH and Italy-based Primon Automazioni have jointly
developed robotic rotary creel loading technology to improve the doffing/donning process on Karl
Mayer’s Gir-O-Matic sample warping machine, which is used to produce sample and production warps up
to 1,050 meters in length
(See “Karl Mayer: Short-Run Solution,” www.
TextileWorld.com, November/December 2005)
. According to Karl Mayer, the new technology offers particular advantages when yarns must be
changed frequently or when working with short warp lengths.
The technology includes a robot station that enables changing of bobbins during total or
partial yarn creeling, and automatic knotting of yarn ends following the exchange. The robot is
equipped with tools geared to specific functions including: a pick and place device to take bobbins
from the loading trolley and for doffing and donning the bobbin; a yarn-sucking device; a
yarn-cutting and positioning device; a mobile knotting device; a rotary creel bobbin holder release
device; a loading trolley; and a Karl Mayer laser monitoring system that measures the diameter of
the bobbins as they run out.
Karl Mayer also has modified the Gir-O-Matic so that the bobbins are mounted onto the loading
trolley at the robot station rather than directly onto the rotary creel. From that point, all
necessary sequences are conducted automatically.
The company reports that the robot station has enabled a production increase of 15 percent or
more and also has maximized the flexibility of the Gir-O-Matic.
April 6, 2010
