ITMA 2019 Exhibitor Preview: Kern-Liebers Textile

FRANKFURT, Germany — April 29, 2019 — Main Topics:

Casted and plastic blocks for the warp knitting industry

The product range from Saxonia, a specialist for accessories for the warp knitting industry, includes needles, guide needles, sinkers and blocks for all warp knitting applications.  Building on its extraordinarily long experience in development, the product range is being expanded continuously.

Because the warp knitting market is creating more and more complex end products, the technical requirements for these products, and in particular for blocks, are constantly increasing. Meeting these increased requirements again and again presents new challenges for our developers, but it also means that the company achieves the highest standards in terms of quality, the lifespan of our end products, and development expertise.

Flat knitting STOLL CMS

Kern-Liebers now offers the complete range of needles and parts for CMS machines

Flatbed knitting machine manufacturer Stoll and Kern-Liebers have been working together for decades. This long partnership between the two companies means that Kern-Liebers can offer the complete range of needles and parts for Stoll CMS machines, and it also means that all needles and spare parts meet 100 percent of OEM specifications. All components working in the needle bed are therefore available from a single source and are fully compatible with each other. Since 2018, this has also been the case for all holding down sinkers.  Kern-Liebers thus offers the best solution, not only for machine manufacturer Stoll, but also for all quality-conscious end users.

Quality of KERN-LIEBERS Textile means:

  • Highest demands in terms of product quality, evenness, rounding and tempering;
  • Renowned and proven KERN-LIEBERS quality for all needle bed elements;
  • OEM cooperation means we meet the toughest requirements and provide optimum consultation;
  • PAUL LEISTNER offers a comprehensive assortment of circular combs for cotton combing machines; and
  • Combs for different machine types of all leading combing machine manufacturers can be delivered.

Paul Leistner’s special expertise shows in the exact and repeatable configuration of the teeth and the accuracy of densities and projections. Thereby the tops can be kept extremely clean which is a prerequisite for an optimum spinning process.

Posted April 29, 2019

Source: Kern-Liebers Textile

Sustainability A Major Topic At Techtextil And Texprocess

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — April 29, 2019 — “Sustainability at Techtextil” and “Sustainability at Texprocess” are the two topics by which these international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens, and for the processing of textile and flexible materials, will be explicitly turning their focus for the first time onto their exhibitors’ approaches to sustainability. To this will be added a broad complementary program on this topic. Among those contributing will be major players in the industry, such as Kering, Lenzing and Zalando.

Fibers made of recycled polyester, bio-based high-tech textiles, water-conserving dyeing and finishing processes, functional and work clothing, using little or no solvents and adhesives: in the field of technical textiles, and when processing textile and flexible materials, more and more firms are adopting approaches to greater sustainability. Through “Sustainability and Techtextil” and “Sustainability at Texprocess” the leading international trade fairs, from May 14-17, will be demonstrating exactly these approaches taken by their exhibitors. In addition, numerous event formats will be taking up the topic of sustainability at both fairs.

Fair guide for selected exhibitors

In the run-up to Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitors at both fairs were able to submit their approaches and evidence of their work on every aspect of sustainability to the fairs’ organisers. An independent, international jury of experts on sustainability assessed the submissions, in accordance with the relevance and validity of current national and international product-sustainability labels, such as currently mainly Bluesign, Cradle-to-Cradle, EU Eco Label, ISO 14001, GOTS, GRS as well as SteP by Oeko-Tex.

Overall, 47 firms were selected, including 44 exhibitors at Techtextil and three at Texprocess. Visitors who are interested will find the selected firms in their own Fair Guide, which will be available at the Fair, via filter function under “Sustainability” in the online visitor search facility, and on both fairs’ apps. In addition, the exhibitors so selected will be publicizing their participation at their exhibition stands.

Members of the international jury of experts: Chairman: Max Gilgenmann, Consulting Service International Ltd. (Germany and China); Claudia Som, Empa (Switzerland); Jan Laperre, Centexbel (Belgium); Heike Illing-Günther, Textile Institute of Saxony (Sächsisches Textilinstitut e.V., Germany); Karla Magruder, Fabrikology (USA); Lauren Zahringer, SAC Social Apparel Coalition (Netherlands).

Techtextil Forum featuring theme of sustainability

Taking “Towards sustainability” as its motto, the Techtextil Forum on 14 May between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will be providing a series of contributions devoted exclusively to sustainable textile innovations. Chaired by Braz Costa, managing director of the Portuguese technology centre CITEVE, among the topics on the programme will be: textile recycling (TWD Fibres, Velener Textil), sustainable construction with wool (Minet S.A., Romania), sustainable textile coatings (Centexbel), biopolymers (RWTH Aachen University), traceability of GMO-free cotton (Hohenstein Institute) and low-cost, bio-based carbon fibres (Jules Verne Research Institute, France).

Techtextil Innovation Award

For the first time the Techtextil Innovation Award will be presented to two firms in the category of sustainability. The winners will be announced and the awards presented on the first day of the fair during the opening ceremony. During the whole time of the fair visitors will also be able to find out about the prize-winners and their award-winning projects at the Techtextil Innovation Award Exhibition Area in Hall 4.2.

Texprocess Forum with branch of Fashionsustain Conference

Through a branch of Fashionsustain Berlin, Messe Frankfurt’s conference on every aspect of sustainable textile innovations, the Texprocess Forum on the morning of the 14 May will be devoted exclusively to the theme of sustainability in the textile and fashion industries in all its aspects. The first keynote, “Sustainable innovation – a matter of survival”, will come from Micke Magnusson, co-founder of the Swedish start-up We are Spindye. Next, posing the question “Is Sustainability the Key to Textile Innovations?”, will come a discussion by leaders in the industry such as Clariant Plastics and Coatings, Indorama, Lenzing, Perpetual Global, Procalçado S.A., Kering und Zalando. Fashionsustain will be chaired among others by Karla Magruder, founder of Fabrikology International.

Innovation Roadshow features sustainable footwear production

Next at the Fashionsustain Conference fibre manufacturer Lenzing, knitting-machinery producer Santoni and shoe-component manufacturer Procalçado S.A. will be presenting the Innovation Roadshow, entitled “The Future of Eco-Conscious Footwear Manufacturing.” The roadshow will be supported by the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network. It will feature examples of the sustainable production process of a shoe, thus demonstrating how a fundamental change to sustainability can already be a reality in the fashion and textile industries today. The panel will be chaired by Marte Hentschel, founder of Sourcebook, the B2B network for the fashion industry.

In 2017 Techtextil and Texprocess welcomed a total of 1,789 exhibitors from 66 countries and over 47,500 visitors from 114 countries. At the coming event over 1,800 exhibitors from a total of over 60 countries and more than 47,500 visitors from more than 100 nations are expected.

Posted April 29, 2019

Source: Messe Frankfurt

ITMA 2019 Exhibitor Preview: FONG’S Europe

SCHWÄBISCH HALL, Germany — April 29, 2019 — At ITMA 2019 in Barcelona from June 20-26 FONG’S Europe, a member of CHTC FONG’S International Group, will be providing details of its new THEN Supratec LTM hydraulic long-tube dyeing machine.

This machine is distinguished by the ability to vary the angle of the Then Flexkier for either dry (jet) or wet (overflow) mode dyeing, in order to optimize the dye liquor ratio – from 1:15 down to 1:4 – depending on the materials being dyed.

This translates into considerable savings in auxiliaries, water and energy.

The Supratec LTM is suitable for the treatment of both woven and knitted fabrics ranging from the most sensitive articles to heavyweight materials within the weight range of 25 g/lm to 380 g/lm, and operates at very low tension due to the extremely low lifting height between the variable nozzle and the plaited fabric.

“Existing Supratec machines on the market are providing excellent performance for a wide range of delicate synthetic fabrics, from polyester to polyamide with high content of elastane,” said FONG’S Europe Director of Sales and Marketing Richard Fander. “Heat-setting can often can be avoided, which improves the handle of the material and saves costs and the lengthwise-elongation of the fabric being treated is lower than on winch-driven machines.”

The machine’s automatic plaiting system for one and two transport tubes is equipped with a frequency-controlled driving motor for variable speed adjustment and eliminates the danger of any fabric entanglements, he adds.

Each kier has a capacity of up to 230kg, again depending on the fabric being treated, and operating speeds are from 80 up to 600 meters a minute.

This year, FONG’S Europe, which is based in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its flagship THEN brand for advanced dyeing technology.

The company will introduce the new THEN Smartflow TSF hydraulic high temperature dyeing machine in Barcelona. This is distinguished by a range of patented new features and designed to achieve the lowest possible energy and water consumption rates available on the market for jet dyeing.

Fong’s Europe will be at stand D101 in Hall 2 at ITMA 2019.

Posted April 29, 2019

Source: Fong’s Europe

Overseas Brands Set To Exhibit At June’s China International Nonwovens Expo

HONG KONG — April 29, 2019 — Returning for its third edition this June 3-5 in Shanghai is the China International Nonwovens Expo & Forum (CINE – supported by Techtextil), with around 100 exhibitors and 4,000 trade buyers expected to take part. This specialist trade fair and concurrent two-day forum program for the nonwovens industry will showcase the latest products and technologies for nonwovens and nonwoven products, raw materials and chemicals for nonwovens, and machinery and ancillaries for nonwovens. The 7th China International Nonwovens Conference will also take place on June 3-4.

Due to the support of Messe Frankfurt’s Techtextil brand, as well as CCPIT, the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), CINE is well regarded by key players within the Chinese nonwovens industry. As such, the event attracts leading domestic and international brands to exhibit, which this year include Beautiful Nonwoven, Broadenwin, CHT Germany GmbH, CHTC (China Textile Machinery Group), Enka Technica, Hangzhou Senrun Nonwoven Technology, Huayang New Materials, Pinghu Zhanpeng Hot Melt Adhesive Web & Film, Reifenhäuser Reicofil, Shandong Taipeng Nonwoven, Shandong Haiwei Hygiene New Material, Shangdong Yongxin, SICAM, Tungray, Vogelsang, Xingtai Non-Woven Products and Yaolong Nonwoven.

German and Italian suppliers to showcase their competitive advantages

Many nonwovens producers in China still favor the expertise of European machinery, plant and component suppliers to ensure they meet the quality and sustainability expectations of their export orders. The fair has therefore attracted a number of quality exhibitors this edition, including:

  • Reifenhäuser Reicofil, a new exhibitor at CINE, is a leading provider of complete nonwoven, meltblown and composite lines suitable for the manufacture of spunbonded fabric, meltblown and composites. They will showcase their RF5 spunbond lines, RF4 / RF5 meltblown lines and RF5 composite lines at the fair.
  • Vogelsang, another new exhibitor from Germany, is a specialist in individually configurable machines, plants and systems for the agricultural, biogas, industrial, transportation and wastewater sectors. At CINE, their booth will feature their foam mixer as well as their non-food mixer. The latter is patented, and boasts a completely new and dynamic oscillation process.
  • Returning to CINE in 2019 is German company Enka Technica, one of the world’s leading specialty providers of spinnerets and precision components. They offer a broad spectrum of spinnerets and spinning packs for spunbond and meltblown technologies, including spinnerets, distributor plates, perforated plates, coat hangers and complete spinning beams, as well as jet strips for hydroentangling.
  • SICAM from Italy will participate in CINE for the first time, and are manufacturers of machinery and complete plants for the textile and nonwoven industries.

Potential in Medtech sector attracts strong exhibitor line-up

According to CNITA, the medical, healthcare and elderly care sector is one of the top growth industries in China for nonwovens at present. As such, a number of leading suppliers will feature at CINE this year, including:

  • CHT Germany: offering innovative and high-grade chemicals, auxiliaries and additives, at CINE they will showcase spin finishes for spunbond and other nonwovens used in hygiene and medical applications. Among their highlighted items is their DURON SL 4069 product which represents the latest generation of permanently hydrophilic spin finishes.
  • Hangzhou Senrun Nonwoven Technology: a manufacturer of eco-friendly, flushable spunlace nonwovens, their products are suitable for wet wipes, medical applications, beauty care, household cleaning and more.
  • Pinghu Zhanpeng Hot Melt Adhesive Web & Film: they will feature hotmelt adhesive web and film, and elastic nonwovens for bonding or lamination. Their TPU elastic meltblown nonwoven fabric is OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100-certified.
  • Reifenhäuser Reicofil: is the globally leading provider of complete nonwoven, meltblown and composite lines. Their possible area of application ranges from hygiene, medicine and agriculture to industry.
  • Shandong Haiwei Hygiene New Material: specialists in producing PE breathable film and a range of breathable nonwovens that are suitable for the fields of hygiene, medical, protective packing and more. They will highlight their breathable SF SFS product with high resistance, high breathability and high antistatic properties which is suitable for gravure / flexo printing at the fair.
  • Xingtai Non-Woven Products: have production lines for SS, SSS, SMS, SMMS and SSMMS nonwoven fabrics, spunlace nonwoven fabrics and 3D perforated nonwoven fabrics for medical, hygiene and other products. At CINE, they will be highlighting their ‘silk-soft’ nonwoven fabric for baby diapers.

This year CINE will take place in a new venue, the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing, located conveniently between Hongqiao airport and downtown Shanghai.

The China International Nonwovens Expo & Forum (CINE – supported by Techtextil) is organised by the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA); the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA); and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.

Posted April 29, 2019

Source: Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.

The Ancient Silk Town In Jiangsu Is Bursting Out With New Vigor

NANJING, China — April 25, 2019 — Waterproof and breathable clothes, shiny running shoes, Qipao that can change color according to temperature. These things, which look like they’re only available in a science museum, come from a fabric lab of an old silk town. These high-tech fabrics were also presented at the Suzhou Creative & Design Cultural Industry Expo held in Suzhou on April 19.

Shengze, the southernmost part of Jiangsu, is in the core area of the Yangtze River Delta, a silk textile town with a long history. According to the Management Committee of Eastern Silk Market, on April 18, a group of well-known foreign photographers entered Shengze and captured the new changes in this ancient silk town with their cameras. Through the development of new technology fabrics such as “science and technology, ecology, environmental protection”, Shengze is constantly broadening its influence in the world.

In China, Shengze used to be well-known for its developed silk weaving and prosperous silk trade as early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The ancient silk town, together with Suzhou, Hangzhou and Huzhou, were called China’s four major silk capitals. According to Wu Jinkuan, the Assistant General Manager of Shengze Oriental Textile City, after years of development, with only 2% of the population of Beijing, this town owns over 2,500 textile enterprises of various types nowadays, with 3.25 million tons of spinning capacity, 12 billion meters of weaving capacity and 3 billion meters of finishing capacity. It has initially formed a complete industrial chain from silk reeling, chemical fibre spinning, weaving, printing and dyeing, fabric deep processing to garment products.

In order to continuously enhance its innovative vitality, the town has 17 state-level postdoctoral workstations, accounting for one third of the total number of postdoctoral workstations in the region, with many “world top 500” enterprises and well-known enterprises in China, such as SAINTJOY, a brand that was born in 1889 and now works successfully with designers of FENDI and COACH. The Oriental Textile City actively helps enterprises to open domestic and foreign markets by expanding the upstream and downstream circulation channels of the industrial chain. Through holding the China-ASEAN Textile Purchasing Festival, more than 120 textile and apparel purchasing enterprises from nine ASEAN countries were attracted, and a textile industry cooperation base was established. A series of multi-stage material purchasing docking meetings were held in Dandong, Liaoning, Changshu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, to build an interactive platform for domestic and foreign trade. To achieve face-to-face exchanges between urchasers and enterprises in the textile market, Shengze’s original silk textiles has now won great reputation, and gradually become world-renowned.

At present, Shengze has become the main production & export base of silk textiles in China and is striding forward to becoming the largest and world-famous silk textile production base.

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: The Management Committee of Eastern Silk Market

My Size Announces Executive Personnel Changes, New Sales Manager

AIRPORT CITY, Israel — April 25, 2019 — My Size Inc., the developer and creator of smartphone measurement solutions, today announced several personnel changes at the executive level of the company.

Billy Pardo has been named COO, as approved by the board of directors on April 15, 2019. Pardo has served as My Size’s chief product officer since 2013 and will continue in that role along with her new responsibilities as COO.

The company also announced that Eli Turchinsky has been named chief technology officer, replacing Oded Shoshan, who served as My Size CTO since 2014. Turchinsky joined My Size in 2018 as the director of technology. He previously served as CTO of Monkeytech, a mobile/web development company.

“We are pleased to appoint both Billy and Eli to their new roles, and to further strengthen the executive leadership of the company as we put an increased focus on sales initiatives and product development,” said Ronen Luzon, CEO, My Size. “As we continue through an important time of market penetration and growth, we will rely on the expertise of both Billy and Eli to help push My Size toward its goal of broad adoption throughout the fashion and apparel industries.”

My Size has also hired Emily Tene as sales manager, U.S. (west coast), to focus on introducing My Size’s suite of smartphone solutions to U.S. businesses seeking innovative technologies within fashion and retail. Prior to joining My Size Tene served in a variety of sales roles within the fashion and retail space, building and maintaining client relationships, growing a book of business and clientele, and overseeing operational responsibilities. Tene’s hire is the third such prominent sales position filled at My Size since December of last year, as the company continues to ramp up sales initiatives for its market-ready solutions.

“We welcome Emily to the My Size team, as we believe her experience in the fashion and apparel markets will help create meaningful client relationships for us moving forward,” said Luzon. “We are continuing to dedicate resources to sales initiatives both in the U.S. and beyond, as we seek revenue opportunities through our monthly licensing programs for our smart mobile measurement technologies.”

Additionally, My Size has hired five full-stack mobile/web developers to bolster its development team and bring its R&D initiatives fully in-house. This group will focus efforts on the continued refinement of current My Size technologies, as well as product development for new solutions.

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: My Size Inc.

Texprocess 2019 Exhibitor Preview: Gerber

TOLLAND, Conn. — April 25, 2019 — From fashion to furniture and transportation interiors to industrial textiles, speed has become the new normal and personalization has become a consumer’s expectation. By definition trends are always changing, but today the pace of what’s trending is accelerating. In order for companies to excel in this era, they need to transform their processes to create quickly and produce with both agility and scalability. Next month, at Texprocess in Frankfurt in Hall 4.0 – Stand B31, Gerber Technology will showcase their industry-leading, end-to-end solution to support on-demand bespoke design through production as well as mass production. Gerber will also play an integral role in the “Smart Textiles Micro-Factory” exhibit.

“At Gerber we have always put our customers at the center of what we do, providing them with industry-leading, innovative solutions they need to meet today’s challenges,” said Mohit Uberoi, CEO of Gerber Technology. “We are empowering our customers to create and produce in an instant through our one-of-a-kind, end-to-end solution, allowing them to become a leader in innovation.”

Gerber Technology is pioneering the end-to-end process by providing their customers with a full suite of cutting-edge solutions that increase creativity, productivity and efficiency. The 50-year-old industry leader will be showcasing how their end-to-end solutions passed a real world test as they reveal the Waldrip Collection by Gerber. The collection is a collaboration between Gerber and designer Stephanie London. Every piece has been designed, developed, and produced with Gerber’s end-to-end solutions. Several garments were produced using Gerber’s unique digital print workflow that enables customized garment production with speed and sustainable practices. Other pieces were produced using integrated small batch production workflows, enabling Stephanie to adapt to trends and scale production to accommodate the demands of her consumer.

Gerber will be exhibiting the industry-leading, integrated end-to-end solution on the market that seamlessly takes you from design to print to cut. With an aggressive product launch schedule planned for the year ahead, they will present a number of their latest integrated technologies. These will include the newest releases of YuniquePLM® product lifecycle management software, as well as AccuMark®, the industry-leading pattern design, grading, marker making and production planning software, AccuMark 3D and AccuPlan™.

All software is seamlessly integrated to the production floor, where Gerber will be showcasing the world’s first fully integrated print-to-cut workflow that will feature a Mimaki direct-to-textile printer and the GERBERcutter® Z1 with ContourVision™. These two solutions will be seamlessly connected using Gerber’s PrintSync concept.

This Industry 4.0 enabled, automated scan-to-cut system allows manufacturers to scan custom textiles, generate cut files automatically and cut directly from textile rolls. The PrintSync device on the single-ply Z1 integrates the printing and cutting process into a single step, increasing throughput and reducing labor. PrintSync is printer agnostic and can connect with any direct-to-textile printer with in-line drying capability.

In addition to their booth, Gerber will also be a key contributor to the “Smart Textiles Micro-Factory” exhibit, located in the passage between Halls 4.1 and 5.1. The GERBERcutter Z1 will play an integral role in helping produce a smart pillow. The micro-factory was created by RWTH Aachen University in collaboration with partners from the industry.

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: Gerber Technology

ITMA 2019 Exhibitor Preview: Eltex

OSBY, Sweden — April 26, 2019 — Eltex of Sweden will introduce a yarn tension monitoring system for woven fabrics with a big difference at ITMA 2019 from June 20-26 in Barcelona, Spain.

Unlike yarn tension monitors that are fitted solely on the weft insertion systems of the weaving machines in a modern mill, Eltex is introducing the EyE™ system for the warping process prior to weaving — and instead of monitoring only the tension of the six-to-eight yarns fed by the weft insertion system they are keeping a close eye on literally hundreds.

“Several hundred yarns can be fed from the creels during the warping process compared to only a few weft insertion yarns during weaving,” explained Brian Hicks, managing director of Eltex. “In 2015 we decided to broaden our portfolio and move into multiple end application in the warp preparation in response to customer demand. It’s obviously a much different process, but we completed development in Spring 2018 and in less than a year have had better than expected demand from a diverse sub-set of markets, with a first full installation already operational at a premier UK fashion customer.”

With warping that can operate at speeds of 500 meters a minute, the yarn tension values from all yarns are continuously updated and displayed on a screen. Tension values outside the warning level are indicated both on the sensor’s LEDs and on the screen. It is possible to expand a sector of the display to have a detailed view including the position ID and the cN value for the yarns in this sector.

“Tension monitoring for multiple ends has been a great challenge to achieve but we’re confident the system will generate a lot of interest at ITMA 2019,” Hicks said. “Perhaps the biggest challenge of all has been getting such a comprehensive system — with a sensor for each individual yarn — down to an acceptable price for the industry, but I’m happy to say, we’re there now. The EyE will allow mills to greatly reduce problems, not only when warping, but also in the subsequent weaving or tufting processes.

With its research and development work primarily carried out at its headquarters in Osby, Sweden, and North American sales and service operated from its subsidiary in South Carolina, the manufacturing plant of Eltex has been located at Templemore in Ireland since 1976, providing significant advantages in terms of high flexibility and logistical services to customers on both sides of the Atlantic.

Eltex is a member of TMAS — the textile machinery association of Sweden, which will have a significant presence at ITMA 2019 in Barcelona.

“The latest technologies being developed by Eltex perfectly illustrate how Sweden’s long tradition and history of textile production are being combined with a good climate for innovation,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “There will be many more innovations on show from our members at ITMA 2019.”

Eltex will be at stand B102, in Hall 4 at the Barcelona exhibition.

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: Eltex

ITMA 2019 Exhibitor Preview: TMAS — The Swedish Textile Machinery Companies

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — April 26, 2019 — A focus on customer service, aligned with the drive to constantly innovate, has long ensured that the member companies of TMAS — the Swedish texile machinery manufacturers’ association — stay well ahead of the curve.

“All of the Swedish textile machinery companies are doing really well in major markets such as Europe, China, India and the USA,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “They are now gathering forces to prepare for the most important show — ITMA 2019 in Barcelona in June. I expect to see new players and partnerships as we enter the industry 4.0 era for real. We are ready to display an even higher degree of the real time monitoring of processes, automation, flexible customisation, and the incorporation of robots into production lines.  Our customers expect a lot of in terms of knowledge and our ability to customise and offer turnkey solutions.”

The forward-looking attitude of the Swedish companies is perhaps best summed up by Reimar Westerlind, the owner, since 1961, of ACG Gruppen.

At the age of 90, Reimar still travels to his office every day to oversee the operations of the diverse companies operating under the ACG umbrella.

“Everything now is about automation and digitization,” he says. “We have to be on that track or we will be lost — innovate or die.”

Robotics

One ACG Gruppen company moving rapidly forward with new innovations in this area is ACG Kinna, which at ITMA 2019 will be providing dramatic live demonstrations of its new robotic pillow filling system.

This has the ability to fill and finish some 3,840 pillows per eight-hour shift, which is a considerable improvement on what is currently possible with existing systems, resulting in significant savings in both labour and energy for busy home textile businesses.

“There has been much talk about the potential of Industry 4.0 enabled by advanced software, but I believe we are at the forefront of pioneering it in the textile industry,” says ACG Kinna CEO Christian Moore. “The use of robotics is now standard across many industries dealing in solid goods, but the handling of soft materials such as textiles is a little more complex. Nevertheless, we have already begun commercial shipments of our new system and we believe it will make a real splash at ITMA 2019.”

“Successful Swedish brands such as IKEA and H&M ensure that we are constantly on our toes and this latest technological breakthrough from ACG Kinna Automatic is a good example of how Industry 4.0 is helping our companies to further develop their products,” adds TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “The latest Eton Systems concepts for fully automated work flows in finished garments and textile-based products are another strong example of this.”

At ITMA 2019, Eton will be demonstrating a complete material handling solution with advanced software providing real-time information covering every aspect of the process.

“Our systems are a natural fit with the major Industry 4.0 networked manufacturing plants that are now being constructed worldwide for sectors such as the garment and home textiles manufacturing and automotive industries,” says Eton’s Sales and Commercial Director Roger Ryrlén.

Sensors

Advanced senor developments are playing a large part in moving many areas of the textile industry forward too.

Eltex of Sweden, for example, is achieving considerable success with its yarn fault detection and tension monitoring systems across a range of sectors, including the tufting of carpets, the creeling of woven materials and even the production of woven reinforcements for the composites industry.

“Unlike scanning inspection systems, we are monitoring each individual yarn position in real time,” says Eltex managing director Brian Hicks. “As a consequence, we have concentrated on the further miniaturisation of our sensors, as will be demonstrated at ITMA 2019.”

At successive ITMA shows, IRO AB has also consistently introduced new milestones in the field of yarn feeding technology for weaving machines, and ITMA 2019 will be no exception.

“Following significant investment in our R&D capabilities, we have been making great progress in further boosting the efficiency and performance of our expanding X3 range,” says IRO AB Managing Director and Chairman of TMAS Mikael Äremann. “I can’t remember a time since the 1980s when we had so many new innovations to unveil at an ITMA, and I’m greatly looking forward to the positive response to them we are anticipating in Barcelona this June.”

Resource savings

ITMA 2019 will meanwhile see the launch of TexCoat G4 — the next generation of Baldwin Technology’s non-contact precision application system for fabric finishing. The TexCoat G4 enables a continuously high-quality and productive textile finishing process with zero chemistry waste and minimized water and energy consumption.

The non-contact spray technology brings a range of advantages including single or double-sided application,  the elimination of Foulard bath contamination, low wet pick-up levels leading to the elimination of drying steps, zero chemistry waste in changeovers of chemistry, colour or fabric, and the possibility of batch reporting, visibility of pad loading, chemical usage etc.

“We are immensely proud to be launching the TexCoat G4 at ITMA 2019,” says Eric Norling, Baldwin’s segment leader for precision application technology. “This is an opportunity to assess innovation-enhancing productivity, while saving valuable resources and contributing to a sustainable future. The TexCoat G4 can process a wide range of low-viscosity water-based chemicals, such as water-repellents, softeners, anti-microbial and more.”

Other TMAS companies exhibiting in Barcelona include Texo AB, whose wide-width weaving looms make the belts for machines on which half of the world’s paper is made, ES-Automatex, which specialises in bespoke automation concepts and Svegea, a company leading the field in a number colarette machines and cutting and slitting equipment.

“At the last ITMA in 2015 in Milan, there was much talk about Industry 4.0 technologies but certainly from the perspective of TMAS, ITMA 2019 will be the place for concrete solutions as to how data and the new tools we have available can be exploited to the full,” says Therese Premler-Andersson. “There is already much more networking between the companies, with software very much the enabler and common interfaces bringing ideas closer together. We are greatly looking forward to further exchanges of ideas when meeting with customers old and new in Barcelona.”

Members of the Textile Machinery Association of Sweden at ITMA 2019:

ACG Kinna Automatic AB        H3 D239          kinnaautomatic.com

Baldwin Technology  AB         H2 A204          baldwintech.com

Eltex of Sweden AB                H4 B102          eltex.se

ES Automatex Solution AB     H3 C250           automatex.com

Eton Systems AB                    H2 A214          etonsystems.com

IRO AB                        H4 A206b        iroab.com

Svegea of Sweden AB            H3 D250          svegea.se

Texo AB                                   H5 A101          texo.se

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: TMAS, The Swedish Textile Machinery Association

Arville And Svegea – Finding New Angles On What Technical Textiles Can Do

UDDEVALLA, Sweden/WETHERBY, England — April 26, 2019 — Arville Textiles has recently taken delivery of a new wide-width bias cutting and winding line in order to meet the demand for advanced technical textiles that are employed in a range of components by the aerospace and automotive industries.

The line is being supplied by Svegea of Sweden, a member of TMAS, the Swedish textile machinery association.

Bespoke products

Privately-owned Arville, which is headquartered in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, England, is currently going from strength-to-strength in the supply of bespoke products for specialised markets, based on its long-standing and highly-integrated expertise in design, circular and flat weaving, coating and fabrication, at five plants in the north of England.

“We have achieved a 30-percent increase in turnover over the past three years and we are on track to achieve a further 10-percent growth this year, despite the uncertainty that Brexit is causing for us here in the UK,” says Arville’s head of marketing Andy Smith. “We are building on this success with a solid investment programme that has seen the installation of new weaving looms, warping equipment and a new finishing stenter, as well as the new bias cutting and winding line from Svegea.”

Originally founded back in the 1950s as a weaver of heavyweight cotton fabrics for uniforms for the public transport services industries in the United Kingdom, Arville has been training its focus on niche and highly-specialized technical textile applications since the advent of synthetic fibers.

Today, it supplies bespoke fabrics  to over 50 countries, with its major customers involved in manufacturing high performance  products and components for the aerospace, automotive, medical, filtration, personal protection and industrial sectors.

“Our approach is always to determine exactly what customers require in terms of performance and function, by exploring all the potential parameters in respect of weight, tensile strength, chemical and thermal resistance etc.,” said Smith.

“The aim is to design something that meets the customer’s needs exactly. We enjoy a challenge so the more complex and demanding it needs to be, the more we can leverage our technical expertise. We cast a very exacting eye over the manufacturing process, ensuring that  ISO processes are applied throughout,  with stringent quality assurance checks to back this up. Our integrated approach of design, weaving, coating and fabrication makes us unique in the UK.”

From apparel to technical

By coincidence, Svegea of Sweden was founded around the same time as Arville, and now has over 60 years of experience in exclusively designing, manufacturing and installing the highest quality collarette and band cutting machines, as well as other specialised systems such as the new installation at Arville.

Svegea’s cutting machines have traditionally been employed to make components for apparel such as waistbands, cuff and neck tapes and other seam reinforcements, but increasingly, the emphasis has been on products for technical end-uses.

The special bias cutting machine which is being installed at Arville is based on an ingenious system in which circular woven materials are fed to the cutter via a revolving winder and slit at angles, so that both the warp and weft of the weave are skewed at specified angles rather than just in the vertical and horizontal directions, as is usual.

This allows the slit fabrics to drape and form much more easily to the complex shapes of components such as circular rubber hoses and special diaphragms and seals which are employed in the aerospace and automotive industries, and for which they act as critical reinforcements.

“Our ability to produce tubular fabric which is cut on the bias allows us to provide textiles which not only have improved drape and elasticity properties for complex and intricate shapes, but also offers ways to reduce our customers’ production costs by eliminating unnecessary wastage from the manufacturing process,” Smith said. “Pre-cutting the fabric to a specific bias reduces extra handling of the fabric in further processes, saving our customers both valuable production time and costs.”

“This is a much bigger and wider bias cutter than we usually supply, but it’s a good example of the number of specialised machines we are now installing in Europe where we are definitely experiencing a boom,” added Hakan Steene, managing director of Svegea of Sweden. “Even in our traditional area of collarette machines for apparel making up, Industry 4.0 is seeing new business arise in developed markets where for many years it has been uncompetitive.”

Both Arville and Svegea will be at the forthcoming Textextil and Texprocess exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany, from May 14-17. Arville will be at Hall 3.1, stand G15 and Svegea in Hall 4.0, at stand D68.

As a member of TMAS, Svegea will also be at the ITMA 2019 textile machinery exhibition in Barcelona, Spain, from June 20-26, at stand D250 in Hall 3.

“Svegea continues to find major niche markets for its advanced cutting systems which go way beyond their original intended purpose,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “The company is a great example of the TMAS attitude of being always open to new ideas and applying fresh thinking based on many years of engineering know-how.”

Posted April 27, 2019

Source: Svegea Of Sweden — Member Of TMAS, The Swedish Textile Machinery Association

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