USTER, Switzerland — August 17, 2020 — Uster Technologies offers spinners valuable new insights into yarn quality optimization, thanks to its unique combination of expert monitoring of market trends and comprehensive statistical analysis. For example, there is evidence that fiber elongation depends more on the type of cotton than on fiber length. And not all neps are the same: there are significant gains to be made from differentiating between seed coat and fiber neps.
Both these facts offer spinners potential for competitive advantages, arising from new data categories in USTER® STATISTICS 2018. This global benchmarking tool now includes revealing information about fiber elongation, as well as seed coat and fiber neps, and USTER explains how these can be exploited to improve yarn quality consistency.
Fiber elongation
In conjunction with fiber tenacity, fiber elongation influences yarn elongation and the processing behavior of the yarn, since higher values will typically perform better in the weaving mill. For this reason, it was obviously beneficial to include fiber elongation in the latest Uster Statistics.
Analysis of Uster databases show that the correlation between fiber elongation and yarn elongation of a combed cotton ring yarn is at a level of 85 percent. Although the twist multiplier and yarn production speed have a huge impact on yarn elongation, the basis for high yarn elongation actually comes from the fiber. The elongation of cotton fiber conclusively depends more on the type of cotton than the fiber length.
When engineering laydowns for yarn production, experts know which yarn parameters are influenced by certain fiber properties. It is possible to offset small deficiencies in one fiber property with an improvement in another. If a low fiber length might negatively affect yarn elongation and twist level, a slightly higher elongation in fiber could help.
Seed coat nep or fiber nep?
Ginning mills today increasingly focus on productivity rather than quality. At the same time, gins have not been upgraded to match the increased volumes of cotton. This suggests that a more accurate evaluation of cottons is now advisable for spinning mills. This can be achieved by assessing fiber neps and seed coat neps separately. The distinction between these two types of nep count is now possible in Uster Statistics 2018 — and this allows more detailed analysis and new benefits compared with the previous data covering only the total nep count.
Firstly, the mill can optimize laydowns to manage a specific nep component. It can also optimize the specific nep removal efficiency. The spinner can even predict more accurately the level of white spots showing in fabrics made from the yarn after dyeing. A high level of fiber neps, with a high proportion of immature fibers, can cause these white spots. By analyzing the fiber nep level at the laydown stage, mills can adjust their processes accordingly — for example by focusing on fiber nep reduction during carding.
With Uster Statistics 2018, spinners are recommended to adjust card settings and compare the sliver data with the fiber nep processing chart, to benchmark the data against other mills. Combined with monitoring maturity, spinning mills can avoid or reduce white spots. If these are discovered during processing, the yarn can be redirected into a different application — such as bleached white t-shirts — where immature fiber neps are less disturbing.
Vital data, right instrument
Established in 1957, Uster Statistics are a vital source of quality data for the textile industry and are now newly available as an app. The value of Uster Statistics 2018 is acknowledged worldwide, allowing yarn producers and their trading partners to compare quality levels objectively against global market standards. Testing thousands of samples each year during past decades allows Uster unique market observations — enabling it to adapt the scope of the Statistics accordingly.
For testing and analyzing the critical fiber raw material parameters for cotton spinning, the Uster AFIS PRO 2 is the right instrument. It operates with unmatched accuracy and speed to measure fiber neps, seed coat neps, short fiber content, fineness, maturity, trash and dust — all of which influence yarn performance in manufacturing. That’s why Uster AFIS is the industry standard for process optimization in spinning mills — proven with more than 1,200 installations worldwide.
Optimal laydown recipe
The combination of textile know-how, current statistical data and advanced technology is the basis for consistent yarn quality, despite changing conditions and new trends. David McAlister, product manager Fiber Lab, Uster Technologies, said: “We could consider the laydown mixes used in yarn spinning as a ‘recipe’ and fiber quality parameters as the ‘ingredients’. We would then aim to adjust the ingredients to keep consistency in the recipe. With Uster Statistics 2018, we can determine the relationship of fiber properties to yarn properties and from that we can learn how to adjust the ingredients of the recipe for optimal performance. This is important for cotton, as it is not always possible to obtain the same or similar fiber qualities year-in and year-out.”
JYVÄSKYLÄ, Finland — August 17, 2020 — As fiber innovation company Spinnova prepares to scale its sustainable fiber production, it has recently onboarded two niche textile experts to help commercialize its sustainable wood-based fiber. Spinnova has also appointed four other members to the team.
Mahmood
Shahriare Mahmood has started as Spinnova’s sustainability director. Mahmood joined Spinnova from the renown Finnish children’s wear brand Reima. Mahmood has both an academic and a technical textile industry background. Graduated as a chemical engineer in Bangladesh and Master of Engineering in Finland, Mahmood has also worked in textile mills in Asia and Europe.
In the course of his extensive career, he has specialized in circularity and material research and development, as well as quality and supply chain management. He has also recently earned a Ph.D. in sustainability management. With Spinnova, Mahmood focuses on supporting sustainability efforts of partnering brands and related pre-commercial and commercial phase supply chains.
“Shahriare has experience of many different phases of textile manufacturing. In our team, he gets to personally close the loop. We are excited to have access to his hands-on technology skills and in-depth sustainability knowledge,” said Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen.
Kim
Spinnova’s other textile expert appointment is Eun (Enja) Young Kim, who started as senior fibre application specialist in Spinnova’s R&D team. Engineer by background, Kim previously worked for fiber technology company Lenzing in Austria, where she worked in technical customer service of technical applications. She will be focusing on developing the Spinnova fiber’s quality and finishings.
“Enja’s vast experience of cellulose-based textile fibres helps us ensure that our fiber succeeds in partnering brands’ supply chains and end products,” Poranen added.
Spinnova has also onboarded four new people in its R&D and laboratory teams. Spinnova now employs 36 people full time.
By Lukas Lechthaler, Thomas Gries, Richard Kupke, Dirk Feltin, Peter Vojcena, Christine Stamm
The aim of the research project “ZIM EddySCARF” is the development of an eddy current sensor, which allows inline, non-contact 100-percent inspection of carbon fiber rovings for quality assurance. The sensor is useful to both carbon fiber manufacturers for outgoing goods inspection and yarn-processors as means of incoming goods inspection and production process monitoring. The eddy current sensor is intended to detect, classify and quantify various defects in carbon fiber processing — gaps, fuzz, undulations, false twists, accumulated or significant filament breaks, for example. The evaluation of the measurement signal is carried out both by classical measurement value analysis and by machine learning algorithms using neural networks. The focus of the development is on the detection of optically invisible defects and their influence on mechanical performance. The economic use of the sensor by scaling is of secondary interest.
Challenges
Carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) are becoming increasingly important in various fields of application. The largest areas of application are in the aerospace and automotive industries, with the wind energy and sports and leisure sectors also recording growth [CC18]. Quality assurance has already been certified for metallic materials and corresponding test procedures exist. In contrast, both testing and quality assurance of the CFRP process chain are still under development. The quality assurance of carbon fiber (CF) rovings is the sole focus of this project. When a damaged roving is removed early from the CFRP process, no added value is wasted as is not processed into a component. In this way, a suitable test procedure can contribute to increased economic efficiency and resource conservation of the energy- and cost-intensive material carbon.
So far, the quality assurance of carbon fiber rovings has been carried out offline by means of outgoing and incoming goods inspections using destructive testing. These tests are time-consuming and can only be carried out in the form of sampling. Therefore, a carbon fiber bobbin cannot be tested 100 percent, which results in an uncertainty regarding the quality of the goods. In order to realize a 100 percent inspection, non-destructive testing methods can be used, whereby at this time mostly optical sensors are used. A disadvantage of optical sensor systems is that quality assurance can only be performed on the surface of the roving. However, in a 12k roving (see Figure 1) only about 1,900 filaments are on the surface, while the roving consists of a total of 12,000 filaments [Mor05; Sch07].
Figure 1: Estimation of the CF filaments visible on the surface of a 12k roving
Figure 1 shows that optical sensors can only detect around 16 percent of the roving. Defects inside the roving are therefore not detected and remain in the process chain, where they can ultimately lead to waste. Furthermore, CFRP components are heavily oversized due to defects that cannot be detected and for safety reasons. The safety factors for standard components range from j = 1.5 [Sch07] to j = 3 for safety-critical components. These are the direct consequences of defects in the carbon fibre roving caused during processing which cannot be detected with the current state of the art. This thus contributes to the relatively high production costs of CFRP components. One approach to detect hidden filament breaks by optical sensor technology is the use of destructive testing methods. This also allows the inside of the CF roving to be made optically accessible. However, the disadvantages of destructive testing methods, such as test waste of the cost-intensive material carbon and the lack of the possibility for use in inline process monitoring, oppose this approach.
Aim and Approach
Therefore, the aim of the research project EddySCARF is the development and application of a stand-alone, inline filament breakage sensor based on the physical functional principle “eddy current” (EC) (SURAGUS GmbH). The EC sensor is intended to achieve 100 percent inline process monitoring of carbon fiber-based manufacturing processes. This will be carried out using the example of structural components in the aerospace industry for quality-controlled process monitoring and control. The sensor system can be used both by carbon fiber manufacturers such as Teijin Europe GmbH, and processors including Hightex Verstärkungsstrukturen GmbH or SAERTEX GmbH & Co. KG, all based in Germany. For carbon fiber manufacturers, quality monitoring by means of eddy current is intended to enable a 100-percent outgoing goods inspection. For carbon fiber processors, the aim is to quantify fiber damage along their process chain by using eddy current so that the various sub-processes can be optimized and a 100 percent incoming goods inspection made possible. Figure 2 shows potential applications of the eddy current sensor system at carbon fiber manufacturers and processors.
Figure 2: Possible application of the eddy current sensor in a) carbon fiber production and b) processing
The measuring system can reduce production waste and improve material usage. As a result, the lightweight construction factor of the material carbon is exploited to a greater extent. The sensor’s application possibilities are broadly diversified due to its flexible use along the CFRP process chain by both manufacturers and processors.
Solution
First, the requirements of all project partners for the eddy current sensor system are defined. For this purpose, the requirements of carbon fiber manufacturers, represented in the research project by the Teijin company, as well as those of carbon fibre processors, represented in the project by the companies Hightex and SAERTEX, are taken into account. At the same time, a test bench for validating the eddy current sensor will be developed, manufactured and commissioned at the Institute of Textile Technology. On the test bench, artificial defects similar to those during production and processing can be inserted into a carbon fiber and measured. A so called damaging module will be developed and implemented in the test bench, which allows a reproducible application of the defects, so that the eddy current sensor can be tested here on a laboratory scale. Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of the tribological test bench on which the eddy current sensor is tested.
Figure 3: Schematic diagram of the experimental setup at the Institute of Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University for testing the eddy current sensor on a laboratory scale
On the test bench shown in Figure 3, a carbon fiber roving is measured via optical filament breakage sensors to quantify the superficial degree of damage before and after contact with the damaging module. Via the damaging module, defects are automatically and reproducibly inserted to the roving and subsequently detected with the eddy current sensor. By automating the damaging module, both the location and type of the defect are known, so that it can be correlated with the measurement signal of the eddy current signal and compared with the data of the optical filament breakage sensors. The approaches pursued in the project to evaluate the eddy current signal are both in the classical measurement value analysis and in the use of machine learning algorithms using neural networks.
The eddy current sensor itself is developed in an agile and iterative way and follows the four stages of a Deming cycle (See Figure 4). First, the sensor prototype is designed and manufactured by SURAGUS. Afterwards the sensor is validated in laboratory scale at the Institute of Textile Technology as well as with the research partners under real production conditions in an industrial environment. The sensor will be used by the different project partners in different processes. Hightex implements the sensor system in the Tailored Fibre Placement, SAERTEX in the scrim production for the qualitative control of the carbon fiber bobbins and Teijin in the carbon fiber production process and compares the measurement signal with real production data. Finally, improvement measures for the measuring system are derived from the use on a laboratory and industrial scale (4th Act) in order to be able to counter the problems identified in the process. Subsequently, the cycle is run through again in order to realize a progressive improvement of the sensor over the project duration, starting with a first prototype up to an industrially usable sensor system.
Figure 4: Deming cycle for the iterative development of the eddy current measuring system First Results
Initial tests have already shown that filament breaks introduced specifically into carbon fiber rovings lead to a significant deflection in the measurement signal. For this purpose, a roving was damaged on the test bench shown in Figure 3 and the damage applied was measured using a first prototype of the eddy current sensor. The roving was tested at a haul-off speed of 2 meters per minute for 5 minutes per test point and without additional yarn tension. Each test point (a-g) of the preliminary tests in Figure 5 thus corresponds to a tested run length of 10 m carbon fiber and represents approximately 7,000 measuring points.
Figure 5: Visualization of the first results of quality monitoring using eddy current technology
The results of the preliminary tests show a difference between the measured values of the damaged areas (a, c, f) and the undamaged areas (b, e, g). The magnitude of the eddy current signal was recorded as the measured value. The available results of the preliminary tests show that the measuring principle eddy current is suitable for the detection of filament breaks. A challenge, however, is the high standard deviation of the damaged carbon fiber, which still allows a statistically secured differentiation between damaged and undamaged areas of the carbon fiber. However, the sensor used is the first prototype, which does not yet incorporate the findings and improvements from validation on a laboratory scale and in an industrial environment. Therefore, a significant improvement is expected with each run of the Deming development cycle, so that after proof of a statistically secured detection of filament damage, the resolution and measurement sensitivity of the sensor can be addressed.
Acknowledgement: The research project ZF4558940WM9 of AiF Projekt GmbH, Berlin is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy (BMWi) within the framework of the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) based on a resolution of the German Bundestag
References: [CC18] Carbon Composites Composites-Marktbericht 2018 – Marktentwicklungen, Trends, Ausblicke und Herausforderungen, 2018 [Ehr06] Ehrenstein, Gottfried Wilhelm Faserverbund-Kunststoffe. – München: Carl Hanser Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 2006 [Mor05] Morgan, Peter Carbon fibers and their composites. – Boca Raton: Taylor & Francis, 2005 [Sch07] Schürmann, Helmut Konstruieren mit Faser-Kunststoff-Verbunden. – Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2007
Editor’s Note: Lukas Lechthaler is a researcher and Thomas Gries is director of the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University; Richard Kupke is director of product management at SURAGUS GmbH; Dirk Feltin is CEO of Hightex Verstärkungsstrukturen GmbH; Peter Vojcena works in system development NCF Inspection at SAERTEX GmbH & Co. KG; and Christine Stamm is manager, technical service at Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH.
The supply chain digital twin is more than just a concept
TW Special Report
According to a Gartner survey, 13 per cent of organizations implementing Internet of Things (IoT) projects use digital twins, while 62 per cent are either in the process of establishing digital twin use or plan to do so. With several companies delving into the digitalization world, Claudia Jarrett, US country manager of EU Automation, explains why the supply chain digital twin is more than just a concept.
In the past, supply chains operated on strategies where manufacturers produced goods, which were pushed down the supply channel. This created gaps between supply and demand and inevitably led to poor inventory control, with instances of inventory shortage and waste.
Now, a digital version of the supply chain can be created. Involving strategically unified computing environments and technologies of industry 4.0, a digital supply chain moves assets, people and resources to where they are needed. By passing data through cloud servers and databases, the collection of information in the supply chain enhances several manufacturing practices.
For instance, manufacturers can carry out stress tests on its supply chain. Users can efficiently administer stresses and measure responses — by pairing stress parameters with response readings. A digital twin can help translate a company’s stresses into a quantified view of real consequences, such as the outcome of supplier delays.
Supply Chain Digital Twin
So, what is a supply chain digital twin? It represents a digital depiction of an organization’s actual supply chain. Its model uses prescriptive analytics, which gathers data from both descriptive and predictive sources to find the best course of action in any scenario, before applying it to the decision-making process.
Despite prescriptive models working with real data, a supply chain digital twin takes this capability further as inputs are fed into the model in real time. For instance, as a customer’s order is processed, the order and associated transactions are automatically fed into the digital twin.
To fully reflect the real world, however, other inputs that impact the supply chain are also considered. For example, if production machinery goes down or a supply shipment is late, information is sent to the digital twin through IoT devices, like sensors. Once data is collated, the digital twin determines the right corrective action and supports supply chain optimization.
Predictive Maintenance
The performance of machinery in the supply chain process is crucial. Machinery that breaks down regularly has a detrimental impact, especially when downtime needs to be avoided at all costs.
U.S.-based startup Datumix provides a virtual 3D simulation of the required equipment. It combines machine learning to develop a digital twin used to monitor the performance of equipment, before installing the algorithm in real-time. Data derived from the 3D model, coupled with artificial intelligence (AI), is then used for the maintenance of equipment.
Implementing predictive AI algorithms allows plant managers to apply predictive strategies to its supply chain. By detecting failure patterns and anomalies, learning from those patterns and then predicting future failures of machine components, manufacturers can replace equipment before it fails.
Deploying Digitalization
However, to optimize performance, the digital twin should reflect any limitations and accommodate compromises of its physical supply chain.
Modeling and prescriptive analytics are a core component of a supply chain digital twin and should involve problem-solving programming languages, such as the fifth-generation programming languages (5GL). This essential software ensures operators receive detailed insights and visibility on the supply chain, its structure and formulae to optimize the decision-making process.
For instance, Fleetpride, a U.S.-based firm that sell parts and provide services for heavy-duty trucks and trailers, built a model that uses historical shipping data to predict the shipping orders per warehouse by day, week and month. By applying decision optimization to its model, corrective action could be determined when dealing with customers, staff and even inventory placement on any given day.
In fact, Fleetpride uses prescriptive analytics to transform data and predictive solutions into real, fact-based courses of action. No longer reliant on intuition, Fleetpride utilizes advanced analytics, statistical modeling and a decision engine to solve business planning, scheduling, pricing and inventory challenges, and other businesses have the opportunity to do the same.
Internet Of Things
The idea of a digital twin isn’t new, but what is different is the concept of integrating data and inputs from the real world. IoT-connected devices are the building blocks of a digital twin, and sensor integration is key to enabling such visibility.
However, designing and integrating these sensors can be resource-intensive and time-consuming, and can even be difficult to stream data from older machines that aren’t technologically compatible. That’s why industry experts, such as obsolete parts supplier EU Automation, can supply sensors for manufacturers building a digital representation of its physical supply chain.
A digital twin is more than just a concept. Several companies are delving into the digitalization world, and although replicating what-if scenarios before physical implementation might sound like a pipe dream, digital twins are proving tangible and useful.
As the biggest vertically fully integrated Textile Factory in Europe, Menderes Tekstil is an important customer for SPGPrints. However, the partnership between Menderes Tekstil and SPGPrints goes further than company and customer, as both companies aim for innovation in rotary screen printing together. An open mind and willingness to try new things are important for this progressiveness. This is why Menderes Tekstil started to use our OrtaScreen™.
Menderes Tekstil – Reliable Partner In Rotary Screen Printing
Founded in 1983, Menderes Tekstil has more than 30 years of experience in textile printing. The company is world leader in home textile and approved supplier of home textile products to giants in the European market: mainly printed and dyed bed linen and shirting. Menderes Tekstil is always eager for innovations in printing. That is why they value their partnership with SPGPrints. This is mutual. With a partner like Menderes Tekstil, SPGPrints always has the opportunity to test new products and technologies. This also applies to the OrtaScreen.
Introduction of the OrtaScreen™
Ever since SPGrints invented rotary mesh screens in 1963, they are reinventing the screens over and over to always take the printing quality to a higher level.
(left to right): Albrecht Gebhard, Tamer Poyraz, Necdet Can (standing) and Ali Uğur Köseoğlu
Designs often make use of halftones and grids, which are based on an orthogonal orientation. Printing these designs with the common rotary screens can generate undesired moiré. Due to the reinvented mesh structure of the OrtaScreen moiré can be eliminated.
The orthogonal orientation of the holes brings 4 bridges together instead of the 3 in hexagonal screens. The OrtaScreen features a 3D surface structure, allowing the paste of adjacent holes to flow together and to cover the textile substrate easily. It allows to print geometrical and halftone designs with high edge sharpness and leads to unrivaled print definition. Furthermore blotch printing is taken to a new level. This is the best available technology to get most difficult designs with highest quality.
The Positive Impact Of OrtaScreen™
Menderes Tekstil has been using the new OrtaScreen for a while now. This screen replaced the previously used NovaScreen® for a substantial part. The difference between both types of screens is especially visible in the printed halftones and geometrics. OrtaScreen helps Menderes Tekstil to print these challenging designs. Printing these designs with an OrtaScreen results in higher image definition, smoother halftones and extreme even blotches. “This high-level printing quality reflects the highest standards,” explained Yusuf Güngör, Manager Engraving & Design at Menderes Tekstil.
“We greatly benefit from the usage of OrtaScreen. Printing geometric designs, halftones and blotches with this new invented screen gives a much better quality which positively impacts our turnover and customer satisfaction,” Güngör said.
(left to right): Ali Uğur Köseoğlu, Turhan Avdan, Henk Masselink, Yusuf Güngör, Jos Notermans and Hakan Uzman
Fruitful Partnership
“Since the beginning of Menderes Tekstil in textile printing, we have been using the textile equipment of the best supplier. At that time, this supplier was named STORK. Nowadays it is SPGPrints,” Güngör said. For his team, the partnership with SPGPrints is paying off, especially with the new local team of SPGPrints’ Turkish Office. “This relationship and the constructive attitude of SPGPrints positively affect our turnover.” In the future, the focus of this partnership will be on even more innovations and technical support.
As mentioned earlier, Menderes Tekstil is always very helpful and eager to try new products and screens as a partner of SPGPrints. This innovativeness is characteristic for the company. Menderes Tekstil has been using the OrtaScreen ever since SPGPrints started selling it. As an innovative company, Menderes Tekstil has a clear vision for the future of textile printing. “The OrtaScreen will help us a lot to increase our revenue from our shirting fabric business,” Güngör said. “In the future, we plan to use these screens in all of our textile rotary printers.
Promising Results
“This new screen really improved our printing process and results,” answered Güngör when asked about the solutions and benefits the OrtaScreen offers Menderes Tekstil. “These results give us new possibilities regarding the future of textile printing. Moreover, the usage of OrtaScreen can provide the entire industry with strategic benefit.”
Polyester webbing manufactured by Bally Ribbon Mills is used for seat belts.
Closing of Berry-compliant yarn manufacturers disrupts market
By Ted Fetterman
The polyester woven webbing market experienced serious short-term disruption from the closing of the last United States manufacturing plants that could supply yarn complying with the Berry Amendment. After some new domestic yarn manufacturers entered the market, some manufacturers, including Bally Ribbon Mills, stepped up to produce 100 percent Berry-compliant polyester webbing for critical safety applications. The material, used for seat belts, tie-downs, retractors, and medical supplies, is of higher quality, meets relevant specifications, and can be engineered to meet specific customer requirements. What’s more, positive engineering and manufacturing changes made to adapt to the COVID-19 emergency hold great promise in streamlining and improving future polyester webbing projects.
Key Specialty Polyester Webbings Applications
Polyester webbings are manufactured from polyester yarn, which is dimensionally stable and has low moisture regain. The fiber also has a low elongation under load property that sets it apart from other standard fibers of its class, like nylon — nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 — and polypropylene. It is tough, hydrophobic, and resistant to degradation, giving it a longer useful shelf life.
Polyester webbings are used in hundreds of applications. Seat belts in automotive, commercial aviation, and military vehicles and aircraft applications is the largest market sector. This is a generally commoditized market where large volumes, limited color options, and very low prices dominate.
Another key application is for retractors used in military and safety/rescue applications to secure on-aircraft personnel. The retractors are generally inertia reels that allow for mobility under normal conditions; the webbing connects the user to the aircraft. When an abrupt force is applied, the reel locks the personnel into place. These webbing materials are highly engineered for the application. Consistent construction to rigid standards is required for consistent performance in end-item use. Materials that vary widely from specifications cause the reel to malfunction, exposing the user to an unsafe condition.
Other specialty webbing applications include tie-downs, e-textiles, wearable electronics, flight suits, pet products, cargo webbing, and life rafts, as well as hoses, bags and harnesses. The overall market trend towards enhanced passengers and crew safety is increasing demand for safety-related webbings applications. Another growing market is medical devices, where the polyester webbing material is prized for its biocompatibility.
Manufacturers Step Up To Produce Domestic Supplies Of Polyester Woven Webbing
Under the Berry Amendment, all textile components for Department of Defense (DOD) contracts of a certain size must be manufactured in the United States. The closures of domestic manufacturers of polyester yarn had many manufacturers scrambling to find a US source for customers with government contracts requiring Berry-compliant materials. Lead-times lengthened and some yarn manufacturers told panicking customers that a US source was unavailable. Several polyester webbing manufacturers applied for a Domestic Not Available Deviation (DNAD) designation.
The idea that the United States would have to rely on China, which maintains 70 percent of the world’s polyester capacity, did not sit well among many domestic manufacturers. This concern encouraged U.S. manufacturers to add polyester to their lines. There is always a development lag time before production can begin, but several have now entered the market.
After identifying newly established domestic polyester yarn suppliers, Bally Ribbon Mills committed to establishing itself as a 100-percent Berry-compliant manufacturer of polyester webbings. The company has always placed a high importance on utilizing domestic yarn sources. Since the quality of the domestic raw material is higher than imported counterparts, it stands to reason that the webbing manufactured is of a higher quality. This enables more efficient manufacturing processes and provides superior products.
In addition to being Berry-compliant, the polyester webbings and tapes are tested and certified for compliance with a range of commercial and military specifications, including Mil/PIA-W-25361, AA55242, SAE AS8043, and British Standards (BS). Performance to these specifications and standards is critical to the end use application. Not meeting specifications can cause performance failure that could cost lives.
Several of these standards have extremely stringent elongation requirements for dyed material that can be difficult to meet. In some cases, BRM began entering these markets after others dropped out and military requirements called out for Berry-compliant yarn. For example, the SAE AS8043 specification calls for 20 percent elongation at 2,500 pounds. for polyester seat belt webbing. After working with customers, BRM succeeded in meeting the elongation requirement.
As an added bonus, end customers can take advantage of BRM’s low minimums of 1,000 yards per color to purchase unique seat belt colors. The polyester yarn dying process requires expensive and highly specialized equipment. BRM technology enables the company to run smaller quantities of higher quality specialty colors; the yarns also feature very high dye penetration, giving it a high level of color fastness and longer fade-resistance. Due to the commoditized nature of much of the seat belt market, most other manufacturers require much larger minimums, 10,000 to 20,000 yards per color.
Color matching is an important part of the process, with the ability to color match to a customer supplied sample. BRM scans the sample and duplicates the color by creating a master batch formula and new standard sample that is sent to the customer for approval. The standards are maintained in a controlled file and used to match subsequent lots. All samples and dye lots are measured using a spectrophotometer to ensure that the dye lots match the standard numerical to within 1 (delta) of a 3-plane graphical model of yellow, blue, green, and light/dark. Color shades are also checked using the naked eye but with a controlled light source. Full testing with documentation is supplied, with a variety of available treatment offerings.
Helping to make the process even more rigorous is a proprietary polyester matrix, a searchable internal database tool with information on thousands of textiles collected and organized for comparative study. Every material that comes through the plant is measured and tested using ASTM testing methods. Records are kept of physical parameters like width, fiber content, tensile strength, thickness, weight, elongation, resistance to abrasion, and resistance to weathering.
Polyester Webbing Developed With Rigorous Project Planning, Control And Feasibility Process
BRM follows a rigorous project planning, control and feasibility (PPCF) process that allows experts to engineer products specific to customer requirements or specifications. Several new product development polyester items involved converting European specifications and materials to meet Berry-compliant requirements for US military applications. The company has developed Berry-compliant polyester webbing for seat belts used as lap belts in commercial and private airliners; harness webbing used in restraints for the military; ejection seat webbing for military air crafts; and polyester used in tie-down straps.
An interesting example is a flight suit application for which the customer required Berry-compliant webbing that also met British Standard specs for use in low elongation tensile structures within the suit. The company analyzed the samples as part of the PPCF process, then submitted it to the research and development team, which analyzed the samples to review its construction and compare it with the spec. From there the process ran through other pre-development steps, including a cost evaluation. The quote was issued and accepted, an order placed, and the job was scheduled.
The new Integrated Aircrew Ensemble (IAE) flight suit, designed to improve aircrew comfort and protection, will be integrated into various flight systems and used in all ejection seat aircraft. Likely to be adopted by the military over the long term, it is currently being issued to US aircrews, beginning with the F-22.1 This exciting project represents an excellent example of the uses of innovative polyester webbing.
Another example is a structural polyester tie-down for temporary medical and first responder shelters being designed during the COVID-19 pandemic. BRM secured the contract in part because of the changes it instituted to adapt to new conditions arising out of the COVID-19 outbreak.
An example of polyester webbing used in the medical industry.
The original inquiry came at the end of the March 2020 national business shut-down. BRM had already ceased factory operations to ensure workforce safety but was considered an essential business since it manufactures textile materials for the U.S. military, law enforcement, and medical devices.
The company had to meet its contractual obligations while still maintaining a safe working environment for employees. They were also concerned that any positive test result might set back their production schedules indefinitely until they could resolve contamination and complete containment traceability studies. The factory was running at 75 percent of pre-COVID productivity and the entire sales, customer service, and R&D team was working from home.
Before COVID, the entire PPCF design review process was paper based, routed sequentially through R&D, manufacturing, purchasing, quality, and costing, with each department responsible for identifying risks and project acceptability. Six routing paths could be used, based on the varying requirement of core customers, medical products, and aerospace applications. The process could take up to two weeks to complete.
Under the new normal imposed under COVID, this system was transformed to a completely electronic routing system completed with sequential review. The new system succeeded in shortening lead times from 10 to 14 days to 3 to 5 days. Furthermore, the system allows the salesperson initiating the process to view the routing status at any time and enables others to intercede at any point to solve any immediate problems.
BRM eventually won the polyester business for the shelters for two key reasons. First of all, the customer wanted to reshore the supply chain, and BRM provided a “Made in the USA” solution. Secondly, the quick, automated professional response to the inquiry during the height of a national crisis provided comfort to the new customer. After the customer satisfied its immediate demand requirements, they added on blanket order requirements that extend into 2021.
Rather than going back to its old ways of scoping out new business, the company will continue to use the positive changes made under difficult conditions to respond to a national emergency as a model for conducting business in the future have turned into the model that BRM plans to use in the future.
1 No more ‘flight suits,’ the Integrated Aircrew Ensemble makes debut, By Senior Airman John Linzmeier, 154th Wing Public Affairs / Published August 12, 2019.
Key components and efficient retrofit solutions for plant modernization in PET fiber extrusion.
TW Special Report
Breathable sports and outdoor clothing are in vogue. Combined with the “fast fashion motto” and the “mass instead of class principle”, this is creating increased demand for PET fibers worldwide. This, in turn, leads to an increase in production waste, as this is automatically generated during fiber production. For ecological and economic reasons, the fiber residues must be appropriately processed and reused, which in some cases poses major challenges for fiber manufacturers and processors. Several customers, including large fiber manufacturers in China and Belarus, have therefore decided to use key components from Germany-based Gneuss Kunststofftechnik GmbH. With these they were able to convert existing fiber lines with low investment costs, so that the complete fiber waste can be processed into high quality fibers. And this is even possible for the production of drawn yarns such as POY or FDY, where the use of recycled material has up to now not been possible.
In the past 20 years, total textile production has doubled, and from 2000 to 2016, the use of polyester for clothing alone rose from 8.3 to 21.3 million tonnes worldwide. At the same time, the public’s call for the avoidance of plastic waste is becoming louder and legal directives of the European Union are intended to put a stop to plastic waste. For example, in addition to the collection of plastic, glass, paper and metal, a separate collection system for textiles is to be implemented in all EU countries by 2025 to enable high-quality recycling. In addition, product manufacturers are being made more responsible through the environmental protection strategy of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). They are to ensure the entire life cycle of their product from manufacture to disposal so that goals such as ecological design and resource efficiency can be achieved more quickly. In addition to the recyclability of products, the use of recycled materials is one way to achieve these goals. However, this is precisely where problems often arise:
The demand for the increased use of recycled materials in textiles requires a sufficient and regular availability of these materials. Well available on the market is the recycled PET from beverage bottles, which is available in very good quality due to the clean collection systems. However, the increased use of r-PET, especially for packaging applications and textile fiber production, has led to a strong increase in demand in recent years, so that in addition to the increased market price, other recycled materials must now be used.
Possible Retrofit Of Key Components
Production processes that were previously designed only for the processing of virgin material and thus achieved consistently high qualities under known conditions, are now severely disturbed or interrupted by contamination and strongly fluctuating material qualities at a higher recycling rate. Constant mechanical properties and uniform dyeability of the fibers or special requirements such as very fine fibers or use in direct body contact can no longer be achieved with the existing production lines. Therefore, plants are required which on the one hand can process recycled material — even in lower quality — and on the other hand can generate a high-quality end product without impurities. This is exactly where the German company Gneuss comes in with its machine components for PET processing. The MRS Extruder with its high degassing and decontamination performance, powerful and automatically operating Rotary Filtration Systems, an Online Viscometer as well as the polycondensation unit Jump, which can ensure a targeted viscosity build-up of the PET melt of up to 0.3 dl/g, are available. Each of these machine components is available individually or in combination and can be retrofitted into an existing production line to adapt it to the changed requirements. In this way an ideal result can be achieved with comparatively low investment costs.
Shot taken during the installation of an MRS extrusion line at Suzhou Shenghong Fiber Co. Ltd, Jiangsu province, P.R.China
Main Component MRS Extruder
The extruder has a special task when processing PET fiber residues, since the plastic must not only be melted and homogenized, but if possible, also dehumidified and freed of volatile components if possible. While post-consumer waste can contain mainly moisture and a wide variety of solid dirt particles, production waste from fiber manufacture usually contains spinning oils, which are important for processing but make recycling more difficult. Regardless of which form of thermal cleaning of the waste material is required, the Multi Rotation System Extruder from Gneuss Kunststofftechnik takes over this task.
This is due to its special processing-technical design based on a single-screw extruder. Thanks to the enormously large melt surface created in the multi-screw section of the extruder, a high degassing and decontamination performance can be achieved and spinning oils can be effectively removed. No thermal pre-treatment of the residues is necessary. Among others, this was a good reason for the Belarusian processor Mogilevkhimvolokno located in Mogilev, one of the largest Eastern European producers of staple fibers, to retrofit an MRS 90 to its existing line. With a capacity of around 350 kg/h, all agglomerated fiber residues arising in production are processed, decontaminated and then re-polymerised to PET with a defined IV value in a polycondensation reactor without any further preparation. The situation is similar at the Chinese fiber producer Suzhou Shenghong Fiber Co. Ltd which operates an MRS 130 with a capacity of up to 800 kg/h. Here, too, the fiber waste is first shredded, melted in the MRS and thermally cleaned before it is brought back to the desired IV value in the polycondensation reactor and then processed into POY and FDY yarns. For the first time, stretched fibers with a high recycled content can be produced in this way.
MRS extruders are in use worldwide for processing PET waste materials. This is also the case with the South American company Valerio, which operates an MRS 90 with a capacity of 450 kg/h to produce staple fibers from very dirty bottle flakes.
Mechanical Cleaning Indispensable
Especially when using heavily contaminated bottle flakes, as is the case with the South American Gneuss customer, mechanical melt cleaning is indispensable. Valerio decided in favour of an RSFgenius 90 which, like all melt filtration systems from Bad Oeynhausen, operates with a rotating filter disc.
Especially in recycling applications, low material losses and infrequent filter element changes are important in order to ensure a high efficiency of the overall process. Therefore, the RSFgenius not only operates pressure- and process-constantly, but also carries out the cleaning of the filter elements fully automatically by means of an integrated back-flushing system. For this purpose, a small amount of filtered melt is regularly shot through the dirty screen by a high-pressure impulse over a narrow gap. The quantity required for this is freely adjustable and in practice corresponds to about 0.01 to 1 percent (with very high contamination) of the throughput. This means that the filter elements can be reused up to 400 times, depending on the filter fineness, which means fully automatic filtration without the need for personnel for several weeks in some applications.
Filter disc and filter elements of the fully automatic Rotary Filtration System RSFgenius
Even the two major fiber producers in Belarus and China are convinced by the machine component “filtration system,” which is also available as a separate unit and can be integrated into any existing line. They use an RSFgenius 90 resp. an RSFgenius 175 according to their throughput capacity and thus ensure a clean melt. This is especially essential for fiber production, as foreign particles could clog the spinneret and cause fiber breakage, which in turn would greatly reduce production efficiency.
Polyreactor JUMP for flexible IV increase and adjustment
Further Key Components Available
With its enormous know-how in PET processing, Gneuss not only advises its customers – which is very important especially for retrofit solutions — the machine manufacturer is always working on the further development of its machine components. In addition to the online viscometer, which records and controls the melt viscosity during production and, via a control system, readjusts the entire process in case of fluctuating viscosity, the polycondensation reactor Jump is one of the latest new developments. It is flanged directly to the extrusion unit and, with its sophisticated processing-technical concept, ensures a targeted viscosity build-up of the PET melt. The Jump thus represents a compact, economical and fast alternative to conventional SSP systems and enables the direct return of the residual materials into the production process. It can also be retrofitted to an existing line at any time.
In many markets, spinning mills are being confronted with a growing labor shortage and a lack of industry-specific expertise. Rieter understands these challenges that customers are facing and offers both automated machines and tailor-made automation and digitalization solutions.
Do you want to achieve high productivity and machine availability around the clock without being dependent on personnel? Do you want to produce yarn efficiently with fewer personnel or use your existing personnel for more important and more interesting tasks? The only way to do this is by automating processes on and between the machines. With its products and systems and by collaborating with companies such as Electro-Jet, Rieter offers automated, customer-specific solutions for the entire spinning process from a single source.
Figure 1: With different automation solutions on and between the machines, the number of operators can be reduced significantly.
Automated Spinning Mill Makes 44 Percent Personnel Savings
In a comparison, a spinning mill with just under 53,000 spindles for producing combed compact yarn was used and the effect of various automation solutions was evaluated. From the blowroom to the packed yarn package, Rieter automation solutions reduce the required number of personnel by 44 percent — from 54 to 30 operators (see Figure 1). Each type of automation solution is explained in more detail below.
Ring Spinning is Becoming More Attractive
There are three automation solutions available for ring spinning machines and compact-spinning machines: the piecing robot ROBOspin, the individual spindle monitoring system (ISM) and the Link interface. They allow a spinning mill with 53,000 spindles that produces combed compact yarn to reduce the number of operating personnel by a good 10 percent.
Figure 2: The piecing robot ROBOspin increases productivity and reduces personnel costs.
ROBOspin, the first fully automated piecing robot, repairs ends down fully automatically (see Figure 2). It therefore automates very unpopular work in the spinning mill, for which it is hard to find the personnel in many markets. ROBOspin consistently works around the clock to repair ends down that occur while the machine is running or during doffing. Spinning mills benefit in three key aspects: increased machine availability, higher productivity and a reduced burden on the personnel side, which in turn reduces personnel costs. The quality of the yarn piecer is consistent, and contamination or damage of the cops is a thing of the past. The new ring spinning machines G 37 and G 38 are available from the factory with ROBOspin. Retrofits are currently possible for the G 36. In the near future, the piecing robot will also be available for other ring spinning and compact-spinning machines.
ISM — a standard feature in Rieter ring spinning and compact-spinning machines today — increases the efficiency when repairing ends down. Unnecessary inspection rounds are no longer required, since the operator is guided to the spinning position with ends down via the shortest route. This is possible thanks to a three-stage display concept: on both ends of the machine, on each section and on each spinning position. In addition to the ability to quickly locate ends down, there are two other key aspects that make the work easier for the operators. The first aspect is the simplified detection of inefficient spinning positions. ISM enables ends down rates to be displayed on the panel. This means that spinning positions with high ends down rates can be identified quickly and the causes can be rectified immediately. The second aspect is the increase in the spindle speed and the resulting increase in productivity. The constant monitoring of the ends down rate helps to optimize the spinning speed. It can be adjusted so that the ends down rate does not lead to personnel being overburdened. ISM is integrated into new ring spinning and compact-spinning machines. Existing machines in the field can be retrofitted.
To transport the cops from the spinning machine to the winding machine, Rieter has been offering the proven Link interface for many years. The cops of the ring spinning machines and compact-spinning machines are automatically and directly transported to the winding machine. Manually moving cops in a transport trolley is no longer required. Here too, there is an additional benefit with regard to quality: as cop transport takes place without any contact, the quality of the yarn is not affected. Today, around 80 percent of Rieter machines are supplied with this automated solution.
Automation in the Combing Section
For the production of combed yarns, Rieter offers a fully automated combing set together with the lap transport system SERVOlap and the automated lap change and batt piecing system ROBOlap that is available for combers. Both systems are also available as a retrofit. In the combing section, personnel savings of up to 50 percent are therefore possible compared with the manual solution. SERVOlap transports eight of the laps produced in the combing preparation stage at a time to the combers automatically and without contact (see Figure 3).
Figure 4: With ROBOlap, Rieter is the only company to offer an automated batt piecing solution on the comber that has proven itself in the market.
Thanks to this, there is no need to laboriously transport four laps at a time in trolleys. Another benefit: There is no downtime at the combers due to a lack of new laps. Before the laps run empty, the comber automatically requests new laps from the SERVOlap. With ROBOlap, the entire process is no longer dependent on personnel. All eight laps are changed on the comber without delay and with consistent quality, and the batt is pieced up automatically. The comber stops just before the laps on the comber run empty. ROBOlap then sucks up the remaining batt that is located on the tubes; subsequently, the empty tubes are replaced with the full laps. The system checks where the start of the batt is located on the lap and rotates the laps into a specified position. The new batt is then pieced up pneumatically (see Figure 4). The spinning mill with 53,000 spindles used as an example can save on personnel by 1.5 percent using SERVOlap and ROBOlap.
Figure 5: SERVOtrail automates roving bobbin transport and saves space.
Economical and Flexible Roving Bobbin Transport
For spinning mills that produce ring and compact yarns, the modular roving bobbin transport system SERVOtrail makes the work much easier. It significantly reduces the distances that employees need to move. Additionally, SERVOtrail saves space, ensures free access to the spinning machines, and improves the ergonomic handling of the roving bobbins (see Figure 5). The automatic transport system ensures that the roving on the bobbins is not touched. A consistently good roving quality is guaranteed.
SERVOtrail is available in different technical variants and automation levels. The three most important systems are Circuit, Flexible and Direct. For spinning mills whose product range rarely changes, SERVOtrail Circuit offers simple, fixed bobbin circuits between one roving frame and three to four ring spinning machines. Spinning mills in which flexibility is important due to the fact that they process multiple product
ranges benefit from SERVOtrail Flexible. With this solution, any roving frame can supply any ring spinning machine. The fully automated variant for the most demanding customer requirements is SERVOtrail Direct. Roving bobbin trains are automatically positioned in the ring spinning machine and thereby replace the bobbin creel. There is no need to manually replace the empty tubes with full bobbins. SERVOtrail can lead to personnel savings of up to 30 percent in this process step, depending on the level of automation.
Figure 6: Palletizing systems simplify the work of the operators.
Automatic Palletizing and Packing
Downstream of the winding machine, palletizing systems and packing machines simplify the operators’ work. Individual palletizers directly downstream of the winding machine or spinning machine, or central palletizers including a transport system, allow packages to be efficiently loaded onto pallets. This protects the material while reducing costs and minimizing the risk of material mix-ups. The process can be completed with damping, weighing and packing systems. It is even possible to automatically pack the packages into boxes. Together with the customer, Rieter analyzes the individual requirements and evaluates which is the most suitable solution.
No Automation Without Digitalization
Spinning mills are increasingly struggling with bottlenecks with regard to specialists and operating personnel, particularly when it comes to machine maintenance and related inefficiencies in the process areas, such as in the storage of spare parts. In this regard, digital technologies are becoming increasingly more important. ESSENTIAL – Rieter Digital Spinning Suite is a single system for overcoming these challenges. Four different modules enable spinning mills to put together the right package for their requirements. The free module ESSENTIALbasic offers many features, such as the ability to order spare parts online. This saves time that can be used efficiently in other areas. The module ESSENTIALmonitor displays actual production, energy consumption and quality data while helping to plan maintenance work. It allows the efficiency of the system to be increased. The module ESSENTIALmaintain offers an intelligent maintenance solution and optimizes maintenance planning. The fourth module, ESSENTIALpredict, identifies machines that are not achieving the expected performance and shows solutions that will prevent a possible failure. This guarantees high quality and optimal efficiency, both now and in the future.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — August 12, 2020 — Stein Mart Inc. today announced that it and its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida – Jacksonville Division (the “Bankruptcy Court”). The company has filed customary motions with the Bankruptcy Court that will authorize, upon Bankruptcy Court approval, the company’s ability to maintain operations in the ordinary course of business, including, among other things, the payment of employee wages and benefits without interruption, payment of suppliers and vendors in the normal course of business, and the use of cash collateral. These motions are typical in the Chapter 11 process and the company anticipates that they will be approved shortly after the commencement of its Chapter 11 case.
Details on the company’s Chapter 11 process and go-forward strategy are as follows:
The company expects to close a significant portion, if not all, of its brick-and-mortar stores and, in connection therewith, the company has launched a store closing and liquidation process. The company, however, will continue to operate its business in the ordinary course in the near term; and
The company is evaluating any and all strategic alternatives, including the potential sale of its eCommerce business and related intellectual property.
Hunt Hawkins, CEO and CFO of Stein Mart Inc., said: “The combined effects of a challenging retail environment coupled with the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have caused significant financial distress on our business. The company has determined that the best strategy to maximize value will be a liquidation of its assets pursuant to an organized going out of business sale. The company lacks sufficient liquidity to continue operating in the ordinary course of business. I would like to thank all of our employees for their dedication and support.”
Additional details:
The company’s restructuring counsel is Foley & Lardner LLP, its restructuring advisor is Clear Thinking Group LLC and its investment banker is PJ SOLOMON.
Court filings and other documents related to the process are available at https://cases.stretto.com/SteinMart.
CHICAGO — August 13, 2020 — Boeing today today received a 2020 Sustainability Leadership Award from the National Association of Manufacturers. The award recognizes the company’s innovative efforts to recycle aerospace carbon fiber, diverting waste away from landfills across the globe.
Since 2018, Boeing has partnered with England-based ELG Carbon Fibre to recycle excess aerospace carbon fiber. Boeing collects the scrap material, which ELG then treats in a furnace to remove binding agents. The result of this process is clean material that can be sold to third parties to make products such as electronic accessories and automotive equipment.
“Boeing is demonstrating that you can be environmentally sustainable in a cost effective way,” said Bryan Scott, vice president of Environment, Health & Safety at Boeing. “We are the largest consumer of aerospace-grade composite and the only company able to recycle 100 percent of it.”
The carbon fiber recycling process has now been implemented at 11 of Boeing’s global airplane manufacturing sites. Most excess carbon fiber comes from sites in Australia, the Puget Sound region of Washington state, and Salt Lake City, Utah. Boeing will train companies on the recycling process, beginning with its supply chain.
“Creating commercially viable solutions for recycling carbon fiber composites is good for the industry and good for the environment — it’s a win-win,” said Tia Benson Tolle, director of Advanced Materials and Product Development at Boeing.
Boeing is working to achieve several environmental goals by 2025, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent; water use and solid waste to landfill by 20 percent; energy use by 10 percent; and hazardous waste at worksites by 5 percent. Boeing’s industry-leading fuel efficient product offerings and work with industry stakeholders are enabling aviation to achieve a global approach to carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onward and a 50-percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels.
