Superba S.A., Mulhouse, France, receives ATIs Innovation Award for its KLP Automation Robot
that allows for the first time to close the automation loop in carpet yarn manufacturing.Introduced
at ITMA 99, the KLP was originally designed to be a winder-unloader and packer for Superba-specific
equipment only. However it has already created so much interest that customers are eager to use the
it. The KLP is one of the top representatives of the new generation of textile equipment, which is
high-tech, automated, and dramatically enhances product quality and production
consistency. Superba Once Again First

Superba has an impressive track record for being first in the industry with several of its
machines. The KLP continues the companys innovative tradition and is the result of Superbas
experience in the carpet yarn market. The KLP robot benefits from all advantages that automaton
brings with it. This includes the savings of manual handling at the exit of carpet yarn
heat-setting lines or dyeing lines.Until now, the removal of the bobbins from an automatic winder
had been performed via a conveyor belt. An operator had to remove the bobbins manually stage by
stage, knot the ends, stick a pre-printed label inside the tube, and place the bobbin in a
cardboard box, or on a pallet. Function DescriptionThe KLP robot is a reliable and safe
sliding overhead robot, with never touch the yarn handling for maximum quality achievements. The
KLP takes the packages from the exit position of the winding machines.Its first operation is to go
to one of the three positions per machine where a package can be located. The second operation is
to measure the diameter of the package, to determine the center of the tube to be picked up, and to
determine the matrix for palletizing. The robot then unloads one package, stops for a second over
the tail cutting device (just in case that there is a long tail), and takes the package to the AHD,
Superbas knotting and labeling machine for bobbins after the heat setting process.As soon as the
package has been taken from the BLA (automatic winder for carpet yarns) conveyor, the conveyor
restarts automatically to present a new package to be unloaded.After that, the robot travels to the
exit of the AHD and packs the package onto the pallet. When the layer is full the robot puts the
separator over the packages before restarting the palletizing operation again. When the pallet is
complete, the robot signals with an illuminated lamp for replacement of the pallet.If the AHD
communicates a rejection of the package, this package will be set aside and not packed.
 Automation Is RealityThe automation of heat-setting and dyeing lines was, for a long time, on
the wish-list of mills in this manufacturing field. Now, with the KLP, the complete automation
process is offered by automatically knotting, labeling and packing the bobbin into cardboard boxes
or placing it onto pallets by means of a robot. Even the position of the knot can be easily found
later on.The labeling features real-time data for each individual bobbin, based on the on-line data
provided by the heatsetting or dyeing line PLC.For packing, the KLP offers a programmable matrix
and number of layers and separator insertion.The KLP offers the immediate connection to two winders
with automatic doffing.Superba emphasizes that the KLP allows a quick start-up of new machinery and
helps in maintenance savings later on. Success Around The CornerEven though the KLP is stll
considered to be a brand new machine, first installations are already going into Europe. In the
United States, the KLP will have its official debut at the beginning of 2000.

November 1999

The Dornier LWV8/J air-jet was one of the most impressive weaving machines at ITMA99. The
eight-color jacquard machine was shown equipped with a model LX3200 Staubli head with 9,800 hooks.
It was running at 600 rpm in a 430-centimeter width, giving a filling insertion rate of 2,520
meters per minute.The filling supply for the LWV8/J used eight ROJ filling feeders, type Super
ELF-td. The warp was supplied from twin beams. Each was 1,000 millimeters in diameter using EURO II
beam supports. Style Changes On-The-Fly

The LWV8/J has the capability for automatic pattern change. At the show, Dornier demonstrated
an impressive on-the-fly change from napery to sheeting by changing the filling. This was executed
without stopping the machine.The warp was 150 tex, 100-percent polyester with 38.7 ends per
centimeter. The filling used for the napery style was Nm 34/1 ring-spun cotton yarn with 26 picks
per centimeter. The filling for the sheeting fabric was Nm 40/1 ring-spun yarn with 24 picks per
centimeter. The reeded width was 420 centimeters.Electronic let-off was used on both sides. The
machine had an electronic take-up motion using a Neuenhauser off-loom take-up unit.The machine was
outfitted with a Disc-O-Leno on the left-hand side and an EcoLeno on the right-hand side. Automatic
filling stop repair was also shown. Air-Jet AdvancesDornier showed several advances for
air-jet machines at ITMA. Permanent control on the timing of all nozzles with the ability to
indicate any malfunctioning valves was shown. A message on the control panel indicated faults and
their location.Tandem booster nozzles, which are moving with the lay for up to eight colors, were
displayed.A fully electronically controlled air-operated tucking mechanism was demonstrated.
Applications include flat, terry and tire cord fabrics with operating speeds up to 1,000 rpm.A new
disc leno operated by a motor was shown integrated with the disc. This feature is available for
both air-jet and rapier machines.A triple filling sensor with the stretch nozzle indicated the
arrival of filling yarn and detected yarn picks. The company also extended the range of filling
yarns that can be used on its air-jet machines. The range is from Ne 5 to Ne 71 for spun yarns. For
filament yarns, the range is 20 to 2,000 denier.An improved program for preventing start marks was
exhibited. An increased diameter warp beam of 1,500 millimeters can be placed above the machine.The
company als showed several refinements to its popular line of rapier weaving machines.

November 1999

Burlington Industries Williamsburg Plant, Caswell County, N.C., part of the Burlington House
Division, recently renovated its fabric inspection room by installing 15 custom-designed machines
built by McCOYandDUKE Inc., Greenville, S.C.The Williamsburg Plant was built in 1966 and was
originally setup to weave drapery fabrics. It now produces mattress ticking, both fancy Jacquard
and dobby upholstery; drapery styling and bedding.Over the years, Burlington has updated the
equipment at the Williamsburg plant. In this latest modernization, the decision was made to improve
the material handling portion of production. In order to improve cost and safety conditions, the
company decided to renovate the approximately 11,000-square-foot area that housed its fabric
inspection room.We wanted to get our inspection department onto the same level of world-class
manufacturing as our weaving operation, said Joe Hatzopoulos, plant manager of the Williamsburg
Plant.Burlingtons approach was to involve both management and associates in selecting and
developing the system for automating the plants cloth room.This project is an excellent example of
how textile companies and vendors can work together to streamline production and improve workplace
conditions.

Burlington’s recent cloth room renovation has drastically reduced the manual handling of its
fabric. The Williamsburg Plant, which employs approximately 600 people, produces 1 million
yards of fabric per week. The company wanted to improve its time in/time out and the overall
quality of its fabric. It determined the best way this could be done was by reducing the handling
of the fabric.We wanted to get away from the manual handling of our fabrics to eliminate several
processes. One in particular was batching and shearing. We wanted to reduce not just the manual
handling but reduce the overall handling of all our fabrics, said Hatzopoulos.Burlington has always
been a corporation willing to seek out state-of-the-art equipment, and this plant has been one of
the flag ships of the division as far as capital investments. Beginning The ChangeAfter
looking at several solutions and companies, Burlington chose to work with McCOY/HOUSTON (as the
company was called at the time) because of the companys ability to create custom-built inspection
equipment that fit Burlingtons needs.From the beginning, the two companies worked in tandem to
redesign the cloth room. Burlington wanted as many of its cloth room associates to be involved in
the design and layout of the area as possible. Burlington believed that its employees some of whom
had been with the company since the plant opened could provide valuable insight.I have been in the
textile sales business for probably 25 years and this is one of the first times that I have seen
this many people be involved in the decision, said Ron McCoy, McCOYandDUKE.Some members of the
production team were sent to McCOYandDUKE to get an in-person look at the design process.We sent a
second shift supervisor and two or three other employees to Greenville to find out more information
about the equipment, to serve as our experts, said Hatzopoulos. Benefits Of Installation

As expected, the new machines have dramatically reduced downtime while also reducing cost.
The new system allows for a flow of fabric rolls from the weave room to the inspection area. The
rolls are moved via conveyors from the weave room to the inspection floor. As the rolls come down
the conveyor they are directed to the next available inspection station. These dump stations are
fully automated.When the fabrics come from the weave room they are not even touched by an employee
in the inspection department until they are actually in the cradle of the inspection frame,
Hatzopoulos said. At that part of the frame, the inspector has to thread up the fabric.This new
system of delivering the fabric rolls eliminates a 25-year-old process known as the Eagle system.
The Eagle system used a claw-like mechanism to carry rolls of fabric to the sort location. Because
the system moved overhead, and had problems with misplaced sorting and mis-drops caused by
mechanical failure, it was the number one safety concern in the facility. The new system not only
eliminates the safety problems, but it also eliminates delays that occur from inaccurate fabric
roll placement.The biggest improvement occurred at the inspection stations. A full roll of fabric
can move down to the station from the conveyor system to await inspection. When the in-use roll is
out of fabric, the empty core automatically disengages from the work station and is sent to the
return conveyor system located directly below the main conveyor system. The cores are then returned
for use on the production floor.No longer is he or she having to lift a center mandrel, pull it
out, push the roll of cloth on the conveyor system, put a whole new tube on the air mandrel, put it
back, insert it, position it, Hatzopoulos said.Now it is just a simple procedure of laying a
three-inch paper tube onto two rollers to start-up.Eliminating the manual removal of these cores
not only reduces downtime, but also improves safety. The empty cores are heavy, some weighing up to
50 pounds. In the past, the inspectors, a large percentage of which are women, had to manually
remove and disengage the empty cores. The new system reduced the handling of these cores, allowing
for vastly improved workplace ergonomics.What we wanted to get away from was a lot of the lifting,
a lot of the pushing and pulling and handling of our fabrics,said Hatzopoulos. The number one
reason is for the safety of our employees, and number two is the reduced amount of handling of our
fabrics is going to ensure a more quality product.The core return system eliminated the need for
having associates walk around the area collecting, setting up and taking off cores. Avoiding
DelaysThroughout the entire renovation process, the Williamsburg Plant maintained full production
by using a satellite inspection area for several months. While this required an increase in manual
labor, there were no accidents during the transition stage, a point Burlington proudly points
out.For as big as this cloth room was, and for the work that had to be done, and what was brought
in it probably could not have been any better than the way it was handled, said McCoy. They lost
very little downtime compared to what it could have been. Steps To The FutureThese
improvements have allowed Burlington to continue to compete in this ever changing and high
competitive market. In todays market, there are more and more shorter runs and more and more style
changes, said Hatzopoulos. Our division is very fashion- and speed-oriented, and they are two of
the major factors within Burlington House. McCoyandDukeMcCOYandDUKE Inc., Greenville, S.C., began
operation in 1995 as McCOYandHOUSTON. The companys principals, Ronald J. McCoy and Charles E. Duke
along with project engineer John Malone together have 75 years combined experience in the textile
industry. The company can produce custom-built machinery for many areas of the textile industry.
These included greige mills, dye and print ranges, nonwovens, process lines to carpet, paper,
plastic and fiberglass machinery and material handling requirements.

November 1999

The American Yarn Spinners Association Inc. has announced that Mark B. Kent, president of The Kent
Manufacturing Co., Pickens, S.C., was re-elected for a second term as president of the American
Yarn Spinners Association. Kent was has served as president of Kent Manufacturing since 1992.The
American Yarn Spinners Association also announced that D. Harding Stowe, president, R.T. Stowe
Mills, Belmont, N.C., was named first vice president and Charles L. Little Jr., president, Mount
Vernon Mills, yarn division, Greenville, S.C., was named second vice president.Fred A. Jackson,
president, AmericanandEfird Inc., Mount Holly, N.C., was named treasurer and Jim H. Conner,
Gastonia, N.C., was re-elected as executive vice president and secretary.

November 1999