Belgium-based weaving machinery manufacturer Picanol Group reports that it has received a number of contracts to supply its OptiMax flexible rapier machine with positive grippers and its Omniplus Summum air-jet machine.

The company signed several contracts during ITMA 2011 in Barcelona, Spain, for 540-centimeter-wide OptiMax machines to be used to produce coating fabrics, conveyor belts and carpet backing. Subsequently, it reported further success for the machine in both wide and narrower widths. Picanol reports that the positive gripper OptiMax can accommodate stiff and bulky technical yarns at maximum speeds without problems.

The Omniplus Summum machine, the latest edition of the company's Omni series of air-jet machines, includes features such as state-of-the-art electronics and a new insertion system that offers complete electronic pressure regulation and a triple air tank to supply air to the relay nozzles. Prior to its introduction at ITMA 2011, the Summum was undergoing mill tests that were so successful, according to Picanol, that customers placed orders for the machine even before the tests were completed.

February 7, 2012