The third edition of the biennial exhibition ITMA Asia + CITME will welcome the global textile
industry June 12-16, 2012, to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) in Shanghai’s
Pudong district. Recognized as the largest international textile machinery showcase in Asia, the
show combines two previously independently produced events — the International Textile Machinery
Exhibition (ITMA) Asia and the China International Textile Machinery Exhibition (CITME) — in an
effort to more effectively promote textile machinery and technology in Asia and strengthen
cooperation between international textile and textile machinery industries.

The event’s owners — the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers (CEMATEX); the
Sub-Council of Textile Industry, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade
(CCPIT-TEX); China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA); and China International Exhibition Center
Group Corp. (CIEC) — have once again selected the Beijing Textile Machinery International
Exhibition Co. Ltd. (BJITME) and co-organizer MP International Pte Ltd to organize the event. The
Japan Textile Machinery Association (JTMA) also is a partner organization involved in the event.

ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 welcomed 82,000 visitors to see the products and services of 1,171
exhibitors.

“Having held two successful presentations of the ITMA Asia + CITME combined show in 2008 and
2010, we are confident that the upcoming exhibition will create enhanced and new marketing and
networking opportunities for both Chinese and international textile and textile machinery
manufacturers, especially those offering eco-friendly solutions,” said Stephen Combes, president,
CEMATEX. “The combined show has been highly recognised by leading textile and textile machinery
industry players as it offers them a cost-effective showcase for their products and services in
Asia. With the recovery of the world economy and the beginning of China’s 12th Five-Year Plan, we
are confident that the combined show will score another success.”

Exhibitors And Visitors


ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 saw 1,171 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions — the greatest
number of which came from China, Germany, Italy, Taiwan and Japan; and 82,000 visitors from 99
countries and regions. The greatest number of overseas visitors came from India, Japan, Taiwan,
Thailand and Korea. More than 20 percent of visitors were from overseas.

Show organizers expect more than 1,300 companies from approximately 30 economies will exhibit
at the 2012 edition, filling approximately 130,000 square meters of floor space in 11 halls at
SNIEC. As of Textile World’s press time, more than 100 prospective exhibitors are on the wait list.

Chinese companies have reserved nearly 50 percent of the available exhibit space. Companies
from Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Japan form the next-largest exhibitor group. Spinning will be
the most strongly represented sector at the show, followed by knitting, dyeing and finishing,
weaving, and winding.

(left to right) ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 Supervisory Committee members Xu Yingxin, A.E.
Roberts, Wang Shutian and He Cailong

Show organizers expect nearly 100,000 visitors from all sectors of the global textile
industry to attend ITMA Asia + CITME 2012. To ensure high-quality visitors, guests will be required
to pay a small fee for an entry badge. Visitors may select a five-day pass for 100 renminbi or a
single-day pass for 50 renminbi. Both passes are available at a 40-percent discount if guests
register online prior to June 8. Visitors registering online also will be able to print a badge
prior to the show.

“The combined show is now well entrenched in the textile machinery exhibition calendar,” said
Maria Avery, secretary general, CEMATEX. “It draws leading textile machinery manufacturers and is a
must-attend showcase for the Asian market, offering plenty of business and networking
opportunities.”

Product Categories


Products will be arranged into 17 chapters as follows:

• Chapter 1 – Machinery for spinning preparation, man-made fiber production and spinning; and
  auxiliary machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 2 – Machinery for winding, texturing and twisting; and auxiliary machinery and
  accessories;
• Chapter 3 – Machinery for web formation, bonding and finishing of nonwovens and felting; and
  auxiliary machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 4 – Machinery for weaving preparation, weaving and tufting machinery; and auxiliary
  machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 5 – Knitting and hosiery machinery, auxiliary machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 6 – Embroidery machinery, auxiliary machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 7 – Braiding machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 8 – Machinery for washing, bleaching, dyeing, printing, drying, finishing, cutting,
  rolling and folding; and auxiliary machinery and accessories;
• Chapter 9 – Garment-making machinery, other textile processing machinery, auxiliary machinery
  and accessories;
• Chapter 10 – Laboratory testing and measuring equipment and accessories;
• Chapter 11 – Transport, handling, logistics, storing and packing equipment and
  accessories;
• Chapter 12 – Equipment for recycling, waste reduction, and pollution prevention; and
  accessories;
• Chapter 13 – Software for design, data monitoring, processing and integrated production;
• Chapter 14 – Dyestuffs and chemical products for the textile industry;
• Chapter 15 – Equipment and products to ensure machinery and plant operations;
• Chapter 16 – Services for the textile industry; and
• Chapter 17 – Research and educational institutions.

ITMA Asia + CITME 2012 organizers affirm that intellectual property (IPR) infringements will
not be tolerated, and stringent regulations will be enforced. An active IPR office again will be
available onsite to assist exhibitors who have suspected patent issues. Exhibitors may photograph
and film their own stands but are prohibited from photographing and filming other exhibitor’s
stands.

Blaise Godet, Switzerland’s ambassador to China (center), and Christian Kuoni, CEO, Jakob
Müller AG, and president, SWISSMEM Textile Machinery Division (right), at Jakob Müller’s booth at
ITMA Asia + CITME 2010

Growing Machinery Market


According to San Jose, Calif.-based market research firm Global Industry Analysts Inc., the
global textile machinery market is predicted to reach US$20.75 billion by 2015, with the Asia
Pacific region comprising the largest market.

The 2010 International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics from The International Textile
Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), Switzerland, indicate that global machinery demand is on the
upswing, and that significant investments have been made in short-staple spindles, open-end rotors,
texturing spindles, shuttleless looms, circular knitting machines and electronic flat knitting
machines.

“Currently, the textile machinery industry report card is looking much better compared to the
previous two years,” said CEMATEX Board Member Fritz Mayer. “[ITMF’s statistics] show that
investments, which were reduced during the 2008 crisis, have picked up significantly. In fact, I’ve
been told that a number of machinery manufacturers have full order books, with delivery times, in
some cases, of up to two years.

“As the global economy continues to show strong signs of recovery, we expect our 2012 edition
to be even bigger than the previous showcase in 2010,” he added.

For more information about ITMA Asia + CITME 2012, visit
itmaasia.com.

March/April 2012

Since the invention of the spinning mule, or mule jenny, in 1779 by Samuel Crompton, the textile
machinery industry has worked to develop faster and more reliable and flexible spinning
technologies. Air-jet spinning is the latest answer in this endeavor.

Over decades and centuries, ring spinning became the cornerstone of spinning, accompanied by
open-end or rotor spinning. Both technologies have their own fields of end-uses, and ring spinning
has been boosted further with the development of compact spinning, resulting in much less yarn
hairiness thanks to its reduced, or compact, spinning triangle. In the 1990s, a new technology
appeared on the market: air-jet spinning, the so-called Vortex technology from Japan-based Murata
Machinery Ltd. In October 1997, Murata revealed its development of the Murata Vortex Spinner (MVS),
an air-vortex spinning frame for cotton.


Over time, Murata established a niche market for these special yarns and claimed success for
the technology. Modifications to the Vortex technology in the late 1990s resulted in significant
changes in yarn structure compared with first-generation yarn structures. These modifications
enabled twist to be imparted more effectively to the outer surface of the yarn, which,
consequently, increased yarn tenacity. They also made it possible for the first time to process
shorter staple lengths, such as 100-percent cotton, in addition to man-made fibers and blends. In
September 2008, Murata introduced Vortex yarns at the Expofil yarn fair in Paris. Murata
communicated that “the functionality and fashionable features of the Vortex yarns met the
expectations of the textile professions around the world.” Nevertheless, as spinning is a
conservative industry, the technology wasn’t, and isn’t yet, that successful compared to ring or
rotor spinning, but Vortex yarns maintain their place in a niche market.

In ComforJet® spinning, the fiber is spun in the spinning nozzle.

Rieter Air-jet Spinning


In 2003, the Rieter Group, Switzerland, challenged the markets by introducing its own air-jet
spinning technology, beginning with the development of the J 10 air-jet spinning machine. The
technology’s market launch has continued since June 2008. The main development criteria included,
to name just a few: high productivity; flexible, simple machine settings; ease of operation; and
low downtimes for maintenance and lot changes. These criteria determined the machine concept and
the individual components.

At the heart of Rieter’s second-generation J 20 air-jet spinning machine is a spinning unit
driven by individual motors, without central gears and driving shaft, across the entire machine
length. Individual spinning positions can be switched off, and the rest of the machine continues
production. Such spinning unit settings as drafts, bobbin speed, winding tension, cross-angle and
spinning pressure are performed centrally via the machine operator panel. Also, in evaluating
machine data, flexibility is the top priority. Separate production and shift reports are available
for each article.

In Rieter’s air-jet spinning technology, a fiber arc is created by means of an air current,
and the yarn produced in this way is taken off via a fixed spindle. The twist factor in the
covering yarn corresponds more or less to that of a ring-spun yarn. The air-jet-spun yarn structure
consists of core fibers without significant twist and covering fibers with a genuine twist, which
ultimately produces the corresponding yarn tenacity. The specific yarn structure results in yarn
tenacity between that of a ring-spun yarn and that of a rotor-spun yarn. According to Rieter, the
very high yarn tenacity of a compact yarn cannot be achieved by any other spinning system. The
air-jet system virtually totally integrates the fibers into the yarn strand and into the
simultaneous, complete twisting of the fibers.

Due to their yarn structure, air-jet-spun yarns display good yarn elongation values equaling
those of ring-spun yarns, depending on yarn count and raw material. The elongation in air-jet-spun
yarns is also reflected in the yarns’ good processing behavior.

The J 20 air-jet spinning machine has 120 spinning units and is equipped with four robots,
with two on each side of the machine.

Hairiness, Abrasion And Wear Resistance


Compared to yarn spun using other spinning processes, air-jet-spun yarn displays the lowest
hairiness. The spinning process and the yarn structure obtained as a result create new,
complementary possibilities in downstream processing of the yarn. The advantages of low hairiness
range from cost savings in the knitting process to unique advantages in the textile product in
terms of abrasion, wear resistance, pilling and washfastness.

Yarn abrasion is directly related to yarn hairiness and the integration of the fibers in the
yarn strand. One advantage of air-jet-spun yarn is clearly apparent: Lower abrasion will result in
significantly less soiling and less fiber fly during downstream yarn processing, thereby extending
cleaning intervals on the machines. The abrasion resistance of the yarns is a further important
criterion in subsequent downstream yarn-processing stages and the yarn’s serviceability properties
in the textile fabric.

The spinning units on the J 20 air-jet spinning machine are configured in an open
duo-drafting arrangement that is suitable for spinning all fiber types.

A Second Generation


A number of innovations incorporated in the J 20 air-jet spinning machine allow it to achieve
delivery speeds of 450 meters per minute (m/min). By comparison, normal ring-spinning delivery
speeds are 15 to 27 m/min, and rotor spinning speeds are 130 to 250 m/min. The Rieter air-jet
spinning machine has a construction similar to that of a rotor spinning machine. Between the drive
frame and the end frame, there are six sections, each with 20 spinning positions, for a total of
120 positions, compared to five sections on the J 10 machine — making the J 20 the longest air-jet
spinning machine in the world, according to Rieter. In addition, there are four robots — two on
each side — in operation for the formation of yarn piecings, bobbin change and cleaning.

Yarn produced by the J 20’s spinning unit features high strength and a low number of
imperfections. The duo-spinning unit’s drafting arrangement can be precisely and reproducibly set.
Controlled fiber guiding results in good yarn quality and a low number of quality cuts and natural
thread breakages. Operator involvement is significantly reduced. Furthermore, bobbin tension can be
set over the entire bobbin, which, in tandem with the image interference device, ensures perfect
bobbin building, Rieter reports. The J 20 machines are equipped with the USTER® Quantum Clearer 2
yarn clearer that can include, per customer requirements, capacitive or optical sensor and optional
foreign fiber detection.

Automation


As mentioned above, the J 20 is equipped with four robots, with two on each side of the
machine. In addition to cleaning the spinning position and automatically piecing the yarn after a
thread break or a clearer cut, the robot changes full bobbins and threads up the empty tubes. It
also features a fan that cleans fiber-fly from the spinning positions. The robot is based on
rotor-spinning automation technology. The entire piecing process is electronically controlled. The
machine is designed so that both machine sides are optionally entirely independent of each other.

Blends


The duo-spinning unit expands the J 20’s field of application, and it can process viscose,
Modal® and blends of these fibers with cotton. Ideally, a somewhat coarser and shorter cotton fiber
can be chosen for raw material blends on economic grounds. A corresponding reduction in noil can be
achieved when combed cotton is used.

During development of the machine, care was taken to enable as many fiber materials as
possible to be processed using the same top roller cots.

Drafting


The drafting arrangement technology adopted for the air-jet spinning machine has been adapted
to high speeds. In order to achieve the extremely high drafts, the 3-over-3 drafting arrangement
was further developed to a 4-over-4 arrangement, allowing a gentle fiber drafting in three stages.
The robust arrangement features a unique, patented traversing system. The feed sliver and the yarn
produced as a result are laterally traversed — thus extending the lifecycle of the top rollers,
cots and aprons threefold, which considerably reduces long-term maintenance and spare parts costs
and ensures consistent yarn quality over time, Rieter reports.

Lower Energy, Space Needs


For most applications, Rieter claims that the air-jet spinning technology consumes less
energy per kilogram of produced yarn than other spinning processes. Shutdown of individual spinning
units thereby pays off. During development, the dimensions of the J 20 were also considered, to
ensure that the machine could be installed in existing spinning rooms.

Space needs for the J 20 are 25-percent less than for ring-spinning equipment producing the
same capacity, thereby reducing building costs. Also, the smaller area requires less climate
control, resulting in further substantial savings.

New Markets


The new air-jet spinning technology produces new yarns with new yarn characteristics, and
opens new market opportunities for spinning plants. Yarn formation is achieved by turbulence with
an airflow in a spinning nozzle, which creates a quite different yarn structure. Yarn produced by
the J 20 is marketed under the ComforJet® brand.

Since ITMA 2011, Rieter has begun marketing the J 20 worldwide. The company claims that “the
J 20 is a production miracle with smallest space requirements. With its high operating speed of up
to 450 m/min and 120 spinning units, the J 20 air-spinning machine heads the productivity scale.”

This technology is certainly an attractive alternative to all other existing spinning
processes. However, its market acceptance will show if this assessment is true.

March/April 2012